What are the Universal and cultural themes of 'Antigone'?
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- Fate Versus Free Will. A major source of tension in Antigone is the conflict between fate and free will. ...
- Respect for Death. A modern audience may find some aspects of Antigone ’s tragic conclusion baffling, given that nearly every main character dies for reasons that could seem foolish today.
- Gender Roles. ...
What is the moral lesson in Antigone?
Moral Lessons in Antigone
- Compare And Contrast The Kite Runner And Antigone. A moral or lesson is a message that is conveyed to be learned from a story or an event. ...
- The Consequences Of Violence In Antigone By Sophocles. ...
- Article Review: 'Antigona: A Voice Rebuking Power' by Margaret E Montoya. ...
- moralant Essay on the Moral Dilemma in Sophocles' Antigone
What four themes are revealed by the chorus in 'Antigone'?
- Blindness vs. Sight. In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus mocks the blindness of the seer Tiresias, who responds by telling Oedipus that he (Oedipus) is blind to the corruption in his own ...
- Citizenship vs. Family Loyalty. ...
- Fate vs. Free Will. ...
Which of the following themes appear in Antigone?
Which of the following themes appear in Antigone? civil disobedience the wrath of the gods the supreme power of fate morality versus civil law the fickleness of time loyalty to family versus loyalty to the state the futility of civil laws. Answers: 2 Show answers Another question on English ...
What is the 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 ma...
What is the main lesson of the play 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 the main themes of Sophocles version?
Themes in Sophocles' AntigoneRivalry between Sisters.Pride.Individual versus State; Conscience versus Law; Divine Law versus Human Law.Gender: the Position of Women.
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 moral conflict in Antigone?
The major moral conflict in Antigone by Sophocles is the conflict over which value is most fundamental. The play presents the moral conflict over whether the god's law or the city's law is more powerful. This seems to be the most prominent theme.
How is pride a theme of Antigone?
Antigone also exhibits pride in her honour from her chosen method of death, as she commits suicide which was seen as noble. Not only this, but she robs Creon of the victory over her, as he at first wanted to stone her to death, then wanted her to starve and she took both of these from him by taking her own life.
What does Antigone symbolize?
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 is the meaning of Antigone?
She is a sister of Polynices, Eteocles, and Ismene. The meaning of the name is, as in the case of the masculine equivalent Antigonus, "worthy of one's parents" or "in place of one's parents". She is the protagonist of the eponymous play by Sophocles.
Summary
Read our full plot summary and analysis of Antigone, scene by scene break-downs, and more.
Characters
See a complete list of the characters in Antigone and in-depth analyses of Antigone, Creon, The Chorus, and The Guards.
Literary Devices
Here's where you'll find analysis of the literary devices in Antigone, from the major themes to motifs, symbols, and more.
Quotes
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Essays
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Further Study
Go further in your study of Antigone with background information, movie adaptations, and links to the best resources around the web.
What is Antigone's challenge?
Antigone challenges his servile happiness. She is of the tribe that asks questions and hates man's hope. A distraught Ismene rushes in, begging Antigone's forgiveness and promising to help her. Antigone rejects her, but she does not deserve to die with her.
What does Antigone say to Creon?
Antigone replies that she is not here to understand, only to say no and die. Creon makes a final appeal, saying that Antigone needs to understand what goes on in the wings of her drama. As a child, she must have known her brothers made her parents unhappy. Polynices was a cruel, vicious voluptuary.
What does Antigone tell Creon about Polynices' body?
Later that day, the nervous First Guard enters and informs Creon that someone covered Polynices's body with a little dirt last night. He orders the guards to uncover the body and keep the matter secret. The Chorus appears and announces that the tragedy is on.
What does Creon ask Antigone about her marriage?
Creon asks if she thinks her being Oedipus's daughter puts her above the law. Like Oedipus, her death must seem the "natural climax" to her life. Creon, on the other hand, devotes himself only to the order of the kingdom. Antigone's marriage is worth more to Thebes than her death.
What does Creon say to the mob?
Creon replies that the mob already knows the truth, and he can do nothing. Antigone sits before the First Guard in her cell; his is the last face she will see. The Guard rambles about his pay, rations, and professional quibbles. Antigone interrupts him, pointing out that she is soon to die.
Who stabbed Antigone?
Haemon then stabbed himself and lay beside Antigone in a pool of blood. Upon being told of Haemon 's death, Eurydice finished her row of knitting, climbed to her room, and cut her throat. Creon is alone. The Chorus notes that truly if it had not been for Antigone, all would have been at peace.
Who is Antigone in The Chorus?
The Chorus introduces the players. Antigone is the girl who will rise up alone and die young. Haemon, Antigone's dashing fiancé , chats with Ismene, her beautiful sister. Though one would have expected Haemon to go for Ismene, he inexplicably proposed to Antigone on the night of a ball. Creon is king of Thebes, bound to the duties of rule.
What does Antigone say about Polynices?
Antigone says that Polynices is dead and never loved her, instead he was like an enemy in the house. Antigone tells her she is too late and she has just come from burying him. Later in the day, Creon stands on the top step with his Page. The nervous First Guard enters, and Creon asks what has happened with the body.
What does Antigone tell Haemon about his mother?
Breathless, Antigone tells Haemon that she would have protected their son against everything in the world, and that he would have feared nothing. Though his mother would have not been imposing, she would have been stronger than those "real mothers." Instead, she would have been Haemon's "real wife." Antigone asks him if he is sure he loved her the night he proposed, that he did not want Ismene instead. His arms and hands do no lie—he loves her as a woman. Haemon assures her that he loves her exactly as she loves him, with all of himself. Ashamed, Antigone implores him to tell her the truth. When he thinks of her, she asks whether he senses that a "great empty space is being hollowed out" inside him and that something inside him is dying. Haemon assents; Antigone feels the same.
Why did Antigone come to Haemon?
Antigone explains that she came to Haemon in Ismene's accoutrements because she wanted to become his wife before their wedding because she will never be able to marry him. Stupefied, Haemon departs. Ismene enters, terrified that Antigone will attempt to bury Polynices despite the daylight.
How does Creon learn of her crime?
Creon learns of her crime through the first of the three costumed guards. The card-playing trio, made all the more mindless and indistinguishable in being grouped in three, emerges from a long tradition of the dull-witted rank-and-file officer. As the Chorus notes, they smell of garlic and beer.
What is Oedipus' moment of beauty?
Oedipus' moment of beauty comes at his moment of total abjection, the moment when he knew all and had lost all servile hope and passed beyond the human community in his transgression of its founding taboo. Like Oedipus, Antigone will become "beautiful" at the moment of his total ruin.
What is the chorus in Greek tragedy?
In Greek tragedy, the Chorus consisted of a group of approximately ten people, playing the role of death messenger, dancing, singing, and commenting throughout from the margins of the action. Anouilh reduces the Chorus to a single figure who retains his collective function nevertheless. The Chorus represents an indeterminate group, be it the inhabitants of Thebes or the moved spectators. It also appears as narrator, framing frames the tragedy with a prologue and epilogue. In the prologue, it directly addresses the audience and is self- conscious with regards to the spectacle: "we" are here tonight to take part in the story of Antigone. Like its ancient predecessor, Anouilh's Chorus prepares a ritual, instructing the audience on proper spectatorship. The Chorus then reappears throughout the play, marking its another turning points and futilely interceding into the action on "our"—that is, the spectators' and Theban people's—behalfs.
Is Antigone beautiful?
Like Oedipus, Antigone will become "beautiful" at the moment of his total ruin. As Ismene notes, Antigone's beauty is somehow not of this world, the kind of beauty that turns the heads of small children—be it in fear, awe, and otherwise.
Does Antigone die alone?
As she appears to sense, however, she will not die alone. Her "tomb" will also serve as her "bridal bed," Antigone ultimately bringing Haemon with her to the grave.
How does Antigone unfold?
Antigone unfolds almost entirely in the course of one day, in one space (the palace), and in largely uninterrupted dialogue/action. Though dispensing with act divisions, Antigone thus relies on the dramatic unities as appropriated by the French classicists. The Chorus frames the tragedy with a prologue and epilogue.
What is the chorus about in Antigone?
It begins with Antigone, explaining that she is about to "burst forth as the tense, sallow, willful girl" who will rise up alone against the king and die young.
What is the chorus's prologue?
In the prologue, the Chorus directly addresses the audience and appears self-conscious with regards to the spectacle; we are here tonight to take part in the story of Antigone.
Who is Antigone's sister?
They watch with little concern, for they are not to die tonight. The Chorus then introduces the chatting pair, Haemon, Antigone's dashing fiancé, and Ismene, her radiantly beautiful sister.
Who knits and will go on knitting until the time comes for her to go to her room and die?
The death of Oedipus and his sons bound him to the weary duties of rule. Next to the sisters' Nurse sits the good Queen Eurydice. She knits and will go on knitting until the time comes for her to go to her room and die. The Messenger stands against the wall, brooding over his premonition of Haemon's death.
What does Creon represent in Antigone?
Antigone and Creon represent the extreme opposite political views regarding where a citizen of a city should place his or her loyalties. In the play, Creon has a strict definition of citizenship that calls for the state to come first: "…whoever places….
What does Oedipus mock in Antigone?
In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus mocks the blindness of the seer Tiresias, who responds by telling Oedipus that he (Oedipus) is blind to the corruption in his own life, and soon will be literally blind, too. Issues of blindness and sight aren't quite as obvious in Antigone, but the same basic tension is there. Tiresias gives the current king, Creon, a warning, and the king is unable to see the wisdom of…
What does Creon say about civil disobedience?
Civil Disobedience. Creon says that the laws enacted by the leader of the city "must be obeyed, large and small, / right and wrong.". In other words, Creon is arguing that the law is the basis for justice, so there can be no such thing as an unjust law.
What is Creon's natural law?
Natural Law. Creon, as head of state and lawgiver in Thebes, believes in obedience to man-made laws. But in defying Creon's command that no one bury Polynices, Antigone appeals to a different set of guidelines—what is often called "natural law.". Whether its source is in nature or in divine order, natural law states that there are standards ...
Who saw visions of things to come?
Independent prophets called "seers" saw visions of things to come. Oracles, priests who resided at the temples of gods—such as the oracle to Apollo at Delphi—were also believed to be able to interpret the gods' visions and give prophecies to people who sought to know the future.
What does Antigone complain about?
Antigone complains of their dirty hands; the Guard gestures to her own. Imagine taking a tobacco break only to find a girl clawing away by the corpse like a hyena. The Second Guard compares her to a nut who exposed herself in the main square the other day. The First proposes that they throw a party.
What does the chorus announce about Antigone?
The Guards are heard and the Chorus announces that Antigone has been caught and will be able to be herself for the first time in her life. The Guards enter with the struggling Antigone, the First telling her to give it a rest. Antigone complains of their dirty hands; the Guard gestures to her own.
What is the chorus's commentary on tragedy?
The Chorus continues its comments on tragedy by underlining its stillness. Stillness appears as a key metaphor in the Chorus's comments on the nature of tragedy. First the Chorus evokes this stillness in its theatrical mode.
What does Creon curse?
Creon curses the pride of Oedipus. Like him, her death seem the "natural climax" to her life. For them, human happiness is meaningless and human misery unable to satisfy their passion. Only a "cozy tea party" with death and destiny can quench them.
Is tragedy a melodrama?
Tragedy is clean, restful, and flawless. It has nothing to do with melodrama. In tragedy, everything is inevitable, hopeless, and known, making for tranquility and "fellow-feeling" among the characters. All are innocent, simply bound to their parts. All one can do is shout.
Does Antigone doubt Creon's edict?
Antigone retorts that had she been a scullery maid she would have done the same. Creon disagrees and a maid would have taken the edict seriously. Antigone replies that she has never doubted Creon would put her to death. Creon curses the pride of Oedipus.
