Polynices

wholly good, but if the individual’s intentions are good, then they are, too, at least to an extent. At the beginning of this play, the sons of Oedipus, Polynices and Eteocles, fight on opposite sides in battle, and are both killed as a result. The newly pronounced king, Creon, issues a city-wide proclamation demanding that no one try to honor Polynices with a proper burial or by mourning his death. Stubborn and rash Antigone blatantly defies this decree, sneaking past the guards and…

Heroines in a Patriarchal Society For many years, there has always been an equality gap between males and females. Males being the more revered and desired gender, while females were the more disregarded gender, as they were forced to the mundane house work. Researchers have studied and learned how family dynamics work throughout history, with their research including archaeology, documents, and literature. In the 5th century, this sense of patriarchal dominance was no different in…

philosophical justice is held at a higher standard. The relationship between the two is that they both go against societal norms at the time period in which they occur. For example, the whole argument in Antigone stems from the death of Antigone’s brother, Polynices’; whether or not he should receive a proper burial. At the time when Antigone buried her brother, Creon was the ruler of Thebes. Under his rule, it was stated several times…

tragedy that takes place in the city of Thebes. The two daughters of Oedipus, Antigone and Ismene, who both face a dilemma because Creon, the new king, has enjoined that Eteocles, one of their brothers, will receive a hero burial, while the other, Polynices, will have no burial rights. Antigone and Ismene have two options: defy the king’s orders and suffer death or forget about the situation and move on with their lives. Sophocles develops the plot through the internal and external conflicts of…

Antigone by Sophocles Antigone is a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles. It is a tale about the conflict between a girl trying to honor her brother and a king who uses his power to forbid it. This Greek play symbolically demonstrates the inner conflict between power and one’s conscience. (Haigh) Antigone was the third and final installment of Sophocles popular trilogy after Oedipus the King and Oedipus at Colonus (Sayre). Sophocles, who lived from 496-406 BCE was a treasurer for Athenian polis…

Protective of Power A person of power can be broken. Power can be won, given, taken, and lost. People can be ruined. Being destroyed can be afflicted by an outside force or by oneself. However, no matter the source of ones downfall there is no influence over the inevitable. Throughout the play Antigone many of the characters are confronted with situations that lead to their downfall. Most of the characters actions and choices are the source of their ultimate demise. According to Aristotle, a…

Oedipus Rex, Antigone (both by Sophocles), and Medea (by Euripides) are Greek dramas; each of these dramas takes place in Ancient Greece, during 5th century B.C., and include these three significant points: a king’s fíat, revenge, and suicide, all of which influence the entirety of each play’s plot. Oedipus, the king of Thebes, proclaims he will locate and penalize Laius’s (previous king of Thebes) murderer; anyone who withholds information will be subjected to punishment. Creon, successor to…

Oedipus (swollen foot) who was known for his wisdom and knowledge. He was the son of Laius (for his son killing him and a hero) and Jocasta (prophecy saying). Oedipus was the ruler of Thebes when he killed Sphinx the beast the was half lion and half lady. When his father first heard that Oedipus was going to kill him and marry his mother. So Laius told one of his servants to percies his ankles so he couldn’t walk and that's how he got his name Oedipus. His mother (Jocasta) handed the baby to a…

likely to get attacked. As a ruler Creon is insecure, desperate to assert his authority and to restore order in Thebes and he sees Polynices burial as a threat to that order because he committed treason against his own city. But by Creon denying his nephew’s a burial he struck a nerve in Antigone who thought she had no choice but to go against the law and bury Polynices herself, knowing the punishment was death by public stoning. That punishment seems a little extreme but Creon was concerned…

Creon’s Flaw According to Other Literary Works While the various literary works such as Uttaradhyayana Sutra and Art of War do affirm Creon’s culpability in the play’s conflict; however, they disagree as to what, specifically, leads to Creon’s downfall. For example, two works, Uttaradhyayana Sutra and the Art of War both vastly differ. While the Uttaradhyayana Sutra focuses more on the individual disconnecting from the world, the Art of War places a focus on ultimately winning. Due to literary…