"Antigone"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the play "Antigone" by Sophocles. The paper examines the protagonist, Antigone's tragedy, claiming that it is caused as much by the flaws in her character, as it is by Creon's initial edict and refusal to pay heed to the advice of others. The paper contends that it appears that Antigone's hubris and lack of temperance led her to become a martyr.

From the Paper:

"Sophocles' Antigone has been widely interpreted as a play about a young woman's admirable courage of conviction. This rather straightforward interpretation is largely the result of a plot that revolves around Antigone's determination to honor her dead brother by giving him a proper burial, in spite of the King's edict that his corpse should be left to rot. Thus, Antigone's tragic fate is seen as the result of her laudable defiance of an unjust ruling rather than the result of a flaw in her own character. However, on closer analysis, there is ground to argue that Sophocles' purpose was not to create a play on praiseworthy virtues but to highlight the fact that actions motivated by a lack of temperance and hubris inevitably lead to tragic consequences. "

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"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: