In the play, "Antigone," the great soul is Antigone, because of her strong and unyielding character, despite the tests continually thrown at her by Creon.
Antigone’s tests are emotionally straining, rather than physically. For example, Creon refuses Polyneices a proper burial, causing Antigone to decide between following the law or standing up for what’s right. “His own brother, traitor or not, equal in blood,” (line 410-411) shows how Antigone values justice and morals, which is what makes the test so challenging. Antigone responds to these tests by sticking to her morals and accepting the consequence of defying the authority, which is
death.
In the play, "Antigone,: Creon affirms life by continuing to live with his mistakes while his loved ones, like his wife and Haimon die. When Antigone dies, Haimon, as the faithful fiance, follows suit and kills himself. When Creon’s wife, Eurydice, hears of their deaths, kills herself. These events cause Creon to realize he was at fault. Specifically, when Teiresias says “shall pay back corpse for corpse, flesh of your own flesh” (line 843), is when Creon understands the depth of his mistakes. However, it is too late, because Creon is now alone with the burden of these deaths that were essentially caused by him. This affirms life because it shows how the choices you make lead to your future.
Sophocles makes Antigone unlike many of the females portrayed in Greek tragedies. She is rebellious and unafraid to share her opinion, even in the presence of a man, as shown in her open disdain towards Creon and his rule regarding Polyneices. However, Ismene represents the majority of the women during this time. Ismene is an example of a female who was raised patriarchally, as seen when she says, “We are only women, we cannot fight against men!” (line 46-47). Antigone sets an example for Ismene by showing how morals like justice and loyalty are worth dying for. Although confidence and boldness was a trait many women lacked, Antigone