...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 and represents...
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...In the play “Antigone”, by Sophocles, there is an antagonism between Antigone and Creon. As the novelist George Eliot says, “the antagonism between valid claims”, there is such an antagonism in the play, and it is hard to judge who is right because they both have their valid claims. Is Antigone right to bury her brother Polynices’ died body even though she will die? Yes, she is right, because she has her valid claims. First, Antigone has a strong belief in protecting her family. Antigone states: “for me, the doer, death is the best. Loving, I shall lie with him, yes, with my loved one, when I have dared the crime of piety”(71). Polynices is her brother, there is blood relation between them. I remembered that once, when my brother disputed with other people, and they wanted to fight with my brother; however, I stood in front of my brother immediately and wanted to protect him! At that moment, I don’ t where my courage comes from, but I did. It is how Antigone believes: even though I will be killed, I still want to protect my brother. Religious belief is another reason in Antigone’s decision to break the law and bury her brother. She states: “For me it was not Zeus who made that order. Nor did that Justice who lives with the gods below mark out such laws to hold among mankind”(450). She believes the God’s law is the only law that she obey, even though she will break the law of the state. If one believes that someone or something is the great in the world, then nothing can...
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...A conscientious objector is defined as a person standing up for what they believe to be right. A person in the real world, like Rosa Parks, or a character from a play, such as Antigone, can be conscientious objectors. Antigone and Rosa Parks both fit the description of a conscientious objector. The reason why they fit into the description is because both women had the courage to do what they thought was right. In the play Antigone by Sophocles, the character Antigone can be described as a conscientious objector. An example in the play that shows her righteousness would be when Antigone buried Polyneices, her brother, even though Creon had made a decree saying “no one shall bury him”(Sophocles 688). Creon prohibited anyone from burying Polyneices because he betrayed his people by attacking them. Polyneices’ brother, Eteocles, is considered a hero for dying for his people, so that they were protected. Since Eteocles died as a brave hero, Creon buried him “with military honors”(688) and “gave him a soldier's funeral…”(Sophocles 688). Therefore meaning that Polyneices did not receive a funeral. Antigone was filled with anger and believed that leaving Polyneices out on a field for carrion birds to...
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...the classical play “Antigone” written by ancient Greek author Sophocles, it discusses and questions the role and importance of women during ancient Greek times. As the play follows the actions taken by the protagonist, Antigone, who transgression in order to bury her brother’s corpse. Sophocles portrays women’s role in society through being subservient, the status quote and as courageous. In the play the sister of Antigone, known as Ismene, is the essential figure in the portrayal of women as subservient to men. This is due to the fact that Ismene feels that she should not question nor disobey the edict imposed by Creon to deny the burial of Polynices. For instance, Ismene argues with Antigone and says “Rather, consider that we were born women, proving we should not fight with men, and that we are ruled by more powerful people and must obey them even in painful things.”(Lines 63, 15) This demonstrates that women knew that they needed to be subservient, and because they knew that they could not speak against men they subsequently advocated the thought that women did not play an important role, due to being weak. As a result women in ancient Greece were at the bottom of the social pyramid and not considered important Furthermore, Sophocles demonstrated the depiction of women weakness and inferiority through the status quo of Greek society. This is because the status quo during Ancient Greece was surrounded by the idea of the superiority of men. For example Creon states “Therefore...
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...Antigone Acting the role of: Antigone ‘Antigone’ is a Greek tragedy written by the playwright Sophocles, about a girl named Antigone who defies the law to bury her brother who was considered a traitor, who died at war fighting her other brother, who was given a proper burial. I played the character of Antigone, and I thought I used my vocal skills, facial expressions and body language to portray her as a brave, strong-willed and fearless woman. At the very beginning of the scene where Creon, the king, is confronting Antigone for the crime she has committed, I say the line ‘I admit it; I deny nothing.’ As we used levels for this scene with Creon standing on the podium to illustrate the power and authority he holds, I wanted to show the audience that he did not scare me. I used my vocal skills to portray this to the audience; I spoke calmly and put extra emphasis on the word ‘nothing’ to show that Creon does not intimidate Antigone, and she doesn’t care about the punishment waiting for her. I stared Creon straight in the eyes with a blank expression and didn’t break eye-contact whilst saying the line, to portray Antigone’s fearless nature to the audience and to illustrate that she is not ashamed of what she has done. I stood with my arms by my side and good posture, to reveal that Antigone has respect for Creon as she should rightfully have as he is the king. However, I did not hunch over or close myself inwards as this would’ve portrayed Antigone as a cowardly person and...
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...Comp II 10/07/2014 Freewill In the plays ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ and ‘Antigone’ social injustice plays a recurring role in the lives of Antigone and the Younger Family. For Antigone, freedom of free will is ripped from her while the Younger family, even though they have free will, do not seem to make use of it. Freedom and control are the two elements evident in these two plays. Antigone tries relentlessly to procure hers by standing up for what she believes is right, while the Younger family holds on to the past letting it dictate their freedom and control both the present and future. Some might say that Antigone was stubborn and foolish for not letting go of her beliefs but she was portraying her free will and freedom to do what she thought was right. A perfect example of this was when Creon asked her if she was the one who committed the ‘crime/burial, “Do you deny you did this, yes or no?” “Antigone replies, I did it. I don’t deny a thing” (Antigone- 1322). She had the courage, guts, and tenacity to exercise her own discretion and did not fear adversity. The Youngers, on the other hand, are quite the opposite. Although they had the right of freewill and control, they never seemed to take any chances to live for the future but rather let the past undermine what was present and ahead. Mama, seems to be living by rules that her dead husband had set forth and cannot seem to break away from them. For example when Ruth says “Now what kind of talk is that? Mr. Younger would just...
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...Rachel Arber Professor Herron Literature 201 November 16, 2013 Antigone: A Rose Amongst Thorns In his fifth century play, Antigone, Sophocles invites the reader on a journey of power, heroism, and feminism. Oedipus’s sons, Eteocles and Polyneices, have killed each other in a battle over who will take over their father’s throne. Creon, the current King of Thebes, has now declared that Polyneices betrayed him and forbids him to have a proper burial. Antigone, sister of Polyneices, feels that her brother’s body needs to have full respect and decides she is going to bury her brother. She discusses this plan with her sister Ismene who sends her off with her disapproval to bury their beloved Polyneices. Antigone is caught red handed by Creon’s guards and they bring her in to the king. Antigone admits to the fact that she has gone against the law and has given her brother a proper burial, but defends her actions saying that the gods would have wanted this. As a consequence for her actions, Creon sentences Antigone to her death and banishes her to a cave. After much deliberation he regrets his decision. However, it is too late as Creon finds Antigone has taken her own life. Through her actions of bravery and defiance Antigone exemplifies true feminist ideals. She is a shining example of a woman who stands for what she believes. Antigone proves to be a hero in every generation, but especially in her time. In fifth century Greece women were seen as having no influence...
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...Princess May-ann Margaret Uy Enemy of the People is about a small town on the southern coast of Norway and how it perceives and accepts truth. The town is governed by Peter Stockmann and doctored by his younger brother, Thomas. The main conflict flares up between these two siblings and then spreads throughout the town as they both try to do best by the community. Dr. Thomas Stockmann is a public-minded doctor in a small town famous for its public baths. He discovers that the water supply for the baths is contaminated and has probably been the cause of some illness among the tourists who are the town's economic lifeblood. In his effort to clean up the water supply, Dr. Stockmann runs into political cowards, sold-out journalists, shortsighted armchair economists, and a benighted Citizenry. His own principled idealism exacerbates the conflict. The well-meaning doctor is publicly labeled an enemy of the people, and he and his family are all but driven out of the town he was trying to save. This is an early dramatization of something we know better a century later: the difficulty of translating medical scientific knowledge into political action. Ibsen's well-intentioned blustery doctor heroically fails. This is partly because the local democratic processes are quite cynical (powerful people prevent him from getting his information to the citizens). Dr. Stockmann also suffers from a professional blindness that keeps him from understanding how anyone could possibly disagree that...
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...“ To kill a mockingbird” by Harper Lee and “Antigone” by Sophocles are both dramas having to do with justice, the main characters in both dramas are struggling to bring justice to a society or situation that was lacking. In Sophocles’ drama, Antigone was trying to bring justice by burying her brother Polyneices against the kings, Creon’s, orders. While in “To kill a mocking bird” Atticus is an attorney in a case where race is a major issue and he is trying to save Tom Robinson from being convicted of a crime where there’s overwhelming evidence of his innocence. Both “Antigone” and “To kill a mockingbird’s” themes seem to revolve around justice which is proven when Antigone buries her brother and Atticus agrees to take on Tom Robinsons case. Another large theme in both dramas is the idea that women are somehow ‘lesser’ because of their femininity, a cause of this might be because of the era that the dramas are set in. Throughout “To kill a mockingbird” Scout does her best to avoid ‘girly’ things so that she can keep playing with her brother Jem, its only later in the novel that Scout begins to realize that being a girl is more about having positive traits than lacking them. This theme continues in “Antigone”, most pointedly when Ismene states “Bethink thee, sister, we are left alone; Shall we not perish wretchedness of all, If in defiance of the law we cross A monarch's will?--weak women, think of that, Not framed by nature to contend with men. Remember this too that the stronger...
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...Indranie Sharma QMHS Antigone by Sophocles 7/3/14 In this story the theme loyalty is portrayed through Antigone when she defies her uncle to bury her brother Polynices. Apparently Antigone couldn't bear for one brother to be buried with honor and the other left to rot in the sun. Since she felt that it was her duty to give Polynices a burial because he was her brother and was deceived by Eteocles when it was his turn to rule the kingdom. Unfortunately Antigone was caught and she believed that her Uncle Creon's order was an act of betrayal to their family. 7/7/14 The setting of the play takes place in Thebes which is located in Ancient Greece. The setting is important because in Ancient Greece two rulers were allowed to rule a kingdom. Also wars took place between family members on who had the right to rule. Apparently this was the reason on why Eteocles and Polynices fought and killed each other in battle. This leads to influence Antigone's decision and have a major impact on her life as well because of the ruling from Creon. 7/8/14...
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...others? What principles ought one live by? Answer: Man’s purpose in life, according to the Stoics, is to live in conformity with nature/the divine will. There are two parts to this: 1) Bring one’s life in line with the laws of nature; 2)Understanding that one must resign oneself (completely, and without complaint) to whatever fate may send him. The Stoics are especially concerned with liberating man from the fear of death. According to the Stoic philosophy, we cannot change or control our fate; we can only control our reactions to it. The goal of man, our true aim in life, can be summarized in the Greek word arete or the Roman word virtus - loosely translated as “virtue,” which has the following four components: 1) Wisdom/moral insight; 2) courage; 3) self-control; 4)justice. Man’s goal is to be self-sufficient, immune to suffering, and superior to the wounds and upsets of life. We must accept our fate with dignity. 3.Explain some of the major connections between Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. How did Christianity seek to reform Judaism? How did Islam seek to reform both Judaism and Christianity? Answer: About the major similarities among three religions, first of all, Judaism, Christianity and Islam are monotheistic religions, namely they believe that there is only one God. All three religions believe that this God is the origin and source of all thing that exists on earth. God cares about the his creation and desires the well-being of all. God has provided his basic rules...
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...Borough of Manhattan Community College City University of New York Department of English Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem by Erich Fromm For centuries kings, priests, feudal lords, industrial bosses and parents have insisted that obedience is a virtue and that disobedience is a vice. In order to introduce another point of view, let us set against this position the following statement: human history began with an act of disobedience, and it is not unlikely that it will be, terminated by an act of obedience. Human history was ushered in by an act of disobedience according to the Hebrew and Greek myths. Adam and Eve, living in the Garden of Eden, were part of nature; they were in harmony with it, yet did not transcend it. They were in nature as the fetus is in the womb of the mother. They were human, and at the same time not yet human. All this changed when they disobeyed an order. By breaking the ties with earth and mother, by cutting...
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...World Mythology March 5th, 2012 Arabian Nights Essay Fantasy our Daily Determination The art of storytelling is the oldest and most captivating art form man has ever produced. Each and every one of us has been lead on a path by a story so unique that each path can only be traveled once with no chance of return or pause along the way. The reason these stories create a one-time offer is due to the mysterious element of fantasy that no man can ever lack or cease to exist. Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Though formal in definition the fantasy defined above is only the tip of the iceberg because fantasy can be created in one’s mind at a moments notice. Kieran Egan an education professor at Simon Fraser University states that, “fantasy is the most valuable attribute of the human mind; it enriches children’s spiritual development, and is the most important tool for orienting ourselves to reality”(3). This quote pinpoints why fantasy stories have been with us since the start of man and why books like “The Arabian Nights” are so popular thousands of years after there first dictations. Each story read from “Arabian Nights” has different fantasy elements in it, these elements captivate us and bring us inside the stories and are exactly what we connect to, not as a form of “escapism” but to help fuel our own determination to fulfilling our own fantasies. Many of these stories...
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... 2 From a global perspective, New York is simply reflecting a trend set by important modern playwrights and directors worldwide. Greek drama now occupies a regular place in the London theater season. In the past twenty years, acclaimed productions have been mounted not only in Europe but also in Japan, India, and Africa. Translations are even beginning to proliferate in China, occasionally with unexpected results. A recent Chinese translator of Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex referred to all the Greek gods generically as Apollo, since he could count on his audience’s ability to recognize this name from the United States space program. 3 The Greek theater festival at Delphi has played host to many of these performances, with the result that, for example, the Greek National...
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...Specimen Papers and Mark Schemes for English Literature For first AS Examination in 2009 For first A2 Examination in 2010 Subject Code: 5110 Contents Specimen Papers Assessment Unit AS 2 Assessment Unit A2 1 Resource Booklet Assessment Unit A2 2 1 3 9 15 25 Mark Schemes Assessment Unit AS 2 Assessment Unit A2 1 Assessment Unit A2 2 29 31 61 95 Subject Code QAN QAN 5110 500/2493/0 500/2421/8 A CCEA Publication © 2007 Further copies of this publication may be downloaded from www.ccea.org.uk Specimen Papers 1 2 ADVANCED SUBSIDIARY (AS) General Certificate of Education 2009 English Literature Assessment Unit AS 2 assessing The Study of Poetry Written after 1800 and the Study of Prose 1800-1945 SPECIMEN PAPER TIME 2 hours INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES Write your Centre number and Candidate Number on the Answer Booklet provided. Answer two questions. Answer one question from Section A and one question from Section B. Section A is open book. INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES The total mark for this paper is 120. All questions carry equal marks, ie 60 marks for each question. Quality of written communication will be assessed in all questions. 3 Section A: The Study of Poetry Written after 1800 Answer one question on your chosen pairing of poets. Heaney: Opened Ground Montague: New Selected Poems 1 John Montague and Seamus Heaney both write about the Irish past. Compare and contrast the two poets’...
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