Contrast of Beliefs in Sophocles´ Antigone - 762 Words

Being able to be a brave and narrow-minded is not an easy or usual characteristic. But, author Sophocles seems to portray this characteristic flawlessly in the play Antigone. In Antigone, King Creon decides Eteocles should have a proper burial while Polyneices should just be left to rot after these two brothers have a brutal fight and anyone who buries Polyneices should be punished. But, their sister Antigone opposes this and decides to go against Creon’s word and buries Polyneices. When Creon finds out he goes through an internal conflict trying to decide if he should punish his own niece or let the situation goes. The play has many tragedies that happen in a domino effect and change Creon’s view. In the play, Creon and Antigone often have contrasting viewpoints in certain beliefs and situations. With Creon being the Antagonist and Antigone being the protagonist, the two have clashing beliefs in. The main conflicting beliefs are in their views of laws, the burial of Po lyneices, and conflicting personalities. By example, Creon and Antigone have conflicting viewpoints in their beliefs of laws. Antigone believes moral laws developed from gods while Creon believes in moral laws developed from him. Creon says, â€Å"It seems that prophets have made me their especial province, all my life long I have been a kind of butt for the dull arrows of doddering fortunetellers! No, Teiresias: If your birds - if the great eagles of God himself should carry him stinking bit by bit to heaven, IShow MoreRelatedWho Is More Tragic, Creon or Antigone?863 Words   |  4 Pagesvaliantly fought for his country and for his beliefs, and even when Pat died in Afghanistan in 2004, his memory lives on in the minds of many people. According to Aristotle, the hero is not a true hero like Pat Tillman, but rather a person who has serious flaws that lead to the downfall of the character. In Antigone, both Creon and Antigone share some tragic elements: tragic hero, hamartia, hubri s, and nemesis. However, Creon is a more tragic hero than Antigone because his character has tragic elementsRead MoreThe Conflict Of Sophocles Antigone1500 Words   |  6 PagesSophocles’ Antigone centers around a familial feud that develops between Antigone and Creon when Antigone decides to bury her brother and Creon’s niece, Polyneices. While Antigone believes that it is her religious and familial duty to bury her brother, Creon objects, citing the Theban civil war which took place right before the events of the play. Adhering to Greek literary tradition, Sophocles ultimately seeks not just to entertain the audience but also to teach a moral lesson, in this case aboutRead MoreEssay about Gender Bias Critic of Antigone1724 Words   |  7 PagesA Gender Bias Approach to Antigone Just as one stone removed can break a bridge, one flaw can bring a man to ruins. 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Through a review of the two plays and a comparison of their presentation of the bonds of blood andRead MoreSophocles As A Master Of Character Development1497 Words   |  6 PagesSophocles is one of the three great Athens tragic playwrights in Greek history. He has written over 120 plays in which they were performed into three tragedies known as the â€Å"Oedipus the King†. Although he has written 123 plays there are only seven of his tragedies remaining and with only a few titles and fragments remaining. The seven tragedies include Ajax, Antigone, Trachinian Women, Oedipus the King, Electra, Philoctetes, Oedipus at Colonus, a nd Trackers. Sophocles was considered to be a masterRead More Sophocles’ Oedipus Cycle – Antigone, as a Feminist Essay1380 Words   |  6 PagesSophocles’ Oedipus Cycle – Antigone, as a Feminist Throughout history, women have always stood in the shadows of men. In many cultures, the role of women has always been to be seen and not heard. As one of the first feminists in world literature, the character Antigone, of Sophocles’ Oedipus Cycle, displays fine characteristics of a great female leader in order to stand up against male dominance for her religious, political, and personal beliefs. When the king denies her brother, Polynices,Read MoreRejecting Gender Roles In Sophocless Antigone1262 Words   |  6 PagesRejecting Gender Roles in Antigone Human nature dictates that conformity is a safer choice than expressing individuality. When placed in a situation where one must either remain silent or speak their mind and face severe consequences, there is much less risk in taking the first option. Sophocles, an Athenian tragedian from the fifth century BC, confronted this theme throughout one of his most popular works: Antigone. In the play, the title character must decide if she should honor her brother andRead MoreAnalysis Of Oedipus The King And Antigone1170 Words   |  5 Pagescivilizations such as Athens, women were looked down upon and this battle to leave behind tradition proved to be almost if not fatal. Sophocles Oedipus the King and Antigone exemplify three distinct female Athenian characters who approach this battle with different fronts. Through analysis of Ismene, Antigone and Jocasta’s distinct characters, the reader better understands how Sophocles uses a feminine voice to break away from the tradition d iscerned in Athenian life to advocate for the rise of a matriarchalRead MoreAntigone And Creon As A Tyrant1452 Words   |  6 Pages Antigone takes place just after a war between Antigone’s two brothers, Eteocles and Polynices. Eteocles fought on the side of Thebes whereas Polynices resembled an invader. Afterwards, Eteocles is buried and seen as honorable. However, Polynices is denied a proper burial because he is considered a traitor to Thebes. In this play, Sophocles uses Antigone and Creon as foils by characterizing Antigone as a martyr and Creon as a tyrant to urge the reader to realize that one’s own morals are more significantRead More A Comparison of Moral Conflict in Antigone and A Dolls House1479 Words   |  6 PagesConflict Between Individual Morals and State Laws in Antigone and A Dolls House  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Mother, should I trust the government?   Or should I trust myself?   This dilemma is a common one in a great deal of literature.   In Antigone and A Doll’s House, the main theme is the question of whether one should be true to oneself or true to one’s state or society.   Should Nora (in A Doll’s House) and Antigone (in Antigone) â€Å"follow the rules† and do what the state and society want them to do or