What is the main idea in ' Antigone '?
What is the main idea of ‘Antigone’? The main idea of the Sophocles , Antigone story goes around the idea of divine law and state laws. The story starts with Antigone talking to her sister Ismene about the death of her brother Eteocles and Polynices and the unfairness of the king Creon .
What does Antigone represent in the play?
The main symbol in ''Antigone'' is the stone tomb. For Creon, it represents being true to the living state and rulers, instead of the dead ones. For the gods, this tomb represents dishonor and disregard for them. Other symbols in ''Antigone'' include money, as Creon believes that greed must lead people.
What are the traits of Antigone?
The character Antigone is expressed through action and emotion throughout the story. Analyze the cultural significance of three specific character traits of Antigone: strong, brazen, and stubborn. Updated: 12/06/2021
What is the moral of 'Antigone'?
In Antigone, the moral of the story is that of fate. This moral is incorporated through the actions of both Creon and Antigone. The moral also corresponds with a recurring theme of the abuse of power, something that Creon is more than guilty of.
What are three themes in Antigone?
Antigone ThemesBlindness vs. Sight. ... Natural Law. Creon, as head of state and lawgiver in Thebes, believes in obedience to man-made laws. ... Citizenship vs. Family Loyalty. ... Civil Disobedience. ... Fate vs.
What is the theme of Antigone sparknotes?
Antigone in particular manifests her hatred for the ideal of femininity Ismene incarnates in their childhood, brutally binding her sister to a tree to stage her mutilation. Anouilh attributes Antigone's hate and envy in Ismene's capacity to figure as an object of desire, as the woman men want.
How is pride a theme in Antigone?
Pride in one's own honour is very prominent in the play, in Antigone and Haemon in particular. Antigone shows this early on in the play, where in her pride she refuses to obey the laws of the state, and rails against them to bury her dead brother, Polyneices.
What is the main theme of Antigone?
Fate and Free Will A central theme of Antigone is the tension between individual action and fate. While free choices, such as Antigone's decision to defy Creon's edict, are significant, fate is responsible for many of the most critical and devastating events of the trilogy.
What is the main theme of the story of Antigone?
Antigone concludes that Creon's edict that Polyneices not be buried is the law but is not moral. Therefore, she concludes, the moral thing to do is to break the unjust law. Antigone also states that her actions were righteous, because she says she was disobeying Creon's laws in order to obey the gods' laws.
What is the moral of Antigone?
Antigone was very clear about her devotion to God more than the King. We should do what is legal because, without laws, everyone can do what they want such as harming others, killing other people, and doing illegal things such as fraud and selling drugs.
Is love a theme in Antigone?
In Antigone there are many examples of love and war throughout the play. The chorus plays a big role in explaining how love and war both take place. Love and war can not only be seen by the plot of the story, but can also be observed within many of the characters.
What is the irony in Antigone?
He ordered that Polyneices' body shall not have a proper burial, and anyone who buries the body will be punished by death. Antigone is furious when she hears this law and decides to bury the body anyway. This conflict is the foundation of dramatic irony in the play.
What is the moral of Antigone?
In Antigone, the moral of the story is that of fate. This moral is incorporated through the actions of both Creon and Antigone. The moral also corresponds with a recurring theme of the abuse of power, something that Creon is more than guilty of.
What was a main theme of Oedipus and Antigone?
The famous playwright, Sophocles, adopts the idea of fate in his plays to control the character's actions. In both plays, “Oedipus the King” and “Antigone”, the writer uses the concept of fate to show human's inability to conquer the will of the gods.
What is the meaning behind Antigone?
Characters in Antigone · Antigone- She is the oldest daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta. Her name in Greek means 'one who is of the opposite opinion' (anti = opposite, gnomi = opinion).
How are the themes in Antigone relevant in modern times?
The ideas Sophocles presents in Antigone have relevance in today's world, and indicate that modern society is not as advanced as we believe. The problems of gender equality, democratic voice, and religious faith still resonate today. Antigone attempts to show the strength women have in the face of male authority.
What is Creon's fatal flaw?
Hamartia. Creon has a hamartia, this is also referred to as a fatal or tragic flaw, as Creo is the tragic hero within the play, as his fatal flaw is excessive pride due to his hubris. This flaw will lead them to their demise, Creon is unable to realise how his Hubris has taken over and ruined him until it is too late, this is known as late learning.
What is an example of the preferred social status for a woman?
Ismene can be appreciated as an example of the preferred social status for a woman.
What is Creon's pride?
This can be found through both Creon and Antigone, through the way in which they are lead by their excessive pride, specifically Creon as his Hubris leads him to not be able to back down or to allow other people to tell them that his actions are wrong. However this can also be related to
What is the entrance on the floor leading up to the stage on the stairs on either side of the proskenion?
The entrance on the floor leading up to the stage on the stairs on either side of the proskenion is called the parados.
What is Creon's late learning?
Peripeteia, this is an ironic twist in which the character then realizes that things will not turn out the way they expected, this is Creon's late learning .
What does the mask represent in the chorus?
For the chorus all of the masks give them all the same face, representing their unified voice.
Why was the festival of Dionysus important?
The festival of Dionysus was a large affair with all of the performances that are in order to honor the God of theatre and grape harvests. How the play is very diverse.
What does Haemon and Tiresias warn Creon about?
Haemon and Tiresias warn Creon that a tragedy that will befall his household if he does not pay attention to the law of the Gods. Creon refuses to listen. His refusal to afford Polynices a proper burial results in the suicide of both his son and wife and causes a plague in Thebes.
Why does Creon want Polynices to be buried?
Creon, who takes over the rule of Thebes after the civil war, decrees that Polynices should not be buried. He wants him to rot in the open air as a punishment for his treason and to set an example for others. In doing this, Creon is breaking Zeus's unwritten law about burial of the dead. Antigone, a very strong woman, refuses to see her brother dishonored in this way. She defies Creon's order and gives him a symbolic burial by sprinkling dirt on his body. Creon orders her to be executed, but she insists it is right to put the gods' laws—which are identified with universal laws—ahead of human laws.
What is the only element of the play that remains constant and uncompromised throughout the play?
The only element of the play that remains constant and uncompromised throughout the play is Antigone 's personal integrity. Early in the play, when Antigone appeals to her sister, Ismene, to help her bury their brother, Polyneices, Antigone expresses her personal integrity in simple, straightforward terms. ANTIGONE.
What little integrity does Ismene seem to have when she offers to share Antigone's guilt?
What little integrity Ismene seems to have when she offers to share Antigone's guilt is a sham. She simply feels sorry for Antigone and for herself, coward that she is, and she wants to relieve herself of any responsibility in the matter, and rid herself of Oedipus's family curse.
What does Creon demonstrate?
Creon appears to demonstrate personal integrity on behalf of himself, on behalf of the state, and on behalf of his position in the state, but his assertion of his integrity is misplaced, and his integrity is compromised and ultimately supplanted by hubris. He clearly values his pride and his position in the state above his integrity.
What does Creon do to Antigone?
Creon's determination to put Antigone in what he sees as her place is tested through the bonds of family since he is her uncle. But his reinforcement of two cultural norms, obedience to the state and subordinate roles for women, leads him to ultimately put her to death when she defiantly rejects his way of thinking.
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How do Ismene and Antigone react?
When faced with injustice, Antigone and Ismene react quite differently - the former aggressively, progressively, and the latter more conservatively. Ismene is not so much afraid of injustice as she is frightened of her own demise - and she cannot bear to incur the wrath of men for fear of being condemned to the same fate as the rest of her family. After watching her father and brothers die, she believes that the best course of action is to lie low and obey. In the case of Ismene, it seems inaction is tied to fear-at least until she willingly offers to die next to Antigone, at which point we realize that she is not so much inactive as she is unsure of her place as a woman. Thus, while Ismene is a figure characterized principally by doubt, Antigone is one who plunges ahead purely on self-belief and her firm convictions about right and wrong. Ultimately, then, because of these fundamental differences in philosophy, they cannot die together, though Ismene wants to. Antigone forbids it - she cannot bear to have her sister tag along when Ismene all along is in the camp of the patriarchs, despite her eleventh-hour shift.
What is pride in Antigone?
There is no question that pride, in the context of Antigone (and most of Sophocles ' works), is a trait despised by the gods and punished without mercy. In Antigone, Sophocles describes the type of pride that allows men to create laws that substitute for divine principles. In other words, when Creon creates a law because he believes it is divine ...
What is Creon's need to defeat Antigone?
On the other hand, Creon's need to defeat Antigone seems at times to be extremely personal. At stake is not only the order of the state, but his pride and sense of himself as a king and, more fundamentally, a man.
What was the most powerful text of resistance against the Nazis?
In the 20th century, a version of Antigone rewritten during the Second World War became one of the most powerful texts of resistance against the Nazis. The conflict between the individual and the power of the state was as pressing for Greek audiences as it is to modern ones.
Why is Antigone's rebellion so threatening?
Antigone's rebellion is especially threatening because it upsets gender roles and hierarchy. By refusing to be passive, she overturns one of the fundamental rules of her culture.
Can Ismene and Antigone die together?
Ultimately, then, because of these fundamental differences in philosophy, they cannot die together, though Ismene wants to. Antigone forbids it - she cannot bear to have her sister tag along when Ismene all along is in the camp of the patriarchs, despite her eleventh-hour shift.
Why does Antigone say "I go his prisoner"?
As Creon ordered her to her death, Antigone exclaimed, “I go, his prisoner, because I honoured those things in which honour truly belongs. ” She is directly humiliating Creon by calling his opinions and decisions weak and unjust. She also emphasizes “his prisoner,” which tells us that Creon’s decision to capture Antigone was his own, and was not backed up by the majority of the people. She feels that Creon is abusing his power as king and dealing with her task to a personal level.
What is the theme of Antigone?
The main theme of Antigone is the moral contradiction between doing good and bad. Meaning, you can still do bad when doing something good. An important ideal in Ancient Greece was the belief that the government was to have no control in matters concerning religious beliefs. In Antigone’s eyes, Creon betrayed that ideal by not allowing her to properly bury her brother, Eteocles. She believed that the burial was a religious ceremony, and Creon did not have the power to deny Eteocles that right. Antigone’s strong beliefs eventually led her to her death by the hand of Creon.
What is Creon's ideal?
The ideal states that the population would be granted freedom from political oppression and that freedom of religion would be carried out. Creon defied both of these. First, Antigone was “his prisoner”, not necessarily the publics. In fact, the general population supported Antigone, though they were too scared to say anything.
What does Antigone tell her sister?
As the play opens, Antigone tells her sister, Ismene, that an edict has been placed over the city of Thebes. What is this edict, and who has commanded it?
Who discusses the edict and explains his reasons for it?
Creon discusses the edict and explains his reasons for it. What are his reasons? Do they seem to be valid?
