Antigone is the individual in the text who is looked up to because of her love of family and compassion she had for them. Although the state and the gods such as Zeus had different laws established, the citizens were compliant to obey the orders Creon the king or ruler at the time such as Antigone’s sister Ismene. The citizens and characters introduced agreed with Antigone’s actions in a way but in a silent manner. Soon realizing their ignorance of maintaining a love of caring for loved ones which they had a strong bonding relationship towards. Creon is a notable and important character who opposed Antigone’s beliefs and actions of love but later on felt regret when his own family encountered death before his own due to his mistakes. Including the punishment, he gave to Antigone and lack of understatement of the actions done for the family. Overall, not even punishments will detain a person for what they have a love for or who …show more content…
Ismene believes it isn’t of importance going through the trouble and searching death as a result of what Creon declared if someone dares to go against his say. As stated in the text, “My brother, and yours, though you may wish he were not. I never shall be found to be his traitor.” and “So I shall ask of them beneath the earth forgiveness, for in these things I am forced, and shall obey the men in power” (160-161). With this in mind, Antigone expresses Ismene’s non-sacrificial action to be described as a traitor considering it’s their own family member. In addition to emphasizing that Ismene disagrees with the idea to sacrifice yourself for your family especially when a higher power contradicts the acts, you wish to do. Ultimately, Antigone is trying to create fear of regret for not stepping in for her own family no matter the circumstances that believe
From reading the prologue, we are able to know that Antigone and Ismene are foil characters, and although they are sisters, they both are distinct individuals with different personality traits. Antigone is a confident and independent woman who does what she thinks is right. Ismene, on the other hand, is an obedient, dependent, and hesitant woman. In lines 14-27, Antigone tells Ismene of what King Creon had declared about the burials of their brothers. She learns that her brother, Eteocles will be honored and be given a military style funeral.
Antigone, a tragic greek play written in third century B.C, reveals a conflict between abiding by manś laws or justifying the after life laws. Polynices, Antigoneś brother, is left to be unburied by command of Creon “He is to be left unburied, left to be eaten By dogs and vultures,” Antigone believes Creon is treating him unfairly, as a result, Antigone buries Polynices and furthermore is caught in the act. Although Creon believes Antigone needs to be punished to death, Antigone is justified through her reasoning, as well as doesn´t need to be punished. ¨He has no right to keep me from my own.¨ line 42. Antigone states to Ismene although Creon, superior to them, will not wreck their family.
Two of the contrasting principles in the conflict between Creon and Antigone is the rights of citizens as opposed to the sovereign power of leaders. On page 83, Antigone states, “Nor did I think your edict had such force that you, a mortal, could override the gods, the great unwritten, unshakable traditions”. She values her religious freedom over the laws of political leaders, such as Creon. Unlike man-made laws, her religion was eternal. In addition, Haemon says on page 95, “But it’s for me to catch the murmurs in the dark, the way the city mourns for this young girl. ‘No woman,’ they say, ‘ever deserved death less, and such a brutal death for such a glorious action.” While no other citizen of Thebes had ever disobeyed Creon, they were all
The story of Antigone is about a princess named Antigone, who wishes for the King of Thebes to peacefully bury her brother Polyneices. However, he reveals that he has never honored the man, and demands his kingdom to not mourn his death. This angers Antigone, for she believe's that one's body must be buried in order for their soul to rest in peace so, she buries her brother instead. The foolish act causes Creon and Antigone to go through conflict solely based on their differences throughout the story. However, the pair finds more similarities in each other than differences.
Antigone’s tragic flow is her loyalty to religious law. Although the main reason why Antigone was eager to break the new laws of Creon was because her family was involved, she still deserved all the honor. She is a brave woman who was strong and
This play is ultimately concerned with one person defying another person and paying the price. Antigone went against the law of the land, set by the newly crowned King Creon. Antigone was passionate about doing right by her brother and burying him according to her religious beliefs even though Creon deemed him a traitor and ordered him to be left for the animals to devour. Creon was passionate about being king and making his mark from his new throne. Although they differed in their views, the passion Creon and Antigone shared for those opinions was the same, they were equally passionate about their opposing views. Creon would have found it very difficult to see that he had anything in common with Antigone however as he appears to be
Furthermore, Antigone condemns Ismene for not participating alongside her in the burial of their brother by exclaiming, “Are you true to your birth? Or a coward?” (Ant. 38). Antigone makes it evident that she regards her own actions to be brave, and her
Ismene's argument at the beginning of the play is that their family has suffered enough, though morally were her tactics the ones that were compelling of being reckless. Family loyalty was obvious the key foundation to this epic , therefore making the main heroine center stage for it , Antigone. Antigone's fierce devotion is once more on full display when she professes that she will bury her brother Polyneices despite kreon's law. Antigone's fate seems to be predestined even from the beginning as Sophocles tells his audience that her brothers have slain each other in a war over their father's throne for that of power and title. Loyalty is a huge component when it comes to Antigone ,family devotion especially is a big element as she comes to terms to sacrifice her own life in the name of it.
Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” In the face of immoral laws, Antigone did nothing more than doing what she believed was right. Antigone did not deserve the fate she received, death. Her act was courageous, compassionate, and altruistic. These are traits of an act worthy of reverence, not demise.
From the very first scene opening with Antigone sharing her intentions with Ismene, Antigone is introduced with these good virtues: “Death so we meet, were honor; and for that capital crime or piety, loving and loved, I will lie by his side. Far longer is there need I satisfy those nether powers, than power on earth” (Sophocles 3). Antigone proclaims her willingness to die by her brother in order for him to be buried with honor and for him to have died loved, for it is what the gods desire and she has an obligation to them as she will need to satisfy them longer. During the same exchange, Antigone invited Ismene to join her in burying their brother: “Though you desire, shall you, with my good will, share what I do” (Sophocles 3). Antigone is allowing Ismene to join her in her admirable and noble mission to honor their brother and appease the gods so that Ismene has a chance to prove herself to the gods and to their family as
Antigone’s pride for her decisions is what made her a strong person and a hero. Antigone tells Ismene “ No, shout it, proclaim it. I’ll hate you the more for keeping silence.” (pg. 24, line 106-107). Antigone says this to Ismene because she is not ashamed of the decisions she has made and wants everyone to know what she has done. She wants her brother, Polynices’ death to be known and wants everyone to know what Kreon did.
This story is marked by tragedy after tragedy; Antigone and Ismene are presented with a father, that dare to killed his father to married his own mother. Two brother that followed the similar example, and consequently killed each other to for throne to have power. We don’t know what age they were when her parents died, but by inference we can argue that they were young. Although, Antigone and Ismene experience some life-hard moments together, their view on certain situation are shaped differently throughout the play. Antigone, see the situation with her brother Polynieces as outrageous offense to her and her family values, especially after being an active member of leadership in the city of Thebes. Antigone, experiences had made her a stronger than other women, she doesn’t fear man, and is
Being that Antigone is the protagonist, her character is important in the play. She made the decision to bury her brother knowing that it was against Creon’s law. Ismene refused to help Antigone, which left her angry, yet still determined to bury her brother. She knew that burying her brother could lead to her own death, but she continued to show courage, strength, and determination throughout her role. In the beginning, Antigone says, “Dear god, shout it from the rooftops. I’ll hate you all the more for silence/ tell the world!”(17,100-101). This was said to Ismene, when they were discussing burial plans and Ismene was telling Antigone that she was against the plan. Antigone’s dialogue shows that she is not worried about being punished or worried about who knows what she has done. It is clear that Antigone is sincere about honoring the gods, her actions show that she feels that she is pleasing the gods and that is all that matters to her. “These laws/ I was not about to break them, not out of fear of some man’s wounded pride, and face the retribution of the gods.”(30, 509-511). This demonstrates how she feels about man’s law vs. divine law. In the plot, there was not one time where Antigone denied
While Antigone represents a full devotion to humanism, her sister, Ismene, represents not only the rejection of it, but also passivity towards the notion of morality which, in a sense, is equivalent to Creon’s treachery towards what we hold morally sacred. Ismene has long been used as a symbol of both anti-politics and anti-humanism, which creates a dynamic plot by contrasting the cowardly fear to stand up for one’s concept of what is right with a brazen display of self-fulfilled justice. (2) What’s worse may be Ismene’s knowledge of her cowardliness and complete complacency, as seen when talking to Antigone about her plan to bury their slain brother when sharing her fear of punishment, " Think how we’ll die far worse than all the rest, if we defy the law and move against the
He is too proud and arrogant to change his ways like when Teiresias warns him of his fate yet he refuses and says, “Whatever you say, you will not change my will.” Due to Creon’s unchallenged law and sentence, Antigone yearns for justice to be enforced on him. There is a very good example where she states, “But if the guilt lies upon Creon who judged me, then, I pray, may his punishment equal my own.” With all of these themes in the story, it further complicates the role of an individual on society.