Isolation In Oedipus Rex And Antigone

Many times, people lead themselves to their own downfall. Their demise is often a long and arduous one where they find themselves alone at the end. This truth is frequently depicted in novels, plays and other forms of entertainment. The isolation that occurs in these narratives is one that makes any human with a beating heart fear making the same mistakes that the characters do. In Sophocles weaves this theme of alienation into the plot of his plays, Oedipus Rex and Antigone, to tell a story where both Oedipus and his daughter, Antigone, are cut off from the rest of the world because of their misdeeds. Another literary treasure that plays on this theme is Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley, a story where the monster that Victor Frankenstein creates is forced into a life of isolation. All of these characters cut off from the rest of the world for the same reason; laws. The alienation of Oedipus, Antigone, And the monster, is a direct result of them abandoning the rules and laws set for them. In the Geek tragedy, “Oedipus Rex,” Oedipus leads himself to a tragic fate where he is forced to leave Thebes and live the rest of his days in exile. The root of his problems comes from his own decree where he is forced to either kill or exile the murderer of

After she is caught burying Polyneices, Creon places Antigone in the mountains all alone as punishment. This literal alienation comes as a direct consequence of Antigone breaking Creon's law. Creon describes the punishment that Antigone will receive, “I will carry her far away/ Out there in the wilderness, and lock her/ Living in a vault of stone” (Sophocles INSERT PAGE). Even though Antiogne's actions were just she broke the law, and the plain truth here is that this abandonment of the law forces Antigone to end her life alienate from the rest of the world. This alienation hurts Antigone so much that she takes her own