Within Antigone, many of the characters’ stubbornness contributing to the major conflict could have easily been handled differently. Because of this, one ended up dead and another lost everyone he loved. Ismene, Antigone’s sister, remained alive but only because of fear of being punished. It is sometimes unnecessary qualities like being head strong that lead to no one gaining triumph in the end. Because two willful people were both standing up for what they believed in, neither won the battle.
Antigone made her viewpoint clear that no matter which side her brothers were on, they were family and worthy of honor. Antigone is more loyal. Antigone is being very loyal to her family by giving their brother a proper burial. It states in the story “Creon buried our brother Eteocles with military honors... but Polyneices...fought as bravely and died as miserably” (Sophocles 666).
On one hand, he is determined to punish her for her actions, believing that she has defied the laws of the state and must be held accountable for her actions. However, on the other hand, he is also moved by Antigone's passion and conviction, and he is aware that she is acting out of love for her brother. He is unable to reconcile these two conflicting aspects of his character, and this ultimately leads to his
Antigone rebels against the norm of being a women and saying what she believes in because in this society, women had no say in their opinion. Ismene tells her sister “…since we are subject to stronger power we must hear these orders, or any that may be worse” (Antigone 63). Ismene knows that women have no power in their society because of their gender. But Antigone is not afraid of what Creon is going to do to her so she buries her brother anyway.
“Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.” – Stitch, Lilo and Stitch. In Sophocles’ Antigone and in Anouilh’s version of the play, family loyalty is a theme that plays an important role in the actions and the decisions of the characters. The theme of family loyalty is largely represented through the two main characters of the play, Antigone and Creon.
When Antigone tells her sister, Ismene, her intention to bury their brother against the orders of their uncle, Ismene states that she will “. . . obey the men in charge. My mind / Will never aim too high, too far” (pg. 3). Antigone is a stark contrast to Ismene, who wishes to stay within the bounds of traditional society by staying obedient and submissive to men. Antigone has her own mind however, and is not afraid to make her own decisions.
The sisters are not the only ones that must face such choices, Creon’s son, Haemon, is in a dangerous position by fighting for Antigone and betraying his father's wishes. Antigone is a strong character that fights for what she believes in. She is not a person who is
Antigone’s first core value is that she believes in putting her family first. This core value influences her decision that leads to her attempting
The Importance of Family in Antigone Following one’s heart does not always mean following the law. Civil disobedience is justifiable when dealing with family. Devotion to family is significant, especially in Greek culture. The play Antigone by Sophocles, stresses the importance of family and how the disturbance of traditions may lead to conflict.
Antigone’s actions are motivated by her allegiance to her family, moral conscience, and religion amid Creon’s political injustice and tyranny. Antigone’s actions motivate her to demand Ismene to prove whether she is “a true sister or a traitor to your family” (26-27). Antigone maintains loyalty to her brother despite his actions which threatened Thebes. Her inability to bear the thought of her brother’s corpse being picked apart by animals and not being honored with proper funeral rites forces her to act. Antigone’s fierce allegiance to her family is laid bare as she is willing to sacrifice her life to honor her brother and defy the law in an act that she believes is morally just.
In the story, the relationship between Antigone and Creon is very important and contrasts greatly. If they had found a way to resolve their differences, the story may have ended differently. The tension between these two characters is based on Creon’s actions and thoughts in regard to Antigone’s brothers and the brother she buried. Creon left Polyneices, her brother, to rot outside of the city. He commanded that if anyone buried Polyneices, they would be put to death.
Ismene has an internal conflict for not trying to help her sister when first asked, which is the reason for her trying to take some blame in the acts Antigone had done. Antigone and Ismene are both to be put to death but Creon relents on the executing off Ismene. Before Creon did so, Ismene is scorned by Antigone for her late attempt for trying to be righteous. Ismene has always believed in loyalty and has always been loyal to her family. Even though she made a late decision and it is rejected by Antigone she is still loyal to her family by offering her help after she denied it to Antigone the first
In the play Antigone, Sophocles demonstrates the conflict between family and God through the characters of Antigone, Ismene and Creon. Antigone tries to persuade her sister Ismene that their brother Polyneices should be honored and have a proper burial while Creon uses both logical and emotional appeals to justify whether or not Polynices should have a proper burial. Ismene also uses both logical and emotional appeals to best respect her brother Polyneices along with the laws. Nowadays, family always comes first and like Antigone, some people would say they would die for
In the play Antigone and the movie Dead Poets Society, the consequences of pressure, control, and a lack of understanding in father-son relationships are illustrated through the mental health of Haimon and Neil. Playwright, Sophocles and screenwriter, Tom Schulman are able to effectively demonstrate the immense pressure that can be put on children in father-son relationships through Mr. Perry and Creon’s interactions with their sons. When Mr. Nolan speaks to Mr. Perry regarding his high expectations for Neil, Mr Perry addresses his son, claiming that “ he won’t disappoint us. Right Neil?” (Schulman).
In most cases, Greek plays fall under one of two categories: tragedy or comedy. A tragedy is an event causing great suffering, destruction, and distress, such as a serious accident, crime, or natural catastrophe whereas, a comedy is a professional entertainment consisting of jokes and satirical sketches, intended to make an audience laugh. The acclaimed play, Antigone, written by Sophocles, can be portrayed as a tragedy. In this play, the main character, Antigone, rebels against Creon, king of Thebes, by burying her brother, Polyneices, after Creon announces to everyone that he is not to be buried. Creon later discovers what she has done, and sentences her to death.
