Antigone

Antigone commits suicide by hanging herself, but the roots of her death lie in following the moral law of the gods rather than the immoral law of her uncle, Creon. Creon has decreed death to anyone...

The third choral ode of Sophocles' Antigone begins at line 665, just before the fight between Haemon and Creon. It begins: Blessed are those whose life has known no woe! The main theme of this...

The question of whether Antigone is more deserving of sympathy than Creon goes to the heart of the problem of Antigone, namely, who is the protagonist? Following Aristotle, it's clear that Creon is...

A works cited page is the Modern Language Association’s name for a reference page. Other citation styles, such as APA, would use the title References rather than Works Cited. Having a works cited...

Haemon tries to get Creon to see sense in order to make him realize just how potentially damaging his decision regarding Antigone could be. Haemon approaches his father in a suitably respectful...

The lesson I learn from "Antigone" is that you have to be ready to accept the consequences of your convictions. Not only is she loyal to her brother and her religious beliefs, brave when...

Antigone is one of ancient playwright Sophocles' most famous works. A tragedy, the play Antigone was written around 441 BC. It is the third of three plays. The set of three plays, the "Theban...

At the end of the tragic events, Creon blames his own hubris for his tragic end. As a result of his excessive pride and stubbornness, King Creon suffers the end of many a tragic Greek hero: he...

At first, Haemon flatters the absolutist king Creon by declaring his complete loyalty to him and by extension the state. This was a smart move as it puts the king at ease and hopefully in a better...

Other Educators have explored the various reasons that Antigone might have committed suicide, and the extent to which her suicide reflects her beliefs and ideals. Antigone makes no mention of...

When Ismene speaks of women's weaknesses and how this makes them incapable of fighting with men, she communicates a traditional view of women in society. Antigone has asked Ismene to help her break...

In the "Prologue" to Antigone, Antigone tells her sister Ismene that "it is the dead not the living, who make the longest demands." Antigone is referring to the laws of the gods who hold that...

Indirect characterization is the use of dialogue, actions, or appearance to reveal character. In Antigone, by Sophocles, the character of Antigone is revealed primarily through her dialogue and her...

The moral lesson of Antigone is that the law of the gods is higher than human law. Any human law that violates divine law is a sin. Antigone is right to disobey Creon's immoral law forbidding the...

An interesting way of thinking about theme in Antigone is through an analysis of the contrast between Antigone and Ismene. A defensible thesis statement could be: Antigone is a proto-feminist...

Antigone's whole nature is stubborn. She is determined to honor both the memory of her brother, Polynices, and the higher law of the gods. Almost everything she says and does in the play is...

Both the rewards and the difficulties of interpreting the fourth choral ode of Sophocles’ Antigone have been dealt with very fully by Reginald Pepys Winnington-Ingram in his book Sophocles: An...

That’s a good question, one that Sophocles does not answer for us in Antigone. Ismene’s final appearance in the play happens in the middle as she asks Antigone to let her share her fate, which is...

One can view Haemon, Creon's son and Antigone's fiance, in different ways. Indeed, he shows several contradictory traits in the play. At first when he appears, he seems submissive and conciliatory....

Creon is in a notably difficult position in the play Antigone. The city of Thebes has undergone numerous misfortunes, including the death of Laius, a plague, the discovery that the city's savior...

As king, Creon decrees that son of the former king, rebel Polynices, shall not be buried and shall rot in the open as an example to others that would think of taking action against the state....

The literal meaning of Teiresias's prophetic statement to Creon in Sophocles' Antigone is as follows: "Not many days shall pass before you will have lost your own child to atone for the murder you...

In his first speech, Creon aligns himself with a concern for the integrity of the state. "...I have nothing but contempt for the kind of Governor who is afraid, for whatever reason, to follow the...

In Antigone by Sophocles, the Chorus, which consists of a group of Theban elders who are advisers to King Creon, performs three important roles. First, they provide information about what takes...

Normally, Antigone would be stoned to death for defying Creon's express orders not to bury Polyneices's body. But Creon cannot do that; he has to make an exception in her case. The reason is that...

Antigone is considered one of Sophocles' most prominent works. A play of tragedy, Antigone was written around the year 441 BC. It is the third of a set of three plays. The set of three plays,...

While there is no real indication of what happens to Ismene, she does appear to survive the play. At the very least, there is no indication that she is actually dead. Sophocles never returns to...

In a classic example of shooting the messenger, Creon angrily threatens the sentry who informs him about Polyneices' burial, ordering him to find out who buried the body on pain of death. It's not...

The role of the "Ode to Man" in Antigone is primarily didactic; that is to say it is designed to teach an important message. Sung by the Chorus, the Ode reveals to the audience the full complexity...

It all depends on how much you sympathize with Antigone and her defiance of Creon. If we accept that Antigone is doing the right thing, then her admonition of Ismene seems perfectly justified....

In strophe 2 of the first episode of Paul Roche's translation of Antigone, the Chorus describes the death of Polyneices with vivid imagery: he "fell in a flaming arc / His brandished torch all...

Creon treats Polynices as a traitor, though whether he actually is a traitor is left ambiguous. Polynices was supposed to share the rule of Thebes with his brother, Eteocles, the two alternating...

When the chorus speaks of Antigone's wedding chamber, they are referring to her tomb. Antigone was a young, unmarried woman, and she is sent away to die before she can be with someone she loves....

The opening scene of the play is of great significance. In it, Antigone discusses the central conflict of the play—her piety and devotion to her brother Polynices against the edict of Creon, king...

To understand this quote, it is important to contextualize it. Creon, King of Thebes, makes a decision at the beginning of the play, in his capacity as the ruler of the city: he will not allow the...

Like all Sophocles's plays, Antigone was written to be performed at a public festival in Athens, where his audience would be purely male. Despite this, he draws upon Greek legend to create a play...

Creon's outrage that anyone has defied his edict that no one shall bury Polyneices is intensified when he discovers that it is Antigone, his niece, who has done it. In considering how he will...

As a politician, Creon would seem justified in his actions. He is trying to keep order during a desperate time and he feels showing the opposition no mercy is the best way to make sure his subjects...

As punishment for defying Creon's express order not to bury the corpse of her brother Polynices, Antigone has been sentenced to be walled up alive. It's when she's being led away to her dreadful...

Antigone remains constant in her belief that she has done the right thing by giving her brother Polyneices a proper burial. She upholds the laws of the gods above the laws of man and the will of...

Antigone's one expressed regret seems to be that she will not be able to marry Haemon and be a wife and mother. Even though this makes her sad, she still will not repent of what she did by burying...

The Chorus in Antigone reflects the attitude of the citizens of Thebes. At first, the Chorus supports Creon’s position, as he is the King of Thebes and is trying to return Thebes to stability after...

Creon is a significant tragic character precisely because of the way he changes. At the opening of the play, he is in some ways an admirable man, trying to hold Thebes together after the curse has...

To answer your question, one must consider the collective background of the story as well as the individual characteristics of each character. In Antigone by Sophocles, the two characters in your...

The Exodus or closing lines of Antigone emphasize the play's overall theme and stress the cause of Creon's tragic downfall. The Choragos (in some translations also called "Leader" or simply...

In Antigones: How the Antigone Legend Has Endured in Western Literature, Art, and Thought, George Steiner explores the vast influence of both the legend and the Sophocles play based on it. In...