What “tragic ideas” do we see expressed in Sophocles’ drama? Answer with reference to the play Antigone.
‘Tragedy is the representation of a serious and complete set of events, having a certain size, with embellished language used distinctly in the various parts of the play, the representation being accomplished by people performing and not by narration, and through pity and fear achieving the catharsis of such emotion’- Aristotle, Poetics, Chapter 6.
The play “Antigone” by Sophocles displays many qualities that make it a great tragedy. A tragedy is a dramatic work in which the principle character engages in a significant struggle ending in ruin and destruction. In creating his tragedy, Sophocles uses many techniques to create the feelings of fear and pity in his readers. This in turn creates an excellent tragedy. In Antigone, Sophocles does a great job at bringing out
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The fact that Antigone was stubborn and wanted to bury her brother no matter the cost teaches us this lesson. It can also be seen in Creon’s unwillingness to give in to Antigone no because he didn’t want to be looked at in a certain way. Instead, he lost everything that he had and was left at the end of the play in great pain and alone. The story Antigone was a classic Greek tragedy, a continuation of the immense tragedy that has already befallen the house of Oedipus. “Tragedy has a satisfying, redemptive ending because the events in tragedy are arranged so well that we would not have the play end any other way, we accept the conclusion” Antigone does indeed satisfy that requirement as a tragic play. In the play “Antigone”, Sophocles uses many features that would classify the play as a Greek tragedy. The reason why this tragedy stands above many others is due to the use of various techniques that enable the reader to feel the emotions of fear and
The Broken Mirror of Loyalty Antigone, a classical Greek tragedy by Sophocles. One of the most common ideas expressed by the play is loyalty and dedication, primarily pertaining to the characters Antigone, Creon, and Haimon. Loyalty is conveyed by Sophocles as twisted and abstract. Creon’s pride clashes with his self-proclaimed devotion to the state, while Antigone’s ideology of honoring her family conflicts with her sister.
The Tragedy of Antigone Have you ever been torn between two life changing decisions? You may be able to decide right from wrong, but that is not the case in Antigone. Written by Sophocles, Antigone is a tragic literary work about a young girl who fatally follows her beliefs. She risks her life to bury her brother for the sake of the gods.
At the end of the play, the tragic flaw is unveiled to the tragic heroes in what is called a moment of recognition or anagnorisis. In this play “Antigone” there were two central tragic heroes, Antigone and Creon, with both similarities and differences. Antigone’s tragic flaw was relatively due to a positive quality, which is extreme loyalty to her brother in addition to another negative quality, which is being revolutionary. On the other side, Creon’s tragic flaw had a negative motive of extreme tyranny and stubbornness against the laws of nature and gods and human emotions, which caused tragic effects that could not be reversed despite his efforts at the end; consequently, Antigone and Creon’s characters meet at the point of recalcitrance. In this artistic drama, the writer delivers a significant message that utmost obstinacy and pride results in harsh punishments known as “the blows of fate” which are surely acute for anyone to
In a perspective you can say Antigone was the real tragic hero in this play. Antigone did a honorable deed by burying her brother. She knew the consequences that would arise, but she did it anyway because she loved her own dearly. That character flaw is the “hero must understand his doom and that his/her actions caused it. Everybody may have empathy with Antigone because how she sacrificed her life.
Creon, the antagonist of the play, implements a decree to minimize betrayal from the people of Thebes. The order states that his nephew, Polyneices, may not have a proper burial due to his acts of treason; anyone who defies this rule will be punished. The eponymous character of the play, Creon’s niece, holds a different opinion and gives Polyneices the burial she believes he deserves. Sure enough, Creon catches Antigone and executes her by attempting to starve her to death. Overall, Creon’s demeanor does not work in his favor because the gods give him a fate worse than death.
Countless times, Creon was implored to change his mind to preserve the safety of others. However, due to his uncompromising and egocentric nature, he repeatedly denied this aid, and therefore caused the tragedies of the deaths of his niece and his son. The events that occurred in the play Antigone accurately represent the characteristics of a tragic flaw and subsequent suffering that define a
In the classic play by Sophocles, Antigone is a tragic story of the bold Antigone who defied her uncle, King Creonʻs, edict by burying her brother, Polyneices, who died attacking the city of Thebes, trying to take the power away from their brother, Eteocles, who refused to share the throne with Polyneices. Even though Antigone knew that going against Creon and burying her brother would not end well for her, she still choose to risk her life to do what is right. After being caught breaking the law, Antigone is appointed to be locked away, isolated in a cave until she dies, but she hangs herself at the end. At the same time, things for Creon are not looking good, as everyone around him seems to be against him in his decision for punishing Antigone. Everyone Creon cares about kills themselves from a curse that is put on Creon for not following the Godsʻ laws.
When think of the tragedy, I automatically think of Greek plays and Shakespearean plays, which have some tragic endings. The point of a tragedy is main character or characters always have a fatal flaw which leads to their various downfalls, what makes it a tragedy is usually that the character themselves are of good intentions and are in fact trying to help or end a terrible situation. However, in the end because of these characters flaws they fail and often die. Some examples are Romeo and Juliet where the tragedy is their love that cannot be freely expressed because their families are enemies; another one is Oedipus Rex a Greek tragedy where the main characters flaw is pride.
In Sophocles’ play Antigone, Creon, the king of Thebes, best represents a tragic hero. Creon demonstrates goodness in his intentions for Thebes as well as his fragile state due to the fact that he recently lost several family members. Creon, newly named king, finds himself as highest ranking official around, showing superiority. Creon often acts stubborn and prideful, his tragic flaw. And lastly, he must come to terms with the fact that he caused the death of his wife, son, and niece.
The play, Antigone written by Sophocles, presents a tragedy that fits the classical definition, but it is the story of Creon, the king of the main character. Creon starts out as the king of Thebes , Creon’s tragic flaw is his pride and his arrogance which caused him reflecting upon his mistakes making him a broken man, recognizing what he did to his niece, he is a character within Antigone, even though he was portrayed as an antagonist he was the main character since he was. Creon’s tragic flaw, hubris, causes his downfall. Creon will not listen to anyone.
Jaanvi Shah Mr. Eyre English 9 March, 2015 Literary Analysis of Antigone John Foster says, “pride comes before fall.” As the action of the Sophocles 's Antigone unfolds, it is clear that the protagonist Creon has all the six characteristics of a tragic hero. Teiresias interactions with Creon help to demonstrate three of those typical traits: Creon’s noble stature, his tragic flaw of having pride and arrogance, and his free choice that makes his downfall his own fault. Creon, the King of Thebes, accords with Aristotle’s theory of a tragic hero beginning as powerful distinguished and important person.
Cindy Yoon Mr.Constantini English 1A 18 September 2015 Real Tragic Hero of Antigone The play, Antigone is an Ancient Greek play mostly about myth written by Sophocles. There are two main characters in this play which are Antigone and Creon. Antigone is a girl who tries to bury her brother, Polyneices who died during the war and she chooses family instead of the government. Creon, is Antigone’s uncle, and also a King of Thebes who didn’t allow the people to bury Polyneices.
The play Antigone written by Sophocles is a Greek tragedy which incorporates themes of divine law vs. man made law ,conventional role of a woman vs. a defiant role portrayed by a woman, but the very essence of the play and other major themes are created with the defiance of the conventional role of women shown by Antigone. This is the primary aim of the essay. A little insight into the Greek society gives us a brief idea about the status of women and help do a comparative study with the unique character of Antigone and her role in the development of the plot. Women in ancient Greek were considered inferior to men in every sphere ,from the intellect to the physical state. Their freedom was monitored by the dominating male in the family
Antigone, by Sophocles, depicts a tragedy that comes from defending one’s personal ideals versus others. Many characters in this play have shown support and resistance towards each other that lead to the death of some or extreme sorrow one can not recover from. This play has been well-known and well-taught throughout time. As time takes its toll on this play, there have been many interpretations and staging of this famous tragedy. I think if I had to stage this tragedy I would like to make it more modern and up to date.
In Easterling’s comparison of Sophocles to modern playwrights, he explains that the differences are not that of technique and convention, but that of attitude. He states that attitude is really the only difference worth considering. Easterling also explores the differences in viewing Sophocles’ work from a modern, and an ancient perspective. Unlike ancient audiences, those of today have been raised on romantic literature that tends to be quite focused on one individual. Easterling explains that when these modern audiences are exposed to Sophocles’ work they have a distorted view in regards to the characters and sometimes draw false conclusions about them.