Essay Topics For Antigone

Antigone the Tragic Hero Essay
A Tragic Hero
A tragic hero is a character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw, which combined
with fate, results into a tragedy. The tragic hero must fall from good luck and well being to misery
and misfortune. The tragic hero causes a sense of pity through the tragic downfall that weakens the
character. In Antigone by Sophocles, Antigone follows her own beliefs by giving her brother a
proper burial, even if she has to break the law of King Creon. Because of her innocent actions,
Antigone is punished unjustly and unfairly. Through her risky and unselfish actions, ability to
follow her own beliefs, and perseverance Antigone is the tragic hero of this play.
Furthermore, Antigone makes many important and...show more content...
Moreover, Antigone's ability to follow her own beliefs results into the heroicness and tragic
death of Antigone. Antigone is from a royal family and has the power to do what she believes in.
She believes in following traditions and exercises that power when she says, "I will bury him,
and if I must die, I say that the crime is holy: I shall lie down With him in death, and I shall be as
dear To him as he to me" (694). Antigone follows her beliefs in following tradition and by doing
what she feels is best. Antigone does this because she knows she is doing the right thing and
knows that she will be repaid in some way. Furthermore, Antigone justifies her actions by telling
the reasons that motivated her to do it to King Creon. She refuses to give in to the beliefs of King
Creon and continues to think her own separate way. Antigone takes a stand to Creon when she
says, " Think Death less than a friend? This death of mine Is of no importance, but if I had left
my brother Lying in death unburied, I should have suffered. Now I do not. You smile at me. Ah
Creon , Think me a fool, if you like, but it may well be That a fool convicts me of folly" (709).
Antigone believes what she is doing is correct and proves that to Creon , but he is still not
convinced. It is important for Antigone to do what she believes is so that she will be pleased and
satisfied with the outcome. Antigone's ability to pursue her goals and to what she wants
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Research Paper On Antigone
"They are dead, but the livings are worthy of death" (P56). The words, that indicate that Antigone
ended her life by her own hands, are astonishing. It is shame that the 'world' loses a powerful
woman who is capable of rules breaking. There is a saying in China that is 'living is always the
better choice than death', and everyone, including me, was told whenever someone is despairing.
Likewise, people who suicide are considered to be the ones who are weak in the deep of their
hearts. Weakness provides the fear that prevents people from seeing and facing the reality, and
caring about the people they love. However, Antigone has always been seen as a strong female,
daring to break the roles and support her family. With the truth of her death,

Thesis For Antigone
What is worth fighting for? There are several examples of literature that have not so much
changed my view of the world, but solidified vague ideas I already had about my values, passions,
and the things I wish to fight for and stand up for as I paint my story.
A play written by Sophocles circa 445 B.C., Antigone, depicts the tragedy of a youngwoman who
stands firm against an obstinate new ruling force–her uncle Creon, in what was right by her family
and her gods in antithesis to that which was better for her country. The altercation involves the burial
of her brother, Polyneices after staging a coup against his brother's regime which resulted in both of
the brothers' deaths, in order to protect his soul from the eternal isolation and...show more content...
Just as Antigone knows with whom her allegiances lie: with her family and her gods. She remains
loyal to them even unto death. Similarly, Psalm 48:14 exalts a God who is so in love with his people
and with a passion to lead them that he has promised to do it eternally: "This God, our God
forever and ever/He will lead us eternally." Know thyself. Antigone exemplifies how knowing your
priorities is key. She put God and family over politics. What are mine: God, family and friends,
education, self, and travel. My passions I discovered are: children and missions. In addition,
Antigone shows that those who act out of passion do not feel remorse for their actions, so long as it
is well thought

Sophocles' Antigone Essay
Sophocles' play "Antigone" illustrates the conflict between obeying human and divine law. The
play opens after Oedipus' two sons Eteocles and Polyneices have killed each other in a civil war
for the throne of Thebes. Oedipus' brother in law Creon then assumes the throne. He dictates that
Eteocles shall receive a state funeral and honors, while Polyneices shall be left in the streets to rot
away. Creon believes that Polyneices' body shall be condemned to this because of his civil
disobedience and treachery against the city. Polyneices' sister,Antigone, upon hearing this exclaims
that an improper burial for Polyneices would be an insult to the Gods. She vows that Polyneices'
body will be buried, and Creon declares that anyone who...show more content...
Creon has no toleration for people who place personal beliefs over the common good. He believes
that government and law is the supreme authority, and civil disobedience is worst form of sin. The
problem with Creon's argument is he approaches He approaches every dilemma that requires
judgement through descriptive generalizations. In contrast to the morality defined by Aristotle in his
Nicomachaean Ethics, Creon shows that he is deaf to the knowledge of particulars––of place, time,
manner, and persons, which is essential for moral reasoning. In short, he does not effectively bring
together general principles and specific situations Creon does not acknowledge that emotion, and
perception are as critical to proper moral consideration as reason. This explains why he does not
respond accordingly with the reasoning of the guard, Tiresias the prophet, Antigone, her sister
Ismene, or even his own son Haemon. Throughout the whole play, Creon emphasizes the importance
of practical judgement over a sick, illogical mind, when in fact it is him who has the sick, illogical
mind. He too exhibits pride in his argument. To Antigone and most of the Athenians, possessing a
wise and logical mind means acknowledging human limitations and behaving piously towards the
gods. Humans must take a humble attitude towards fate and the power of the gods, yet Creon mocks
death throughout the play. He doest not learn his lesson until the end of the play when he speaks
respectfully of

Antigone By Sophocles ' Antigone
"But one must neglect nothing that the gods demand" (1349–1350). Sophocles' Antigone takes place
in a trying time for the city of Thebes, when Oedipus, their king, and most of the royal family have
died, and Creon has just been appointed the new king. Throughout the play, Creon tries on his
power as the new ruler, and seems to believe that the gods will not be angry with some of his
choices as king, even though they directly violate the divine law. However, inAntigone, when there
is a conflict between the divine law and the state law, the divine law always prevails. Antigone
continuously follows the divine law, and although she ends up dead, she does not face Creon's pain of
losing everyone he loves and all his people turning against him. The play begins with Antigone
disobeying Creon in order to do what she believes is right in the eyes of the gods and in the eyes
of her parents. Antigone knows that she will die "a holy outlaw, since [she] must please those
below a longer time than people [in Thebes], for [she] shall lie there forever" (75–77). According to
Greek mythology, leaving a dead body unburied results in the dead person not passing smoothly into
the afterworld, and the people who do not bury the body receiving divine punishment. This divine
punishment, which Antigone tries to avoid, becomes more apparent at the end of the play with
Creon's downfall. Antigone's main motive for burying Polynikes is her love for him and for her
parents; however, this statement

Antigone Essay
I. SUBJECT Antigone is a play about a woman who disobeyed the King's order to not bury her
brother. The play was written by the famous Greek tragedian, Sophocles, in 441 B.C. The story took
place in the city of Thebes and the time period is not mentioned. The main characters introduced in
the play are of Antigone, Ismene, Creon, and Haemon. The primary focus was centered on Antigone
and the consequences she faces after breaking the King's orders. In the beginning, the author
introduced Antigone and her sister, Ismene, and their argument about their recently deceased
brother. The argument involved Antigone wanting to bury her brother and Ismene encouraging her
to obey the King's orders. Antigone ignored her sister's advice and chose to...show more content...
Sophocles believed that it was significant that the law of a persons conscience supersedes the law
of the state. Antigone overlooks the law of the state and follows her heart to do what she knows
is morally right, opposed to a law created by a human with high authority. She understands that the
consequences are heavy for the act, however, she courageously concluded that the importance of
the act was greater than the consequences. In the play, Haemon is brought to his father to be
informed off the news of his soon to be wife. In the discussion between Creon and Haemon, they
speak of Haemon's obedience and Antigone's disobedience to Creon. Creon says, "So I must
guard the men who yield to order, not let myself be beaten by a woman. Better, if it must happen
that a man should overset me. I won't be called weaker than womankind" (Sophocles 211). Creon
makes it clear that his reasoning relies on sexism and not what is truly just. Women are often
downgraded to the status of a secondary role as shown in the story. The argument between the law
of the state and the law of the gods, or religious, is mentioned many times throughout the story.
Creon refers to Antigone's brother as one who betrayed his city and he upholds an order for Thebes,
forbidding Antigone's brother to be buried. Antigone refers to burying her brother as a moral
responsibility. Creon is astonished when he finds that she has disobeyed his

Theme Of Justice In Antigone
Sophocles' tragedy, Antigone, follows protagonist Antigone, through her quest for justice with
emphasis on integrity, sacrifice and the laws of man. Taking place around 441 B.C., Antigone,
daughter of Oedipus, wants to bury her brother Polyneices after he was killed in war. Creon, King
of Thebes, has forbidden Polyneices to buried and said that anyone who tries to bury him will be
killed. Antigone, acting out of love for her brother and in defiance of Creon, intends to ignore such
threats and bury Polyneices anyways. While Antigone's sister, Ismene is too afraid to do it,
Antigone admits she is willing to die to give her brother his rightful burial. She then proceeds to
bury her brother, not once, but twice, to which enrages Creon. After she is caught, Creon intends
to kill Antigone but first he gets in an argument with his son Haemon (also Antigone's fiancГ©)
and a blind prophet appears to tell Creon not to leave Polynieces unburied or kill Antigone, as it
will upset the gods. After some deliberation, Creon decides to release Antigone and bury
Polyneices, out of fear of his own fate. Yet is too late as Antigone hanged herself, Haemon
accidentally killed himself, and finally, Creon's wife killed herself out of despair. In the end Creon
cannot catch a break as even when he asks to die, his punishment for his wrong–doings is that he
must live the rest of his miserable life.
The key themes throughout Antigone are rebellion and order of power. Antigone refuses to fit the
mold

Antigone Theme Essay
In the story Antigone by Sophocles, the theme guilt and innocence, as wells as morals play a huge
role between characters, specifically the female character Antigone, the ruler of the city, Creon,
Antigone's sister, Ismene, and Antigone's husband, Haimon. Antigone and Haimon represent
innocence for many reasons. Their morals lead the two in a direction to honor Antigone's brother,
Antigone protects her sister from certain death, and the lovers commits suicide for the sake of
innocence itself. Creon on the other hand represent guilt by his unjust laws of his city, his unruly
dictatorship, and putting the blame on everyone but himself for his own actions. Ismene is also
guilty in the story by not standing with her sister at the beginning to...show more content...
Leading to Creon's realization to his guilt.
Creon represents guilt by his unjust laws of the land and forcing the people of the city to abide by
them. As he forbids anyone to mourn a past king, he strike fear into the people and causes mistrust
against himself. As Haimon, the son of Creon explains to his father, " You are not in a position to
know everything / That people say or do, or what they feel: / Your temper terrifies–" (Scene III:
57–59), Creon is in disbelief. Creon has obtained a sense of dictatorship ever since Oedipus has died.
He had seen the way Oedipus had ruled over the city and deemed it reasonable to have one opinion
in the city alone, his own. Creon proclaims his "just and unjust" ways with the city, " I have no
dealings, / Whoever is chosen to govern should be obeyed– / Just and unjust!" (Scene III: 33–37).
Blame is the final reasoning for his guiltiness is the story. He will always claim he is right and
will never take blame for his own laws. Haimon has confronted Creon about his blame, " Do not
believe that you alone can be right. / The man who thinks that, / The man who maintains that only he
has the power" (Scene III: 74–76). As soon as Creon realizes that none is to blame, only himself, he
admits to his dead son, " My own blind heart has brought me / From darkness, to final darkness. / I
was a fool, not you; and you died for me." (Exodus: 87–92) and once more, like

Essay On The Title Antigone
A title is a direct relation to the novel itself. When a reader picks up a new story they wonder what
the title means. They ask themselves is it a quote from the book or is the title the name of the main
character? The novel "The Fault in our Stars" says it's title in parts of the story, and Arthur Conan
Doyle chose the title "Sherlock Holmes" because the story is about Sherlock. In the drama "Antigone
" by Sophocles, the characterization, the conflict, and the resolution is why Antigone is the title and
Creon is not. Many parts go into choosing a title. When the title is the name of the main character,
one of these parts is the characterization of the character. One of those parts is naming it the
protagonist of the drama. Sophocles wrote Antigone as a Sophoclean tragic hero, making her as the
protagonist....show more content...
The title can also come from the root of the conflict. The reason Sophocles decided to use Antigone
for the title is because Antigone is the cause of the conflict in the play. Antigone starts off the play
by disobeying Creon's orders and burying her brother. Haemon fights for her against his father after
Antigone earns herself an arrest. When Antigone goes to her death, Haemon follows by killing
himself. Unfortunately, this leads to Creon's wife and Haemon's mother dying. In a way this ends
the conflict that Antigone started, thus why Sophocles decided to use her name for the title. There is
an added conflict when Sophocles says that Antigone is suppose to marry Creon's son Haemon. This
makes Haemon have an internal conflict on whether he should choose his father or his lover. Again,
Antigone is the root of the conflict. Tiresias, the blind seer comes to warn Creon of doing wrong to
Antigone causing a fight between them. Which causes Creon to start fighting with himself, and once
again Antigone causes a conflict. Since Antigone causes most of the conflict, it makes sense to title
the drama after

Essay about Antigone
Antigone
"Make these excuses, I will heap/ The earth over my brother's body" (63). Although no one would
help her, Antigone took a stand against injustice and honored her brother by burying him, even
though Creon said this act would be punishable by death if anyone committed this act of
insubordination. Especially in the age that Antigone lived in, it was considered foolish to simply go
against a man's orders, let alone the Kings. Not to mention that Antigone was related to the King,
making the situation even worse. She committed a supremely precarious action, especially for a
woman. Not only does she bravely follow her morals, but she does a great job of justifying them in
her arguments. Antigone was a civil disobedient by disobeying...show more content...
She does not make people pity her, but rather honor her actions because of how she is willing to die
defending her brother's honor. The way that she explains her cause makes everyone but Creon
admire her for disobeying the law and doing the right thing that no one else had the courage to
do. The last example of Antigone's pathos is her last statement before she dies. This statement is
the best use of pathos in the entire play. It is here that Antigone really grips your emotions and
latches on to everything that she can to make you pity her and want to slay Creon instead. By the
way that she appeals to how she will never be able to have a family, enjoy marriage, or happily end
her life. She then throws in the question of what law she broke and asks what she did that was so
wrong to deserve death. These last statements really impact Antigone's pathos and make the reader
sympathize with her stance as the right one if they had not already been convinced.
Antigone's great claims and support also make her argument the best. The first argument that she
gets into is with Ismene about why she is disobeying Creon's orders by burying Polyneices body
and how she would be disgracing him if she did not. Ismene's defense does nothing to sway
Antigone, as she is set in her ways to do good, and Antigone does a great job of explaining her
case as to why she believes it is her duty to bury her brother. She does such a great job, in fact, that
Ismene really has nothing else to counter

Antigone Essay
Antigone
It takes a lot of courage to stand up and defend an action or idea that is forbidden by society. This is
what Antigone does in Sophocles' story Antigone. She clearly disobeys King Creon's order that no
person should bury Antigone's brother, Polynices, which is punishable by penalty of death. In this
case, though, is Antigone's decision the correct one? Her actions affect many of her other
countrymen negatively; they cause problems within the royal family, disagreement among the
people and directly relate to the death of three people including her own.
By burying her brother Antigone knowingly and willingly went against royal orders and in doing so
chooses her own death. She knows as well as anyone in the town that death would...show more
content...
It must seem inconceivable to Creon that the gods would ever want a traitor like Polynices buried,
let alone with the same ceremony as his brother Eteocles. Creon believes in the gods of the country
and he is sure that he is acting in the best interest of Thebes. For if he had decided to bury
Polynices it would show him and his country as being week. It would send a message that Thebes is
a country that honors its traitors. This could put the country in jeopardy of another attack.
One can argue that it is hypocritical for Antigone to walk knowingly into her death when in the
previous story Oedipus at Colonus she begged Polynices not to go to war when he knew that he
would die fighting Eteocles. Now her sister Ismene is doing the same thing by begging her not to
act foolishly. Antigone could have easily prayed for Polynices at her lonesome, and many
catastrophes would have been averted. Antigone, however reflecting the stubbornness of her
father Oedipus fails to see the flaws in her thinking. She also must have known, or was unable to
see through her clouded mind, that whatever she was to accomplish by burying her brother was
sure to be erased. More specifically as soon as the body was buried, Creon would decree that it
should be uncovered. Would it be worth it for her to risk her life just so that her brother could be
buried for a short amount of

antigone
Pre–AP English
6 February /2013
Aristotle's Tragic Hero
In order to fulfill the requirements of a tragic hero, a hero or a heroine must have certain
characteristics. For example, they are required to be a member of royalty, be neither completely
good nor completely bad, they have to be responsible for their own downfall due to a hamartia and
lastly they need to realize their mistakes and accept their consequences. In Antigone, there are two
main characters that fit the criteria of a tragic hero, but only the protagonist, Antigone meets all of
the conditions.
Antigone meets the second requirement of a tragic heroine, by fulfilling the criteria of being neither
entirely good nor completely bad. In the opening of the play, Antigone...show more content...
She believes that her, "blasphemy of my birth has followed me"( iv, 44). By her using this quote,
she reveals that if it weren 't for her being born into incest, her family wouldn't be cursed as they
are. Furthermore, she argues, " No more, Ismene. You are alive, but I belong to death" (ii, 146).
This Quotation reveals Antigone accepting her consequences that she has to die due to her act.
Furthermore, realizing that his judgment was unwise Creon changes his mind from the harsh
punishment of public stoning to her being locked in a cave with a limited amount of food.
Antigone shows she is accepting her consequence by responding, " Then let me go, since all your
words are bitter, and the very light of the sun is cold to me. Lead me to my vigil, where I must
have neither love nor lamentation; no song, but silence" (iv, 282). This quote reveals that Antigone
no matter what she did took her consequences and realized that burying Polynieces was all worth it.
Overall, we see Antigone fulfilling her requirements of accepting her consequences of what she did.
From the time she was caught to the time she was given her sentence, she never denied nor took
back what she had done.
Although both Creon and Antigone fulfill the requirements of being a member of royalty, being
neither completely good nor bad, being responsible for their own downfall due to hubris and lastly
recognizing their own hamartia

Essay about Antigone
Antigone;
The Tragic Hero
Antigone is a classic work that never ceases to be analyzed by critics and students around the
world. The debate over who is the real tragic hero of Sophocles' play Antigone is a topic that is
heavily discussed. To this day there is still no agreement. Some people believe that Antigone is the
real tragic hero of this tragedy, while others believe that the hero is in fact her uncle, Creon. It is
logical to say that Antigone is the tragic hero of Antigone more so than Creon because she is a
likeable character, extracts pity from the audience, and her plight affects many.
To begin, Creon's character is less likeable to the audience. From his very first...show more content...
Secondly, Antigone does a good job at extracting pity from the audience. She appeals the sense of
emotion with heart felt dialogue. One of the most pitiful points in this play is when she makes
her last speech. She then looks back on what actually occurred. This is the first time that Antigone
actually realizes her own sorrow. Earlier on she is still blind to the fact that this is the end for her.
She will not get to have a life. She will not get to give life to someone else. "...see what I suffer,
and from whom, because I feared to cast away the fear of Heaven!" (Oates 291). Here she is
appealing to the gods. She is basically saying, "Look, I am suffering because I so longed to please
you (gods). The audience feels sorry for Antigone because she is the accused. Many will side with
the accused because their future is doomed. Not only does Antigone extract pity from the audience,
she extracts it from other characters in the play. Ismene has always been sympathetic of her plight
and shows this by trying to share the blame. The chorus is also sympathetic and so they try to
persuade Creon that punishing her may not be the best thing. Lastly, Creon is sympathetic toward
Antigone. When he first becomes aware that she is the culprit, he tries to give her a way out.
"...knewest thou that an edict had forbidden this?" (Oates 282) This line implies that if Antigone
denied knowing, she would have

Essay Antigone
Antigone2 Antigone herself represents the highest ideals of human life –– courage and respect for
the gods. In the mythical story "Antigone", Antigone first demonstrates feminist logic when she
chooses to challenge a powerful male establishment. This establishment is personified by her uncle
Creon, who is newly crowned as the King of Thebes, and it is usually challenged by whole
city–state. She believed that the law of the gods (to give proper burial rights to every dead body)
was more important than the law of the King. Creon became angry that a woman questioned his
sovereignty and commanded her to death even though she was the daughter of Jocasta, his sister.
The bold, tradition–braking character of Antigone...show more content...
"Imagine it: I caught her naked rebellion, the traitor, the only one in the whole city. I'm not about
to prove myself a liar, not to my people, no, I'm going to kill her!". Creon believes that if he does
not follow through on his word the people of Thebes will not respect his authority as king. In
determination to gain respect from the people from Thebes, Creon decides to take Antigone's life,
which ironically leads to his demise. Creon refuses to compromise or humble himself before others
especially women, he states "better if it must happen, that a / should overset me". He stubbornly
refuses other characters the right to express opinions different from his own. Creon abuses his
power to force others to accept his point of view. This extreme male dominance conflicts head–on
with Antigone's bold unwomanly challenge to Creon's authority. Antigone does not give Creon
additional respect either because he is a man in a patriarchal society or because he is king. In
such way, she argues an equality of the sexes, as well as equality under God. Unlike her sister,
Ismene refuses to challenge the male authority, even if it means to not fulfill her duties as a sister.
Ismene states: "we must remember that we are two women / so not to fight with men. / And that
since we are subject to strong power / we

Antigone Essay
Antigone Essay
In any story or piece of literature, there will always be the main characters to fill the pages with
incessant adventure. The characters whose names appear on almost every page and the characters
whose actions the story revolves around. However, a story will also always have its minor
characters. These are the characters that contribute heavily to the plot, yet aren't mentioned quite as
often and are underestimated regarding their importance in the story. In the Greek masterpiece,
Antigone, the author Sophocles construed a myriad of minor characters that contributed to the story
in numerous ways.
Ismene, one of Oedipus' daughters, was created to foil the main character, Antigone. Haemon, the son
of Creon, took...show more content...
However, Antigone is portrayed as gaunt, washed out, and unattractive. With such antagonism
between the sisters, Sophocles presents drama by developing another form of rivalry and another
reason for Antigone to rebel against the law.
At the end of the story when Antigone was listening to her punishment for burying Polynices, Ismene
speaks up and attempts to be held responsible for the crime. She pleads with Antigone to let her die
alongside her, however, Antigone did not want her sister to take any blame in something she had
nothing to do with, so she disregarded her sister's pleas. Sophocles included this situation because it
was another disagreement between the sisters and added more controversy to the plot.
Sophocles included the rivalry between the personalities because it gave each character something
to act off of. Ismene's role was important to the plot because she played the vigilant girl and
provided the story with drama and second–guessing by having contradictory opinions.
Secondly, another character that affected the story with such a minor part was Haemon. Haemon,
being the king's son, had a lot of expectations and generalizations to live up to, but he dispersed them
when he stood up to his father.
One thing Haemon did that influenced the plot was to rebut his father's opinions. Prior to
conversing with Creon, Haemon had a positive outlook about his father. He felt he was a good ruler
and was fair, yet those beliefs were

Antigone Theme Essay
Theme is a central idea or message in a work of literature. Theme connects with all events of a
story, however, it is not the moral of the story like many may think. Theme is interpreted by the
reader. In other words, the theme is just almost every aspect of a story. For example, theme needs
characters, protagonist, antagonist, conflict, and speaker to analyze what theme is in a story. The
equation for theme is character + conflict and resolution = theme. The story of Antigone for
example has many themes. Antigone is the story of a young girl, who's purpose is to honor her
brother Polyneices in a burial. Both of her brothers killed each other, however Eteocles, her other
brother, fought for the city and got an honorable burial, while Polynieces,...show more content...
Dramatic structure is the sequencing of events, or the plot in the story. In the prologue, Antigone is
talking to her sister about how "[Creon]'s honoring one [brother] with a full funeral and treating
the other one disgracefully! Eteocles, they say, has had his burial... to win him honor with the dead
below. But as for Polyneices, who perished so miserably, an order has gone out throughout the
city...He's to have no funeral or lament, but to be left unburied and unwept..." This gives us the
idea of how Antigone is choosing family loyalty over civil obedience because she wants to bury her
brother, even though, Creon, the ruler, made it illegal to bury Polyneices. In the parados, the chorus
leader tells the story of the war in which "all but that pair of wretched men, born of one father and
one mother, too– who set their conquering spears against each other and then both shared a common
death." Within the exposition, we have already established the background of past family tragedies,
military conflict, the fate of brothers, and the goal/ conflict of protagonist. These four important
dramatic structures are going to help to find theme in Antigone, along with dramatic

Sophocles Antigone
"This part of "Antigone" is basically just "The Little Red Hen" taking place in Thebes. Ismene
didn't help commit the crime so she gets no honor. She didn't help bake the bread so she cannot
eat the bread." I said to my teacher after she had called on me. She looked at me with confusion
and surprise. It was quite clear that she didn't expect the student who never speaks to compare one
of Sophocles' plays to a children's story. When I think about cause and effect I don't think about
history class, or learning patterns in math class, I think of "If You Give a Pig a Pancake". When I
think about hubris I don't think about "Oedipus Rex" but "The Gingerbread Man". When I learn,
my brain makes connections to morals I read about as a child. A time

Main Theme Of Antigone
Themes are important to any story; they give the reader a sense of background and understanding
when it comes to the events unfolding in the story. Many literary works include multiple themes, all
of which convey important ideas about humanity and the way that society functions. In Antigone by
Sophocles, themes exist such as determination, the conflict between conscience and law, the conflict
between divine and human law, and familial loyalty. One key and central theme of Antigone is the
importance of loyalty to family, which is shown through Antigone's determination and dedication to
her family, her conviction in the law of the gods, and her essence and personality as a dynamic
character.
In Antigone, the protagonist's, Antigone's,...show more content...
Haemon's mother, Eurydice, kills herself as well upon finding out what happened to her son.
This shows that these characters value their family more than civil obedience to the head of
power, Creon, who also realizes the importance of family relationships after he has lost every one
of his family members. A conflict in Antigone that is part of the theme of familial loyalty is the
conflict between divine law and human law. Antigone believes strongly in the law of the gods
and respecting this law. This was common in ancient Greece, but Antigone held divine law
higher above human law in importance. It is referenced and alluded to much in the play, and
Antigone even shames her sister, Ismene, for potentially disrespecting the gods, saying "if you
wish, you can show contempt for those laws the gods all hold in honor" (Sophocles). Antigone's
beliefs are the foundation for her familial beliefs and loyalty, because of the gods' principles. She
defended her opposition to Creon's laws by saying that Zeus did not announce the law as
important to her, and that divine law is to be followed always and forever. She is extremely
passionate and followed the law of the gods because the gods' laws command the importance of
honoring and valuing family relations. It is her responsibility to obey the laws of the gods before
anything else, besides family, which goes hand–in–hand with her divine beliefs.
Antigone also values

Case Study Questions On Antigone
1. What is Creon's motivation for forbidding the burial of his own nephew PolyneicГЄs? Why would
he issue an edict that runs so contrary to his family obligations? Creon's motivation for forbidding
the burial of his own nephew Polyneices is because he fought over the throne of Thebes which
was rightfully to be given to his brother who was next in line. He and his brother both killed each
other which is why Polyneices brother is having a proper burial and Polyneices was left out in the
wilderness. Creon would issue an edict that runs so contrary to his family obligations because he
feels that if he allows this to happen within his family then it makes it acceptable for his citizens to
get away with following the law. 2. What are AntigonГЄ's reasons for performing funeral rites on her
brother's corpse in direct violation of Creon's edict? Antigone's reasons for performing funeral rites
on her brothers corpse is that she believes she must follow what the Gods have proclaimed instead
of the law which was put forth by Creon. She follows what she believes is right instead of standing
back and following the law like her sister Ismene. 3. What are the larger issues behind the conflicting
positions of both Creon and AntigonГЄ? Is either person or position clearly wrong? The larger issue
between Creon and Antigone are whether family members should be above the law. I personally
think that Creon is wrong but his point of view is that if he allows Antigone to get away with trying to

Essay on Introduction: Antigone and Creon
INTRODUCTION
Antigone
Antigone is the daughter of Oedipus, the king that married his own mother, Locaste and unwittingly
killed his father, Laios. When he learned what he had done, he blinded himself and left Thebes,
voluntarily went into self–style exile and died over there. Antigone and Ismene are siblings, the only
surviving children of Oedipus. The other two brothers Polyneices and Eteocles quarreled and killed
each other in a battle when Polyneices returned to assault Thebes, then Creon, Antigone uncle
became the king of Thebes being the only heir in line to the throne. Creon ordered Polyneices be left
to rot unburied on the battle field as a traitor but Antigone could not see reason to let her brothers
body rot unburied. Antigone...show more content...
She valued family pride over the authority of the king. Leaving the dead unburied is against the
natural laws of the gods, she then chose to disobey the Kings law by attempt to bury her brother,
Polyneices. But I will bury him; and if I must die Literature for Composition 462.55
Creon on the other hand, though he installed himself as king, he then put himself in a position to
have known better the laws of the gods. Perhaps, this could have been one of the snares in the
process that awaits any unqualified person who tries to be king. A true heir to the thrown should
have in–depth knowledge about the community law and the laws of the gods; therefore, he would
have guided against either avoiding making laws that runs contrary to the laws of the gods or by
putting himself in an uncompromised position. He could have been briefed of most of the rules
and regulation as a formal process before a prince is allowed to ascend the thrown. In absence of
that, the office he occupied justify that he knows the law. I am aware of course, that no ruler can
expect complete loyalty from his subjects until he has been tested in office. (Literature for
Composition.464.17)
Affinity for disobedience
Laws are made, whether written or unwritten to

Essay Topics For Antigone

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