"Antigone"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how "Antigone" takes place in a time of war and looks at how Sophocles explores the relationship between the gods and their human followers. "Antigone"is the third play by Sophocles to address some element of the legend of Oedipus, but the three plays are not a formal trilogy, as they were written at different times. It examines how the essence of the Oedipus myth revolves around personal responsibility, in the Greek conception, and how Antigone shows the same stubbornness as her father when she vows to bury her brother, Polyneices, in spite of the refusal on the part of the Creon to allow this. It also shows how Creon is seen by many as the central character in this drama and as the tragic hero whose hubris leads to his downfall.

From the Paper:

"The social value of compliance conflicts with the equal values of courage and loyalty, and Antigone is loyal to her brother but transgresses against the legal injunction of the state. Ismene, Antigone's sister, suggests that she comply with the order of Creon because that is what is expected, warning her not to ignore Creon's decree. This conflicts with what Antigone feels the gods have ordered her to do in the name of her brother, and she is not willing to have what she knows is right swept aside by the admonition that she is only a woman. She says this to her sister, showing that she has determined to serve the gods and not the state."

More papers on "Antigone":

• Comparison Essay # 36631 : "Antigone" and "Another Antigone"
• Analytical Essay # 125780 : "Oedipus and Antigone"
• Essay # 73258 : "Antigone Symbolism"
• Essay # 6401 : "The Tragic Hero of Antigone"

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