Antigone Character Traits

In the classical Greek tragedy Antigone, written by Sophocles, Antigone is the daughter of Oedipus. When Oedipus marries his mother and kills his father, and is exiled from Thebes, Creon; Antigone's uncle, becomes the new ruler. When Antigone’s older brothers, Polyneices and Eteocles, are killed by each other's hand, Eteocles is given an honorable burly for dying a noble death while Creon orders that Polyneices would not receive a proper burial because he committed treason against his city. Antigone: out of love and commitment to her brother Polyneices and the gods, she buries him secretly. Antigone's character traits of bravery, devotion to her family and gods, and her ability to stand up for what is right are essential to the story because

Antigone buries Polyneices's body at the risk of dying because of her loyalty and devotion to her brother. “If anyone does what he forbids, he’ll have him publicly stoned to death. Are you true to your birth, or are you a coward?” (Sophocles 35-38). This quote shows her bravery and faithfulness to her brother, which puts her life at risk. Her character trait of standing up for what is right is exemplified when Creon asks her if she was guilty of burying Polyneices and she replies confidently that she did and she believes the divine law is above Creon's law. “What law? I never heard it was Zeus who made that announcement. The gods below did not lay down this law for human use. And I never thought your announcements could give you the power to temple the gods' unfailing, unwritten laws.” (Sophocles 450-457). Antigone's loving personality and pure motives are stated in “I cannot side with hatred. My nature sides with love.” (Sophocles 523). This quote shows that Antigone’s explanations for burying her brother were out of love for him and for following the laws of the gods. Antigone's personality traits of courage, loyalty, and standing up for what is right affect the story by causing her downfall and the death of

She consistently stood by her obedience to the divine law and remained loyal to her brother until her death. “This is my reward for taking care of you. I was right, but wisdom knows I would not do it for a child, were I a mother.” (Sophocles 1003-1006). She never lost sight of her motivations or her reasoning. Even when Creon orders Antigone to be executed and to be sent to a cave, she kills herself because she would rather die than live in dishonor and be punished for the act of honoring the unwritten rules of the gods. “No man could frighten me into taking on the gods' penalty for breaking such a law. I’ll die in any case, of course, I will, whether you announce my execution or not. But if I die young, all the better: people who live in misery like mine are better off dead. (Sophocles 460-465). This quote shows she believed that the divine law was higher than Creon's laws and that she would rather die to escape misery and punishment for obeying the gods' laws. Antigone's lack of character development is significant to the story because it leads her to her taking her own