A foil character is a character whose presence enhances the qualities of another character. A foil character isn’t that important but at the same time is very important because that character could be the cause of a dramatic ending. The play Much Ado About Nothing written by William Shakespeare, shows how misinformation led to a couple who were planning to get married ended up not going through with it. Don John and Don Pedro are two brothers but complete opposites of each other. Don John is a foil character to Don Pedro. Don John looked for any way to ruin Hero and Claudio’s wedding, while Don Pedro looked for any way to help Hero and Claudio get married.…
In the play Antigone by Sophocles, Ismene is shown to be in great contrast to Antigone, who is her sister. She is portrayed as a gentle and passive while Antigone is depicted as an aggressive and headstrong woman. In the prologue, Antigone and Ismene are shown discussing what has transpired since their leave and subsequent return to Thebes. In this scene Antigone asks her sister in line 6-7 “have they told you of the new decree by our King Creon?” which Ismene then responds that “I have learned nothing. I know that two sisters lost two brothers, a double death in a single hour, and I know that the Argive army fled in the night; but beyond this, nothing” (Sophocles 0:7-9).…
People with power are usually disliked or even hated, because people do not like to be ruled over. In this world, the amount of power one has dictates the amount of respect and trust they receive. Like Creon, if one has a large amount of power they will almost always be disliked.…
In this society women were not thought of very highly. They were thought of as mothers housekeepers but never a leader. They had no important political roles and did not lead anything in this society.This is shown with Creon who does not like to submit to anyone but would never submit to a woman. The foil between the two sisters shows how society thought of women. Since Antigone was not like most woman and stood up for herself she was thought of as bad while her sister was thought of as perfect. This is a good example of how men thought of women during this time…
Ismene serves as a foil for Antigone; she is the “compliant citizen” to her sister’s “conscientious objector.” While she is loyal and willing to die at her sister’s side, she does not make the same bold, defiant stand that Antigone does. She is a reasonable, sympathetic person whose fate is tied to the far more fanatical Antigone and Creon. The thought of death at Creon’s hands that so terrifies Ismene does not even faze Antigone, who looks forward to the glory of dying for her brother. Antigone refused to let her be martyred for a cause she did not stand up for. She even seems to forget her sister exists, calling herself the 'last descendant of Oedipus. The relationship between Antigone and Ismene evokes a wide range of emotions and insight that helps to illuminates due to their district characters and qualities.…
In the play Oedipus the King and Antigone by Sophocles, foil and parallel characters are very common. The foil character in a story is the character who is the exact opposite of the main character, or in other word, the parallel character, and therefor serves to magnify certain characteristics of the main character. Such characters for example could be Ismene, the foil character and Antigone, the parallel character. Ismene is cowardly and prefer to follow the rules, while Antigone is much more brave and prefer to break the rules for her family. The characters posses a multitude of traits, and for that they can be recognized as a parallel character or as a foil character.…
Greek culture was expressed through many ways in the Hellenistic era. Many authors rose to fame for plays and stories. Although many know of Homer, author of the Odyssey, many most likely don’t know Sophocles. Sophocles was the author of the Theban trilogy, a collection of three plays that examined philosophical themes and Greek life. Antigone, the second play in the series, is based around a major conflict between Creon and Antigone over the burial of Polyneices. The evidence is absolutely overwhelming for the burial of Polyneices. Haemon, Tiresias, Antigone, and practically every character in the play turn against Creon at the end of the play. These characters bring out Creon’s worst traits, such as stubbornness and pride. The evidence in the play for Antigone is clearly overwhelming and shows that Creon is not fit to rule Thebes, and thus he was wrong when it came to Polyneice’s body.…
5.) Ismene is the foil for her stronger sister. In comparison to Antigone she has almost no agency, primarily because she is terrified of disobeying men in power.…
In the tragedy Antigone, there are two central characters who serve as foils for one another. The main protagonist and heroine, Antigone, defies the wishes of the king of Thebes, who is also her uncle named Creon. Beginning as a man devoted to art patronage and falling into a position of power after the death of his brother, Creon begins the play with a declaration that says Polynices, one of Antigone’s brothers, cannot have a proper burial. Antigone disregards Creon’s law and covers Polynices in dirt, sending his soul to the underworld. The author Sophocles’ uses Antigone’s defiant actions to show Creon’s obsession with maintaining the subordination of women. However, it’s important to note that Creon’s obsession may not just pertain to having power over women, but also power over everyone in general.…
Geoffrey Lo E Block 1-6-15 Heroism Antigone is born under great wealth because of her parents and her family. She lives her whole life with no struggles and she is very lucky for that. Although both her parents die, she still has an extremely stable future. She is about to marry her cousin Haemon and still be filthy rich, but, she was not going to let that control her life. When Antigone hears about Creon's law against the burial of her brother Polynices, she knew that someone had to make things just.…
In differentiating between the protagonist and the secondary characters in Greek drama, four characteristics of a traditional Greek hero should be kept in mind: undying loyalty, strong convictions, a single character flaw, and a lesson learned. In the play, Antigone, by Sophocles, two characters, Antigone and Creon, have thee of these four. The possession of the fourth quality is what sets one apart as the main character. Even though the title of the play is Antigone, the main character-the protagonist- is Creon.…
Batman, Superman, and the Green Lantern all fit the characteristics of a hero. The word “hero” typically evokes positive feelings and has a positive connotation surrounding it. But what about “tragic hero,” does it? The English Department at California State University in Sacramento states that a tragic hero must be noble, possess heroic qualities, and acquire a tragic flaw leading to their demise. Though initially heroic by nature, the character’s tragic fall must also include the loss of dignity, or the respect of their people and/or their audience (English 1). Based on his nobility, heroic qualities, and tragic flaw leading to the disrespect of his people, as well as his demise, Creon of Antigone is the play’s tragic…
Antigone is an award winning play by Sophocles, one of the three best Greek dramatists of all time. Antigone is a mythical princess of Thebes. She is the product of the accidental incestuous marriage between King Oedipus and Jocasta, whom is Oedipus’ mother as well. Antigone had two brothers and a sister: Polynices, Eteocles, and her sister, Ismene. After Oedipus discovered that he had married his mother, he fled, leaving Thebes to be ruled by his sons. Polynices and Eteocles had their differences arguing over the throne. Polynices left Thebes and returned with an army to declare war on Thebes. The two brothers killed each other during the war, leaving Thebes to be ruled by Jocasta’s brother Creon,…
Creon and Antigone are both honorable people, yet both are fatally proud and that is the source of the tragedy. To what extent do you agree?…
Creon, the king of Thebes, is one of the major characters. The author utilized several characters/ foils in order to build up the king’s image, the pride, cruel, stubborn and superior ruler. Through those conflicts, arguments and persuations, the king’s figure was gradually set up and was foreshadowing the tragic ending of his own life.…