The individual and society have a mutually dependent relationship where they influence each other. An individual attains a sense of self and awareness of personal truth through direct experience. Their sense of meaning within a community stems from how an individual’s ideas are received by the public. The reception within a community that a person faces can lead to conflict when their core beliefs are incompatible with social norms. The balance between obligations to a sense of self and meaningful contributions to society is achieved through acceptance of conflicting values. Siddhartha and Antigone both showcase the complex role an individual plays in society. In Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, he is able to flourish within his community, …show more content…
Antigone is loyal to the god's' law, which causes her civil disobedience. It is her fight for the "good life" that leads to the development of personal truth. Like Siddhartha, the pursuit of betterment and reflection on the choices she makes leads to a heightened sense of self. Antigone's willingness to lose herself to stand up for a clear goal - to bury her brother - helps bring awareness to personal truth.
The sense of meaning and purpose an individual has within a community originates from how the general public reacts to his or her personal truths. Siddhartha is encouraged to follow his own path. “‘You will,’ he said, ‘go into the forest and become a samana’” (Hesse, 11). He is able to create his own set of governing morals because he has support from his community. This freedom is significant because it allows Siddhartha to find his true purpose in society, avoiding the constricting nature of a single set of beliefs. Antigone gains her sense of purpose in the opposite fashion. “Their laws are not for now or yesterday, but live forever” (Sophocles, 455 - 456). She is motivated by the laws of the gods and remains devoted to them. These views directly contrast what her community places emphasis on - order under Kreon. Her purpose within the community is to fight for the moral law. Both examples show the importance of how reception in the community affects a person’s sense of purpose.
An individual’s sense of self and purpose within the community may be in
In the play Antigone, written by Sophocles, writes a story about how one person's action has the abilities to affect everyone around them. The main character Antigone openly admits that she dislikes how Thebes is being run. Even though she is alone on her beliefs, she strongly disagrees with Creon decisions, and wants the world to know her deeds. Antigone's deeds end in her inevitable death, but in her passing achieves her objectives. The writer uses her to show how much a single person can affect society, but also shows one must endure the sacrifice to achieve progress. Throughout the story we find the characters must stand by what they believe in and face the consequences to ensure change.
Antigone is an honorable character in this story of love and rebellion. The only thing that she does is disobey an order that is unjust and bury the remains of her
Moreover, Antigone’s ability to follow her own beliefs results into the heroicness and tragic death of Antigone. Antigone is from a royal family and has the power to do what she believes in. She believes in following traditions and exercises that power when she says, “I will bury him, and if I must die, I say that the crime is holy: I shall lie down With him in death, and I shall be as dear To him as he to me” (694). Antigone follows her beliefs in following tradition and by doing what she feels is best. Antigone does this because she knows she is doing the right thing and knows that she will be repaid in some way. Furthermore, Antigone justifies her actions by telling the reasons that motivated her to do it to King Creon. She refuses to give in to the beliefs of King Creon and continues to think her own separate way. Antigone takes a stand to Creon when she says, “ Think Death less than a friend? This death of mine Is of no importance, but if I had left my brother Lying in death unburied, I should have suffered. Now I do not. You smile at me. Ah Creon , Think me a fool, if you like, but it may well be That a fool convicts me of folly” (709). Antigone believes what she is doing is correct and proves that to Creon , but he is still not convinced. It is important for Antigone to do what she believes is so that she will be pleased and satisfied with the outcome. Antigone’s ability to pursue her goals and to what she wants
disapproval but also against the King’s law. Antigone is very loyal and family oriented and takes
Antigone’s attitude can be described as self- centered and narcissistic. After she decided to break the law and bury the traitor, her brother, she shows herself standing up for their traditions and her own beliefs. Antigone then starts acting up after Creon explains to her that what she did was wrong. This is a cause that will later lead to her self destruction. "Dear god, shout it from the rooftops. I’ll hate you all the more for silence- tell the world!" (Ln100). This quote shows that Antigone wants to be the center of attention and sadly without it she feels lonely. Antigone is proud of her sacrifice and wants everyone to know that she is proud of what she did. Antigone’s Flaw is an article written by Patricia Lines, in the article Antigone is described as “someone who has a single mission which excludes all else. She is also fully self-centered”(Lines). Antigone is a very unrestrained women and therefore does not think about how her actions can affect her friends and family and the many others around her. Because of this, it causes her to lose the support she once had from the people she needed it from most. Since she loses this necessary support, it is a major cause of her eventual suicide. In a situation such as suicide, support from others is crucial as well as listening to them and their own side of the situation.
The opening events of the play Antigone, written by Sophocles, quickly establish the central conflict between Antigone and Creon. Creon has decreed that the traitor Polynices, who tried to burn down the temple of gods in Thebes, must not be given proper burial. Antigone is the only one who will speak against this decree and insists on the sacredness of family and a symbolic burial for her brother. Whereas Antigone sees no validity in a law that disregards the duty family members owe one another, Creon's point of view is exactly opposite. He has no use for anyone who places private ties above the common good, as he proclaims firmly to the Chorus and the audience as he revels in his victory over Polynices. He sees Polynices as an enemy to
Antigone’s motivation is love for her family- she puts it above all else. In fact, she is willing to sacrifice her life to defend that love. Antigone goes to great lengths to bury her deceased brother, who according to an edict issued by King Creon, died in dishonor, consequently making it illegal for anyone to bury his body. Through her actions to comply with her motivations, it is revealed that Antigone’s actions are also fueled by her strong beliefs that, first, the gods’ laws
Like Creon, Antigone also never falters in standing up for what she believes in. Although Creon fights for stubborn pride, Antigone is trying to promote what is right and shows her higher reverence for God’s law rather than for Creon’s laws. In the eyes of the townspeople, Chorus, Choragos, and Haimon, Antigone is sacrificing herself to give her brother Polyneices the rightful honors due to the dead. Many side with this brave, honorable girl because she would rather suffer persecution and even death rather than give into Creon’s illogical demands. In the play, the chorus says about her, “You have made your choice, Your death is the doing of your conscious hand”. Antigone knew of the consequences before she acted and in doing so she chose her fate. At the time, she pleaded her sister Ismene to help her bury Polyneices but was rejected. Despite being alone in trying to rebel and perhaps she may have been afraid, Antigone goes out of her way and puts her life on the line to bring her brother respect.
As the tragedy concludes, the chorus issues its final words: "Pray for no more at all. For what is destined for us, men mortal, there is no escape," demonstrating how justice remains impartial to the prejudice of men; those who make imprudent judgments will ultimately suffer from the consequences of their actions. In Sophocles' Antigone, these prejudices notably surface in the form of paternalism as demonstrated through Creon's government, highlighting the importance of gender roles throughout the play. Therefore, analyzing the motif of gender roles and its effect on the definition of justice through the perspectives of Ismene, Antigone, and Creon enables the audience to understand how Sophocles' macroscopic analogy to humanity's
As the play begins Antigone is just meeting up with her sister and is telling her about the decree of King Creon. Antigone and her sister, Ismene, had two brothers who had killed each other on the battlefield. One of their brothers, Eteocles, was buried with the military honors of a soldier’s funeral, and yet the other, Polyneices, was to be left out to be food for the carrion birds since he died fighting against the city of Thebes. King Creon forbade publicly for anyone to bury the body of Polyneices under the penalty of death. Antigone is now determined to bury her brother and wants Ismene to help her. Ismene does not want to go against what the king has ordered and is fearful of what may become of her if she
The practice of philosophy by Socrates is seen as unjust and impious, contrary to Socrate’s own personal beliefs. To Socrates, practicing philosophy was the only way that he could live his life. In these acts of defiance, Antigone and Socrates disobeyed the rules of the state. Although the burial of a brother and practicing philosophy appear to be different acts, for Antigone and Socrates, they meant the same thing: living “the good life.” Both acts represented what Antigone and Socrates saw as pious and just.
Full of drama and tragedy, Antigone can be used to relate to current conflicts. One such conflict is that between Haemon and his father Creon. Haemon looks up to Creon with honor and pride, but as conflict arises, that relation is disassociated and new feelings grow. The first conversation between them is what initiates the downfall of their bond. While it seems that Creon is the most important person in Haemon’s life, Antigone is in fact the one that has won Haemon over.
Antigone is a play about a woman who disobeyed the King's order to not bury her brother. The play was written by the famous Greek tragedian, Sophocles, in 441 B.C. The story took place in the city of Thebes and the time period is not mentioned. The main characters introduced in the play are of Antigone, Ismene, Creon, and Haemon. The primary focus was centered on Antigone and the consequences she faces after breaking the King's orders.
Antigone has been given strong characteristics in her story and because of this she does
The first specification for the tragic hero is one of the few that both Antigone and Creon exhibit; both characters are between the extremes of perfect morality and pure villainy. Antigone’s moral neutrality is illustrated through her noble intentions and the unorthodox way she acts upon them. When she is confronted by Creon and demanded to give an explanation for her disobedience, Antigone says, “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” (Sophocles 207 ll. 450-2). Along with love and loyalty to her brother, Antigone is largely motivated by her desire for justice and appeasement of the gods. While her intentions are noble, Antigone’s actions in the