...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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...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] Citizenship The...
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...Jeremy Martinez English 1B-24013 R. S. Guglielmino 3/17/15 “Antigone” In ancient Greek civilization, the Greeks believed that loyalty is the most influential value one could have in society. They believed that loyalty is important to family, community and the gods (Ancient Greek Values). In the play “Antigone”, Antigone’s loyalty is exemplifying one’s perseverance to clear her family’s name of slander due to the mistakes of her ancestors. When her brother, Polynices, is refused a burial after dying in war, Antigone fearlessly challenges Creon to salvage her brother’s honor knowing the consequences that will follow for defying the Ruler of Thebes. In the Greek tragedy, “Antigone”, by Sophocles, the protagonist must overcome the challenges that lie ahead in order to give the proper respect her brother deserves. When the play begins, Antigone is talking to her sister, Ismene about the death of their brothers and how they are still suffering from the curse of Oedipus. This is the first indication of the family’s sorrow and the degree to which Oedipus’s curse still exist to this day. The two sisters are the only surviving children of Oedipus and Jocasta after their two brothers, Polynices and Eteocles, fought each other to the death to become King of Thebes. When they fought over this, Polynices decided to attack Thebes, making him a traitor. At the end of the war and both brothers’ deaths, Creon was the only person left to rule Thebes. Since Polynices was considered...
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...1) How do the texts you have selected EITHER challenge or reinforce conventional ideas about the following discourses? a. Gender b. Power (& Leadership) c. Identity d. Nature e. Culture The societies encountered by the Theban woman Antigone is Sophocles' Antigone, and the 19th century Englishwoman Jane Eyre in Jane Eyre, can be seen as highly unfavourable and disdainful of women. Both Antigone and Jane Eyre struggle and resist against a society which places men above them, and which sees expressions of female autonomy and liberty as unfavourable trends. Antigone and Jane Eyre both live in societies where a patriarchal culture dictates how these women should act within society, and what type of behaviour is acceptable, and which isn't. The control and subjugation of women – and the way they express themselves – can be seen as a consequence of discursive formations which aim to define the intrinsic qualities of men and women. It is in this context that the stories of Antigone and Jane Eyre can be seen as challenging conventional notions of gender and gender stereotypes, a highly pervasive discourse which affects a cluster of other ideas. This essay will argue that the characters Antigone in Sophocles' Antigone and Jane Eyre in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre are characters who challenge gender discourses which were very prominent during their time, and subsequently, the ideational influences which structured leadership, the creation of identities, opinions regarding natural...
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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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...bizarre behavior. Emily enforces her own sense of law and conduct, such as when she refuses to pay her taxes or state her purpose for buying the poison. Emily also avoids the law when she refuses to have numbers attached to her house when federal mail service is delivering. Her dismissal of the law eventually takes on more threatening consequences, as she takes the life of the man whom she refuses to allow abandon her. Emily’s anxiety, however, lead she in a different direction and the final scene of the story suggests that she is a necrophiliac. Necrophilia typically means a sexual attraction to dead bodies. In a broader sense, the term also describes a powerful desire to control another, usually in the context of a romantic or deeply personal relationship. Necrophilia’s tend to be so controlling in their relationships that they ultimately resort to bonding with unresponsive individual with no resistance with dead bodies. Mr. Grierson controlled Emily, and after his death, Emily temporarily controls him by refusing to give up his dead body. She ultimately transfers this control to Homer, the object of her affection. Unable to find a traditional way to express her desire to possess Homer, Emily takes his life to achieve total power over him. Antigone is very much her father’s daughter, and she begins her play with the same swift decisiveness with which Oedipus began his. Within the first fifty lines, she is planning to defy Creon’s order and bury...
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...Bruce Wayne, also known as Batman, is a financial mogul who runs his own company during the day but is a feared vigilante at night. Batman is an iconic character knowing for being violent for the right reasons, inspiring to the people and police force, and risks himself for others when it is necessary. In the recent film Batman v Superman the theme of the movie was to what degree is a hero’s actions justified. At this point in the DC Cinematic Universe, Batman is not yet an ally of the police meaning that he is feared and wanted. The fright from the law enforcement is quite understandable though because what type of officer wants a massive brute of a man sneaking around at night beating down whoever he wants? To most people, Batman can be related to almost all the leaders previously acknowledged here. Oedipus went through a personal pain that brought out his leadership and inspiration just as Bruce Wayne went through his parents’ deaths as a child. Beowulf was overly violent to the monster Grendel just as Batman is a tad overly violent to the people he attacks. Lastly, Creon was bold and made hard decisions just as Bruce Wayne does between keeping his loved ones safe or risking their lives by being the Dark Knight. While many great leaders have been evaluated, they all have their own special ways to lead just as Batman’s morals can rub off into a real life...
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...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’ treatment of the Irish past in two poems you have studied. Hopkins: Selected Poems Dickinson: A Choice of Emily Dickinson’s Verse 2 Gerard Manley Hopkins and Emily Dickinson both express intense anguish in their poetry. Compare and contrast how both poets express intense anguish in two poems you have studied. Duffy: Selected Poems Lochhead: The Colour of Black and White 3...
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...Sophocles Oedipus the King Translated by Ian Johnston Malaspina University-College Nanaimo, British Columbia Canada Richer Resources Publications Arlington, Virginia USA Sophocles Oedipus the King copyright 2007 by Richer Resources Publications All rights reserved Cover Art by Ian Crowe. No part of this book may be reproduced in whole or in part without express permission from the publisher except for brief excerpts in review. Reprint requests and requests for additional copies of this book should be addressed to Richer Resources Publications 1926 N. Woodrow Street Arlington, Virginia 22207 or via our web site at www.RicherResourcesPublications.com ISBN 978-0-9797571-1-2 Library of Congress Control Number 2007931684 Published by Richer Resources Publications Arlington, Virginia Printed in the United States of America 3 Translator's Note In the following text the numbers in square brackets refer to the Greek text; the numbers without brackets refer to the English text. In the line numbering for the translated text a short indented line is normally included with the short line above it. The translator would like to acknowledge the valuable help provided by Sir Richard Jebb’s translation and commentary. Background Note Sophocles (495 BC-405 BC) was a famous and successful Athenian writer of tragedies in his own lifetime. Of his 120 plays, only 7 have survived. Oedipus the King, also called Oedipus Tyrannos or Oedipus Rex, written around 420 BC, has long been...
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...ARTS TEACHERS’ GUIDE Grade 9 ARTS Teacher’s Guide Unit I WESTERN CLASSICAL ART TRADITIONS GRADE 9 Unit 1 ARTS TEACHERS’ GUIDE GRADE 9 Unit 1 WESTERN CLASSICAL ART TRADITIONS LEARNING AREA STANDARD The learner demonstrates an understanding of basic concepts and processes in music and art through appreciation, analysis and performance for his/her self-development, celebration of his/her Filipino cultural identity and diversity, and expansion of his/her world vision. key - stage STANDARD The learner demonstrates understanding of salient features of music and arts of the Philippines and the world, through appreciation, analysis, and performance, for self-development, the celebration of Filipino cultural identity and diversity, and the expansion of one’s world vision. grade level STANDARD The learner demonstrates understanding of salient features of Western music and the arts from different historical periods, through appreciation, analysis, and performance for self-development, the celebration of Filipino cultural identity and diversity, and the expansion of one’s world vision. CONTENT STANDARDs The Learner: demonstrates understanding of art elements and processes by synthesizing and applying prior knowledge and skills demonstrates understanding that the arts are integral to the development of organizations, spiritual belief, historical events, scientific discoveries, natural disasters/ occurrences and other external phenomenon ...
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