...The Original Rivalry: Conflict in Antigone Antigone is a dramatic piece of literature written by Sophocles and translated by Robert Fagles to portray, but not limited to, one major conflict. The major conflict portrayed is Antigone against the state but as the story unfolds another conflict begins to become apparent. This conflict is the never-ending conflict of men against women. These conflicts quickly become apparent as the story begins. The conflicts become apparent as the drama’s main “villain,” Creon, is making it his priority to keep his control over Antigone and the state. In doing this he is also trying to retain his dominance over the female kind. After the death of her brothers, Antigone deliberately violates Creon’s law by burying her brother who was viewed as a traitor. Not only is she breaking state laws but also breaking the barriers of women in this time period. Women in this time period were required to be obedient, loyal, and viewed as feeble. However, Antigone shows acts of courage, which was unheard of for women of this era. When her sister, Ismene, worries for Antigone, she pledges that the king “has no right to keep me from my own” (58-59). Another prime example of the secondary conflict being expressed is when Ismene responds, “Remember we are women” (74). This reiterates their attitude towards how they are seen in the era they live in. She continues with, “we’re not born to contend with men” (75). Ismene, contrary to Antigone, serves as a comparison...
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...Antigone vs. Creon: Struggles, Beliefs, and Morals In Sophocles’ play, Antigone, Creon and his young niece Antigone encounter many struggles in their lives because of moral views and political laws. Conflicts would arise when the values and actions of these two individuals disagreed with one another. Antigone’s conflict in the play held the approach of god’s law in the way, and on the opposing side, Creon chose his way of political beliefs that he would personally create as king. In my paper, I will discuss these characters, and interpret why and how their actions reflect their own personal beliefs and morals as individuals. The difference in beliefs, moral views, and opinions seen through-out the play were constantly disputed between Creon and Antigone. Antigone felt that Creon ignored the laws of gods through his laws. When she was captured after giving her brother proper rites and brought to Creon, she said, “Your edict, King was strong, but all your strength is weakness itself against the immortal unrecorded laws of God. They are not merely now: they were, and shall be operative forever, beyond man utterly” (Rand, 4). Antigone supports the laws of the God’s in heaven and believes that if someone is not given proper burial rites after death, they will not go to heaven. Her religious views were very important to her and the love for her brother would ultimately sway her decisions to go against the law of the king. Creon’s laws and orders became very personal...
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...EURO3301 Reflective Essay (2) Given that Antigone seems to act out of kinship loyalties and in deference to the will of the gods of Hades, to what extent can she be interpreted as an individual in conflict with her society? Do you consider her rebellious or conservative? Jack Tesser (21137219) Within Sophocles’ play Antigone, the major character Antigone is seen to act continuously out of kinship loyalties and deference to the gods of Hades. These actions allow her to be interpreted as an individual in conflict with her society to a certain extent. She can be identified as predominantly rebellious at different times within the play. The gender of Antigone as well as the gender related expectations of the society of Thebes also plays an important part in analysing how Antigone is in conflict with her society. Coupled with exterior factors such as religion, sacrifice, and human law, an audience can make commentary on how Antigone is at conflict with her society, and how she can be seen as primarily rebellious. After Antigone’s brother Polyneices, falls to his death in battle, Antigone feels the need to bury him in honour to her religion and the gods of Hades, as her other brother who is described by Creon as “Eteocles, who fell fighting for his city…will be buried and receive all honours”. Creon additionally describes Polyneices as the one “who…hope[d] of burning his native land…he shall be neither buried nor mourned” In Antigone’s eyes, both her brothers should...
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...Antigone is an extreme view of the trouble with in-laws. Sophocles brought to life the struggles of two troubled families during a time when the many greek gods were considered the ultimate power source, and retribution was the most compelling driver for decisions. This fear of the gods, combined with a desire to protect one’s community from harm, caused many leaders to make ill-advised and dogmatic decisions, despite the advice of others. Antigone placed family honor above all traits. And what a family to honor! As the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta, Antigone has had an inauspicious start to life. Antigone is alsoengaged to Creon’s son, Haemon which only intensifies the conflict, as Haemon is torn between his father and his wife, ultimately leading to Haemon’s suicide following a conflict with his father regarding Antigone’s sentence. Antigone’s suicide was to avoid live entombment as ordered by Creon when she defied him by burying her brother, Polyneices. Polyneices was ordered, by Creon, to be left unburied where he died on the battlefield. This action would have left Polyneices’ soul wandering for eternity, which was something that Antigone could not tolerate due to her strong belief in family honor....
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...STUDIES IN DRAMA QUESTION: ATTEMPT A DRAMATIC ANALYSIS OF THE PLAY ANTIGONE BY JEAN ANOUILH Dramatic analysis is the process of identifying the elements of the structure of a dramatic work such as a play, or film. There are six elements used when analyzing a drama which includes: exposition, inciting incidence, rising action, climax, falling action and the resolution. The exposition provides the background information needed to properly understand the story, such as the problem in the beginning of the story. It introduces the characters and the basic conflict in a play. Inciting incidence is an incidence which comes after the introduction of the characters and the basic conflicts. The rising action is when the basic internal conflict is complicated being the introduction of related secondary conflicts including various obstacles that frustrate the protagonist attempt to reach his goal. Climax, also referred to as turning point marks a change for the better or the worse in the protagonist affairs. Falling action therefore, is a moment of reversal after the climax. The conflict between the protagonists unravels with the protagonist winning or losing against the antagonist. Denouement, resolution or catastrophe comprises the event between the falling action and the actual ending scene of the drama. It serves as a conclusion of the story where the conflicts are resolved. Jean Anouilh’s Antigone is an adaptation of Sophocles’ tragic play of the same title. Written in...
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...Antigone - Pride and Conflict of Law Sophocles' Antigone, in its later phases is no longer about the conflict of law; It is about stubbornness and self will, about the sin of refusing to listen; about a man who has never been told. Conflict of law, presents the initial disturbance within Thebes. Creon, King of Thebes, refuses to bury the body of Polynices, for in his eyes Polynices is 'his country's enemy' Antigone pg.131. Thus, despite breaking the laws of the gods, Creon holds his power higher than that of God and heavens and enforces his law. As the story follows, Sophocles expands on the ignorance presented by Creon and Antigone, and it is also found that it is impossible to defeat an ignorant man, or woman in argument. It is this ignorance, that establishes the notion of the sin and punishment that both Creon and Antigone face due to their stubbornness and self will. Antigone holds her love of family, and respect to the dead, elevated beyond the laws of Creon, whom she believes, has no righteous justification to close his eyes to the honor of the deceased. In her determination to fulfill Polynices' rights, she runs directly into Creon's attempts to re-establish order. This leads to encounters of severe conflict between the dissimilarities of the two, creating a situation whereby both Creon and Antigone expose their stubbornness and self will. It is Antigone's morals, which drive her to betray the laws of man, in order to honor the laws...
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...Creon and Haemon; Conflict of Antigone Creon and Haemon have dissimilar points of views when it comes to Antigone because Haemon has affection for Antigone while Creon feels animosity towards her. In the play, “Antigone” Sophocles tells the story of King Creon who rules Thebes the town. Haemon who is the son of the king falls in love with Antigone. Antigone is the niece of Creon and sister of Polynices. She plays a stubborn character. When her family is involved with the situation her attitude becomes aggressive. Polynices who is a traitor takes his last breath fighting against Thebes. The King announces anyone to honor or bury the body of Polynices would suffer a death due to the fact that he was a traitor of Thebes. The conflict of the play involves Antigone who disobeys Creon’s authority. In the speech between Haemon and Creon an Antigone is revealed between the two that exhibits Creon’s misogyny and Haemon’s analysis of his father’s discriminating attitude toward women in general. Note the tone in the following quotation: Creon: “Oh Haemon, Never lose your sense of judgment over a woman. The warmth, the rush of pleasure, it all goes cold in your arms, I warn you…a worthless woman in your house, a misery in your bed. What wound cuts deeper than a loved one turned against you? Spit her out, like a mortal enemy- let the girl go. Let her find a husband down among the dead” (1328). Creon expresses misogyny in this quote. He consults with his...
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...ANTIGONE Antigone is a tragedy by Sophocles written in or before 441 BC. Chronologically, it is the third of the three Theban plays but was written first. The play expands on the Theban legend that predated it and picks up where Aeschylus' Seven Against Thebes ends. This play is based on the life story of Antigone, the daughter of Oeudipe and Jocaste. It is a legend of her sacrifice for her loved ones, her believes and her honour. Antigone’s brother Polynice had betrayed his country and died during the war. Creon, the king of Thebes had refused to give him a burial. Antigone is outraged by this decision and goes as far as sacrificing her life, to give her brother a burial he deserves. Even law of the king does not stop her from doing what she thinks is right. Antigone is the tragic heroine of the play and this play revolves around her struggle against the autocratic laws of the state. Even she manages to give Polynice a rightful burial but, this burial costs Antigone her life. SYNOPSIS In the beginning of the play, two brothers leading opposite sides in Thebes' civil war died fighting each other for the throne. Creon, the new ruler of Thebes, has decided that Eteocles will be honored and Polyneices will be in public shame. The rebel brother's body will not be sanctified by holy rites, and will lie unburied on the battlefield, prey for carrion animals like worms and vultures, the harshest punishment at the time. Antigone and Ismene are the sisters of the dead Polyneices...
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...State control A well established theme in Antigone is the right of the individual to reject society's infringement on her freedom to perform a personal obligation,[14] obvious in Antigone's refusal to let Creon dictate what she is allowed to do with her family members. She says to Ismene about Creon's edict, "He has no right to keep me from my own."[15] Related to this theme is the question whether Antigone's will to bury her brother is based on rational thought or instinct, a debate whose contributors include greats like Goethe.[14] [edit] Natural law and contemporary legal institutions In Antigone, Sophocles asks the question, which law is greater: the gods' or man's. Sophocles votes for the law of the gods. He does this in order to save Athens from the moral destruction which seems imminent. Sophocles wants to warn his countrymen about hubris, or arrogance, because he knows this will be their downfall. In Antigone, the hubris of Creon is revealed. [edit] Civil disobedience The contrasting views of Creon and Antigone with regard to laws higher than those of state inform their different conclusions about civil disobedience. Creon demands obedience to the law above all else, right or wrong. He says that "there is nothing worse than disobedience to authority" (An. 671). Antigone responds with the idea that state law is not absolute, and that it can be broken in civil disobedience in extreme cases, such as honoring the gods, whose rule and authority outweigh Creon's. [edit]...
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...help the dead.” says Antigone. Antigone is brave. When she was caught she didn’t cry and wasn’t afraid. Her actions, and ideas contrast with Creon’s character to the point of these two characters having conflicting motivations. These conflicting motivations cause the characteristics of her sister, Ismene, Creon’s guard, and Creon’s son, Haemon. This all started when the guard found Antigone breaking laws, he took her to Creon, then the conflict started. It all started with Ismene, she tried defending her sister, Antigone. She tried telling Creon that Antigone did it for good reasons and not to just break laws. Creon tried to sentence Antigone to punishment but Ismene wouldn’t allow that to happen. She kept conflicting with Creon to not sentence Antigone to anything. She wanted to save her sister. Creon wasn’t listening to Ismene though, he completely...
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... English 112 Antigone: Divine Law vs. Human Law The play entitled Antigone was written by a man named Sophocles, a scholarly author of philosophy and logic. The play Antigone is probably one of the most prominent interpretations of a tragic drama. The two main characters of the play are Antigone and Creon. There is much conflict between Antigone and Creon throughout the play, both of them having their own ideas and opinions regarding divine law versus human law. The theme that I am going to analyze is the conflict of divine law vs. human law. The reason for this is because this theme seems to control the whole play. It is an issue of which law is the "right" law, and if Creon's and Antigone's acts were justifiable. The play Antigone can be summarized by the following: King Creon lets it be known that Polyneices the traitor is not to be buried, but his sister Antigone defies the order because of the values she holds. She is caught, and sentenced by Creon to be buried alive - even though she is to be married to his son Haemon. After the blind prophet Tiresias proves that the gods are on Antigone's side, Creon changes his mind - but too late. He goes first to bury Polyneices, but Antigone has already hanged herself. When Creon arrives at the tomb, Haemon attacks him and then kills himself. When the news of their death is reported, Creon's wife Eurydice takes her own life. Creon ends up being all alone...
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...In Antigone, the protagonist Creon is a tragic hero who struggles with internal dilemmas. The fatal decisions that set him down a tragic path are rooted in his inner conflict. Creon must discern between the importance of civil law and divine law, and this tension created illuminates the central idea that defying the Gods ends in detriment. The conflicting force of civil law is most appealing to Creon. This starts to build his tension towards the God’s principles. Creon has the most power and control under civil law. By being a new, inexperienced king, he feels a need to prove to his people the strength and supremacy he can guarantee. In consequence, he makes a narrow-minded law, where no one shall bury Polynices due to Polynice’s betrayal to the state Whoever defies this ruling will face...
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...Thurman Mrs. Fleming Hendricks Composition II, Section 90 March 2, 2014 Antigone “Antigone”, is filled with betrayal, internal and external struggles, courage, loyalty to one’s family, and contempt towards gods and law. Antigone is a young woman, engaged to Haemon, son of King Creon. Antigone, devastated and grief stricken by the death of her brother Polyneices, has a moral responsibility to honor her brother’s death with a proper burial. Despite facing death herself as punishment, Antigone chooses family honor and commitment, above her own life. Sophocles’ use of Dramatic Terminology is extraordinary, by giving explicit detail of surroundings called Exposition, arising Conflict among characters, followed with Rising Action from beginning to end. When using the dramatic term Exposition, the writer introduces material creating the setting and tone, and presents characters and factors for the readers understanding of the story. The palace’s entrance is described in detail, “a central double door, and two lateral doors, a platform extends the length of the facade, and from this platform three steps lead down into the orchestra.” The reader can almost imagine hearing the violins and cellos playing. Antigone has lead her sister Ismene to the gates of King Creon’s palace during the burial ceremony of one of her brothers. Exposition was later used when describing the Chorus Leader’s observance of King Creon carrying Haemons dead body, “Here comes the king in person carrying in his...
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...expected to be stable, extraneous conflicts can impose on the sustainability of a relation, leaving the members of the bond either having trouble maintaining the bond or coalescing tighter in the need to show endurance. In Sophocles’s Antigone, a soldier, Polyneices, dies in war over control of Thebes, leaving his family to mourn over his death. When the king of Thebes, Creon, places a law over the city making illegal the act of burying the dead, Polyneices’s sister, Antigone, appoints herself the duty of defying Creon’s law. Antigone buries Polyneices...
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...Sophocles’ tragic play Antigone tells of the conflict between Antigone and King Creon. The conflict among Creon and Antigone leads to fall of the house of Creon. Creon is the major cause of this destruction which he brought upon himself. King Creon has been corrupted and fallen to the idea of power. A review of his actions proves that his ruling is based largely on family turmoil which is how the basis of this ruling and his subsequent actions in the play. Creon is the proclaimed king in the beginning of the play. The first order as King is by prohibiting the burial of Polynices, based on the Polynices being seen as a traitor for fighting against his country and not for his country. The target of Creon's law not to bury the dead are Antigone and Ismene because they are the living realtives of the deceased King Oedipus . King Creon states he is not worthy of a burial based on Polynices actions. Creon says “whoever places a friend above the good of his own country, he is nothing.” Creon considers the duty to the state a priority than to another man. This is reinterated when he states “our country is our safety.” His order of not to bury Polynices could possibly be based on Polynices humiliating him by ousting him when he took the position of King as soon as Oedipus is laid to rest. Creon logically convinces his people that his order not to bury Polynices is justified. This justification has his people accepting the no bury order. A sentry discovers the grave of...
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