Theme Of Fear And Pity In Antigone

Antigone is an Ancient Greek tragedy written in 1961 by Sophocles. Antigone is the main character in the play. The story starts out with their new leader, Creon, saying that no one can bury the recently dead citizen, Polyneices. Antigone, Polyneices’ sister, feels that it is right for her to bury him, because of the laws of the gods, which say that you should bury your loved ones. Antigone did not like this new law that Creon made because he made it with poor judgement, so she rebelled against it. Creon is the tragic hero of the story because he was born into nobility, made a serious error in judgement and caused suffering and calamity in the town.

This shows Antigone trying to get at her sister's heart by reminding her that the corpse that lays on the field beyond the city is the corpse that belonged to her own brother. Antigone is disgusted that Ismene keeps saying no because her love for Polyneices is crushed by her fear of Creon. Finally antigone accepts the fact that Ismene will not join her in buring their brother so she decides to make her feel guilty by saying, “That must be your excuse, I suppose. But as for me, I will bury the brother I love. ”(Sophocles, 192).

Antigone buries her brother Polynices’s corpse, against the decree of Creon, the ruler. She has several excuses she uses to justify her actions. First, she argues that Creon is unjust and she should not obey him. Second, she says that the gods are not defied by her actions, since she believes Creon is not accurately interpreting their wishes. Third, she believes that regardless of his political standing, her brother deserves a proper burial. Lastly, she says that she must try to bury Polynices, because it is in her nature to act according to love and not to bear grudges.

Antigone decides to bury her brother because she knows that he’s good, and that his soul deserves to rest in peace. Creon believes that Polyneices is a traitor, and that he has a negative spirit which doesn’t deserve peace so “[Creon] will condemn to death anyone who attempts to bury Polyneices.” (37-38). Creon, passes a law that says no one must touch the ‘traitor’s body’ which infuriates Antigone because her brothers mistake does not define him as a person. Burying Polyneices is the right thing to do because he is a simple human being that made an error, that caused conflict, but Creon would argue that he is a traitor “[and] to bury him is a crime, not an act of grace.”

Antigone is talking to Ismene and telling her all she has heard about the injustice that she has heard that Creon has created. She is very frustrated and wants only to bury her brother so he may have a peaceful afterlife and not go to the underworld or be stuck in purgatory. Creon’s edict stating Polynices cannot be buried under any circumstances is harsh because Creon most likely would have revolted against his brother if he was banish from Thebes just so he wouldn’t have to share the throne. After Antigone gathers up

At the beginning of the play Antigone decides that her morals are more important than civil law. When the play starts off, Antigone’s brothers have just died in battle against each other. One of her brother’s Eteocles has been given full military honors in his burial. While on the other hand, her brother Polyneices has been decreed a traitor. Creon declares that no one is to bury Polyneices or they will be sentenced to death.

In the prologue of the play, Antigone, by Sophocles, Antigone and Ismene (sisters) are debating between burying their late brother, Polyneices, and the consequences they may end up facing. In Antigone’s eyes, family comes before the law of burying a traitor. When disputing between the burial, Antigone says, “...but Polyneices, who fought bravely and died as miserably, - they say that Creon has sworn no one shall bury him…” (Prologue.17-20) Antigone just wants to put her brother to peace, but Creon refuses to allow anyone who tries to ruin the well-being of his new society to be buried. She believes that Polyneices fought just as bravely as their brother, Eteocles, and his spirit deserves to be put to rest instead of lying in the public square.

Antigone was a Greek tragedy that ended in Antigone’s death along with her brother’s. In the beginning of the of the tragedy we learn of her brother’s death “Creon buried our brother Eteocles with military honors, gave him a soldier’s funeral, and it was right that he should; but Polyneices, they fought as bravely and died as miserably, they say that Creon has sworn No one shall bury him,” (LN 15-20). King Creon’s decision for not giving Polyneices a proper burial is because he was a traitor. However, that was Antigone’s brother and she felt besides Polyneices actions, he still deserved a burial. Antigone has lost her parents and just has her sister Ismene left so, despite the order handed down by Creon, Antigone feels that it’s still appropriate to give her brother a proper burial.

Around 442 BC in the city of Athens, Greece, Sophocles wrote the greatly admired tragedy, Antigone. Antigone includes many themes such as Freedom, Protection of Personal Dignity, Obedience to Civil Law, Protection of Community/Nation, Loyalty/Obligation to Family, and Observance of Religious Law. Many of the Greek tragedies that have been written include a tragic hero that has his/her tragic flaw. In Antigone there are two main characters; Creon, the tyrant king of Thebes, and Antigone, the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta. One of these main characters must be chosen to be the tragic hero in the story. Creon and Antigone are almost polar opposites when it comes to views of society, but their attitudes are almost identical.

Sophocles, a great tragedian, was the one who gave Greek tragedies their traditional form. An important part of traditional Greek tragedies is the presence of a tragic hero. All tragic heroes should have the characteristics of rank, a tragic flaw, a downfall, and a recognition of mistakes. The seemingly tragic hero is Antigone. She wants to bury her brother Polyneices even though this would be going against Creon, who is her uncle and the king. When Antigone buries Polyneices Creon sentences her to death because of it. In Antigone by Sophocles the tragic hero is not Antigone because she only meets the characteristic of a tragic flaw, hers being pride, but doesn 't meet the other three characteristics of a

Antigone is thought to be a tragic hero because of everything that had happened to her throughout her life. She lost her father Oedipus through a curse and her brothers through battle. The only one that was left was her sister Ismene. Her brother Polyneices died in battle being a traitor to his family. There was a rule made from the king of Thebes stated that no one can mourn for or bury him. But Antigone did not care she still loved Polyneices and thought that he deserved to have a proper burial like his brother Eteocles. Foreshadowing, mood, and situational irony are used in the drama to explain peripeteia the reversal of fortune, nemesis fate that you can't avoid, and catharsis when the audience is feeling pity

Sympathy for the Main Character in Sophocles' Antigone Sophocles' play is named after its main character, Antigone, and for

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

At the beginning of the play, Antigone and her sister Ismene are having a conversation about both of their brothers being killed within minutes of each other. Antigone then proceeds to tell her sister that King Creon has issued a new order that no one shall bury one of her brothers Polyneices. Her other brother Eteocles was buried with full military honors, but Polyneices is considered a traitor, so he is not allowed to be laid to rest. If someone were to bury him, they would be sentenced to death by stoning in the public square. Antigone wants to give her brother a proper funeral and wants her sister to

Even though Antigone has familial love toward her brother, she expresses sympathy toward him. Antigone does this by telling her sister that Creon “Promotes one of them and shames the other” by denying his burial rights (22). In this part of her speech, Antigone chooses her words carefully to describe the situation to her sister and express the sympathy she has for Polyneices, especially when she uses the phrase “shames the other” and “miserable corpse” (22-26). Antigone is sympathetic of her brother Polyneices because he is not given a proper burial and is left to the “vultures, unwept, unburied” like he is forgotten (29). It is also intriguing to see how Antigone’s sympathetic response to the lack of her brother’s burial is actually the familial love she has for him. Because she loves and considers him a part of her family, she is emotionally sorrowful for the way he has been treated.