Irony In Sophocles Antigone
In his famed work Antigone, Sophocles does what most authors fail to do. Unlike the general crowd, Sophocles uses positive personality traits to bring conflict to his characters. He breaks normal organization of works and pushes the use of character flaws out of view. With this, persuading irony is formed—an irony which immortalizes the play just as a proper burial would immortalize Polyneices. Standard positive traits result in Creon and Antigone’s disgraces.
Creon is a determined captain of a severely injured ship. He is aware of the torn masts and the shattered hull. But Creon is not the type of captain to go down with his ship. Creon is not Edward J. Smith; Thebes is not the Titanic. It is the other way around. When the ship has hit its …show more content…
Passion is gentle, but very determined in the path that it follows. Passion is fiery and clear-sighted. Passion is hunger—a hunger that Antigone will gnaw on until her brother is buried.
If it were that Antigone was passionate about something trivial, the dramatic fear and urgency would be lost. Antigone’s surreal draw to remaining loyal to her family is what designs the play and is what sets it aflame. Passion generally has a positive connotation; nevertheless, Antigone’s downfall stems off her perseverance. With the help of fate, passion was her noose.
To put out a fire, one adds water. But to reverse this situation—to take the strength away from water—one burns ships. Sophocles wisely put two very individual characters together to see the reaction. Antigone, with her blistering passion, lights a match on what she believes is right and scorches a trail to a very hollow, dim lit façade of a leader. All Sophocles has to do is place them in a single-set stage and watch as the lone flame stands up to the power of an ocean. Generally, authors use the strengths of their characters to base the conflict on. Sophocles, however, uses fatal flaws to his aid and watches as his creations destroy their own futures. Their destinies were inevitable. Whether there was or wasn’t a prophetic curse, the dynamics of Creon and Antigone’s morals led them to their burials—proper or
Creon is a determined captain of a severely injured ship. He is aware of the torn masts and the shattered hull. But Creon is not the type of captain to go down with his ship. Creon is not Edward J. Smith; Thebes is not the Titanic. It is the other way around. When the ship has hit its …show more content…
Passion is gentle, but very determined in the path that it follows. Passion is fiery and clear-sighted. Passion is hunger—a hunger that Antigone will gnaw on until her brother is buried.
If it were that Antigone was passionate about something trivial, the dramatic fear and urgency would be lost. Antigone’s surreal draw to remaining loyal to her family is what designs the play and is what sets it aflame. Passion generally has a positive connotation; nevertheless, Antigone’s downfall stems off her perseverance. With the help of fate, passion was her noose.
To put out a fire, one adds water. But to reverse this situation—to take the strength away from water—one burns ships. Sophocles wisely put two very individual characters together to see the reaction. Antigone, with her blistering passion, lights a match on what she believes is right and scorches a trail to a very hollow, dim lit façade of a leader. All Sophocles has to do is place them in a single-set stage and watch as the lone flame stands up to the power of an ocean. Generally, authors use the strengths of their characters to base the conflict on. Sophocles, however, uses fatal flaws to his aid and watches as his creations destroy their own futures. Their destinies were inevitable. Whether there was or wasn’t a prophetic curse, the dynamics of Creon and Antigone’s morals led them to their burials—proper or