Theme Of Conflict In Antigone

In literature, conflicts are needed. Conflicts move the plot forward, and without conflicts, stories are completely dull. Antigone, a very famous play written by Sophocles, is a Greek tragedy. Antigone is about a young brave woman named Antigone standing up against the king of ancient Thebes, Creon, defying his laws, and dying with honor. The conflicts of Individual Vs. Authority, Male Vs. Female, and Youth Vs. Age move the plot forward and show us character development while forming the setting and tone of the play.

The most important conflict throughout the play is Individual Vs. Authority, which forwards the plot. Antigone opens up with an edict being introduced and Antigone is completely against is. Antigone’s plan is to disobey this

Female develops and reveals a sexist environment in ancient Thebes. At the beginning of the play, Ismene is already showing how worthless she feels. She says to Antigone, “O, think, Antigone; we are women; it is not for us to fight against men” (428). This quote emphasizes that Ismene feels completely paralyzed and invisible. Antigone, on the other hand, is the complete opposite in temperament. After going through with the act of breaking the law, she says to Creon, “I did not think your edicts strong enough to overrule the unwritten unalterable laws of God and heaven, you being only a man” (438). Antigone clearly puts the laws of the gods over the laws of man, as she does not think the laws of man are strong enough to overpower them. She disregards man’s laws to serve the higher law. Another major aspect of this conflict is Creon’s sexism. Antigone tries to defend her acts by saying that she just wants to share her love with the world. Creon replies, “Go then, and share your love among the dead. We’ll have no woman’s law here while I live” (440). This quote displays how afraid Creon is of having a woman above him or prove him wrong. He would rather silence her. It is also apparent that women are seen as mere objects. He breaks Antigone’s and Haemon’s vow, dismissing the loss by saying, “Oh, there are other fields for him to plough” (441). Creon sees women as object only used for sex, and thinks that Haemon can easily find someone else. In ancient Thebes, women are considered worthless, especially to Creon, but Antigone thinks otherwise, and decides to take a