Antigone 2

Antigone’s Right Problems Essay, Research Paper

Antigone Right Problems

Antigone is a play written by Sophocles but reinterpreted by Paul Roche. Many of the Greek plays have a tragic theme that leads a character with a high position to a downfall. In Antigone, the main character Antigone has to save and stand up for her family s honor. Antigone is not the character that has a tragic downfall. The evil King Creon s downfall is the loss his son and wife. Antigone as the main character, tries to influence her sister Ismene to join her in her shenanigans. Antigone s problem with King Creon is that he rejects burying Polyneices because he kills his brother and his brother, Eteocles, kills him. The civil was between two groups within Thebes lead up to the death of the two brothers. Polyneices is considered to be in the rebel group by King Creon. Therefore, Polyneices is not buried because King Creon believes that an enemy should not have a burial and his family should not to mourn for him. Antigone goes against King Creon s wishes, and buries and mourns for her brother. Antigone proves to Creon that he is wrong about an enemy not being buried because the gods say that all people deserve a proper burial whether they are friends or enemies. Antigone s characteristics have an affect on her actions toward Creon and his decisions. There are many characteristics but there are only three that stick out. The three characteristics are determination, honor, and her insisting to take the complete consequence like a regular person caused Antigone s ironic tragedy.

Antigone has a characteristic that I mentioned before that she shows entirely through the play. In the beginning, Antigone talks with her sister, Ismene. Antigone talks to her sister about what Creon s belief in not burying his enemies like Polyneices. During the talk, Antigone insists that Ismene should help her bury their brother Polyneices. Antigone says, You could. Are you willing to share danger and suffering and Ismene says, Danger? What are you scheming at? Antigone says, . Take this hand of mine to bury the dead. Antigone goes on and says, He is my brother still, and yours; through you would have it otherwise, but I shall not abandon him. This is a powerful moment between the two sisters shows the determination that most women of that time did not have. Through the first entire conversation between Antigone and Ismene, Antigone shows that she will not give up her idea of burying her brother. Later, when the Sentry finds Antigone burying and mourning for her brother Polyneices she is taken to Creon. The Sentry takes Antigone to King Creon to confront Creon about her actions. When Antigone confronts Creon, she leads me into the next characteristic that leads her to a mixed-up tragedy.

The next characteristic that just leads Antigone to the wrong road is honor. Antigone faces Creon not as a woman but as any other person. Creon does not see women like any other man, but inferior to men. Antigone changes this when she faces Creon about what she did. Antigone says; They think as I, but trim their tongues to you. Creon questions, Are you not ashamed to differ from such men? Antigone says, There is no shame to reverence relatives. This passage shows how Antigone will not bring down the honor that Creon intends to bring down. Although Creon questions Antigone s sexuality, she attacks back with that there should be no shame when you give reverence to a relative. This refers right back when Antigone talks with her sister, Ismene. Antigone accuses Ismene of not showing reverence to her brother. In standing up against Creon, she is able to stand up for her family and at the same time introduce her next characteristic.

Antigone is a person who wants to keep a person who did not do anything out of what she did cause. This is what Antigone turns up to be in the play. She expresses how she feels about Creon by proving that women can be punished the same way as men and should receive equality. Antigone is able to show how she feels in this quote. Antigone says, We played our different parts, with different acclaim. Ismene says, But now we share and equal share of blame. Antigone says, Look up! You live! And I died long ago, when I gave up my life to serve the dead. Creon says, These girls, I swear, are crazed: one mad by birth, the other by attainment. Antigone insists that she is going to take the punishment by herself. Antigone wants Ismene to stay out of what she has caused to herself. Antigone is able to keep Ismene out of death, but others went with her. Antigone pulled her betrothed to death with his mother tagging along.

In conclusion, Antigone was summed up into a feminist that wanted to change what men had done to the land of Thebes. Although Antigone dies, she should not be recognized as the heroine that had a tragedy. Creon should be recognized as the high classed person that fell. He did not fall physically but fell emotionally with the death of his son, Haemon, and wife, Eurydice. Therefore, in this story the heroine is partially the winner of the battle between good and bad. When the blind prophet, Tiresias, opens the eyes of Creon, it was too late to save Antigone. Hence, the result is the death of the two people he loved the most. At the same time, Antigone lost because her loved died and she left behind her sister to mourn for her death.