Examples Of Struggles In Antigone
Nathan Han
LA P. 4
11/5/14
Antigone: The Struggle
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.
In the exchange between Tiresias and Creon, Tiresias shows Creon’s pride and ignorance: “It’s an insult to imply I am a fake. All of you so called seers: you have your price. Rulers too have a name for being corrupt. Your second …show more content…
At the end of the play, the chorus captures the theme of the play perfectly: Everything I’ve touched I have destroyed. I’ve nobody to turn to, nowhere I can go. My recklessness and pride I paid for in the end. Wise conduct is the key to happiness. Always rule by the gods and reverence them. Those who everbear will be brought to grief” (74).This quote beautifully captures Creon admitting what he did wrong, and that he went too far. The chorus also realizes that the gods’ law is more important that Creon’s law, which one can see was questionable in the beginning because of the lack of evidence. However, as the play moves on, the chorus starts to reside on Antigone’s side and Creon becomes more tyrannic and
LA P. 4
11/5/14
Antigone: The Struggle
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.
In the exchange between Tiresias and Creon, Tiresias shows Creon’s pride and ignorance: “It’s an insult to imply I am a fake. All of you so called seers: you have your price. Rulers too have a name for being corrupt. Your second …show more content…
At the end of the play, the chorus captures the theme of the play perfectly: Everything I’ve touched I have destroyed. I’ve nobody to turn to, nowhere I can go. My recklessness and pride I paid for in the end. Wise conduct is the key to happiness. Always rule by the gods and reverence them. Those who everbear will be brought to grief” (74).This quote beautifully captures Creon admitting what he did wrong, and that he went too far. The chorus also realizes that the gods’ law is more important that Creon’s law, which one can see was questionable in the beginning because of the lack of evidence. However, as the play moves on, the chorus starts to reside on Antigone’s side and Creon becomes more tyrannic and