Preview

The Power Of Love In Antigone

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
662 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Power Of Love In Antigone
The Power of Love
In the play Antigone, there are negative and positive qualities each character possesses such as: determination, willfulness, deceit, greed for power, freewill, and fate. Eteocles, Polynices, Antigone, and Ismene all grew up in harmony and peace. Until their father, Oedipus, realizes that he had fulfilled a prophecy that his parents were trying so desperately to avoid. Oedipus who was abandoned by his parents as a child fulfilled the prophecy by unknowingly killing his father and marrying his mother, Jocasta, the queen. Everything in their life had been turned upside down. After Jocasta realized she married her son she hung herself and Oedipus stabs his eyes out. Oedipus goes into exile and leaves his sons to join together
…show more content…
Antigone’s determination to bury her brother Polynices against the King rule leads to her, and many of her loved ones unfortunate death and despair. Creon, the King now, said that no one was allowed to bury Polynices and give him honor the way he gave his brother, Eteocles, honor in fighting for Thebes. Polynices was a traitor to Creon and did not get Creon’s respect. Therefore, Polynices was laid out, still bloody from war, so the animals can feast on his rotting flesh. This baffled Antigone and led her to disobey Creon’s orders. She felt that the law made by man was okay to defy because it wasn’t a law set forth by the gods. In the play, Antigone shows her affection for her brother and how she would do anything to honor his life, even if it meant her death, “I will bury him myself. And even if I die in the act, that death will be a glory. I will lie with the one I love and love by him--” (Sophocles 1106). Antigone sneaks out and gives her brother a proper burial. Once Creon finds out that Antigone went against his edict he locks her up in a dark, musky cell. Not long after Antigone commits suicide by hanging herself. After Haemon, Creon’s son, hears about his fiancés, Antigones, death he kills

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Creon, as the ruler of the land, is obligated to carry out social order. He has ordered that the body of Polynices should be left to rot because he was a traitor to the city. Antigone has disobeyed Creon’s orders by digging up her brother’s grave after his proper burial rites were forbidden. She has already buried her parents and brother Eteocles, who died fighting Polynices, and feels obligated to honor her brother’s life. Antigone is also determined to obey the gods, because it is against morality to leave any corpse unburied. She informs Creon that “Death longs for the same rites for all”.…

    • 814 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Creon’s pride and Antigone’s stubbornness create Antigone’s central conflict and create devastating consequences. Antigone loses her life, prompting Creon’s son and wife to commit suicide. Creon is forced to live with the guilt of the deaths of those dearest to him knowing that they were a result of his selfish actions. These events could not have turned out any differently due to how deeply engrained Creon and Antigone’s flaws are. Antigone is so determined to bury her brother that a potential death sentence and words from her sister do not deter her. The motivation of doing what the gods want, honoring Polyneices, and her stubbornness cause her to be unafraid of punishment. This is illustrated when Antigone says, “This death of mine/Is of…

    • 283 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Similarly, both women's decision and actions starts their tragic path. Antigone is decided to bury her brother, Polynices, being aware that disobeying will lead to death. While talking to her sister, Ismene, she said "he has no right to keep from my own"60. Antigone believes that as the woman of the family is her responsibility to bury her brother and it's the law of god which should overrule the law of state. She doesn't fear confrontation and admits to Creon that it was her who bury his body at the time of accusation. Antigonie says "give me glory! What greater glory could I win than to give my own brother decent burial?"561 She believed her death was her glory. Her pride and ambitious way to be remembered made her fearless of death.…

    • 398 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Antigone disobeys the king by burying her brother who Creon views as a traitor to Thebes. She realizes that this action will result in her death but is still willing to do so as long as…

    • 355 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The most significant theme in Sophocles’ Antigone is whether or not the law of man conquers divine law. Amidst the play, the newly crowned king Creon proclaims that the body of Polyneices will not receive a proper burial, but instead will be publicly shamed and left to be preyed upon by wild animals. Upset with Creon’s mandate, Antigone mourns the death of both of her brothers, Polyneices and Eteocles, and gives Polyneices a proper burial so he can move on to the afterlife.…

    • 302 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Sophocles' play "Antigone”, the ideas of obeying the law of one’s community and following ones own moral beliefs come into conflict. The plot revolves around two brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices having killed each other in an attempted to gain rule and their Uncle Creon gaining power after their deaths. He orders Eteocles given an honorable funeral and Polyneices to be left in the streets to rot. Creon believes that Polyneices' body shall be condemned to this because of his civil disobedience and treachery against the city. However, the dead brothers’ sister, Antigone, believes this unfair to Polyneices and insulting to the Gods.…

    • 103 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The concept of justice is a tricky one and thus it comes as no surprise that the differing views on what is morally right between Antigone and Creon result in the tragedies of Antigone. In Antigone, Antigone and her sister Ismene return to Thebes after they discover that their brothers were waging war against one another to determine who would rule Thebes after the death of their father, Oedipus. When Antigone returns, she discovers that her brothers, Polyneices and Eteocles, already killed each other. These deaths result in Creon becoming the king of Thebes. Upon his rise to the throne, Creon declares a law which holds that those who oppose the state cannot receive a proper burial with formal rites. King Creon specifically notes the importance of keeping the city honorable and thus enforcing this new law, “Such are the rulers by which I will guard this city’s greatness; and in keeping with them is the edict I have published touching the sons of Oedipus.…

    • 1685 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Antigone says the gods want her to bury Polynices, which she does. While burying her beloved brother, she is caught by the guard, taken to the palace where she awaits her fate. When she's is being questioned by Creon for her crime she announces to Creon “take me and kill me-what more do you want?” (Line 266). She accomplished what she needed and buried her brother. She does this bringing out Creon’s determination to kill anyone who buries Polynices, Even if it’s his son's fiancee. So determined to stick to his morals he responded “Me? Nothing. With that I have everything.” (Line 267). When she announced what she did to Creon it brought out his determination to kill anyone who buries Polynices, and nothing would stand in the way of his punishment, even if it meant deeply saddening his son with his Fiance’s…

    • 860 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Antigone, Antigone buried her brother, Polyneices, against Creon’s law. Creon warned the city of Thebes that if anyone were to bury Polyneices, a stoning would take place as a punishment in front of the public. Antigone, Polyneices’ sister, went to her sister asking for her help in burying her brother and when she refused to help, Antigone went ahead and buried Polyneices herself. Once Creon found out what Antigone had done, he sent her away to the middle of the woods in a closed tomb where she then hung herself. The burying of Polyneices ultimately caused Antigone’s death. While Ismene and Antigone may have differed in their opinions on burying their brother, they both had good intentions.…

    • 561 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Imagine having no authority over your own fate. Not being able to exchange your fate for another. We will discover and unravel the life of a girl name Antigone. In the play called “Antigone” this book explains the fate of Antigone and her family. This is a tragic and emotional fate that this girl goes through by the cause of a curse. These three themes will transform and revolve around her during her life period. In the play Antigone by Sophocles, the main theme is fate, and love conquers and religion and Gods are supporting themes.…

    • 96 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Antigone declares to all that she and she alone perform the burial rites for her brother, Polynices. A debate between civil law and natural law ensues between Creon and Antigone and with both sides unable to reach an agreement. Antigone in disbelief of his disposition in his principals will ask, how can Creon not think the gods do not find his law to be “uncorrupted or pure?” Creon acting as if an authoritative deity supplied him with the power to decide the fate of the dead will respond: “Never. Once an enemy, never a friend, not even after death.” The overall consensus: Antigone continues to uphold the law of the gods and Creon continues to defend his own law. However, Creon the arbitrator of Thebes orders the execution of…

    • 636 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    First of all, Antigone says to Creon “But if I’d allowed my own mother’s dead son to just lie there, an unburied corpse,then I’d feel distress.” (227-229). This quote shows how Antigone is doing the right thing by burying her brother and what Creon is doing to her brother Polyneices an act of injustice. This also shows how Antigone and Creon are different because she is being driven by the love she has towards Polyneices and Creon is being driven by the hate he has towards him. Second, Antigone says to Creon “But where could I gain greater glory than setting my own brother in his grave?” (570-571). This quote shows how Antigone is willing to disobey the law to give her brother a proper burial because of how much she loves him. This quote also shows how Antigone is determine to do what she thinks is right which is bury her brother Polyneices even though she would be disobeying orders. He doesn’t think women are the same as men because they disobey men’s…

    • 830 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Burial In Antigone

    • 852 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Continuing on, knowing the consequences of her act, she will bury her brother because it is the will of the gods that a family gives its members a proper burial. And because of this, she will face the punishment of death for disobeying Creon’s order. For fighting against Thebes, but Antigone being an honor sister will give him a proper burial knowing what he did. Creon by doing this will let the city know that by unburied Polynices action will show others to think before thinking in betraying their city if anyone had the intention to do it. Also since he's the king, he needs to gain the respect of the people. When at the same time it was…

    • 852 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Creon

    • 819 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Antigone, being Polyneice’s sister wants a proper burial for her brother because he after all no matter what action he may have taken is still her brother. She believes that if Creon orders Eteocles to receive a hero burial, her brother should deserve the same ending. However on the other hand, Creon refutes this idea and decides to bury Polyneice’s body in the field of battle to rot. He also proclaims that anyone who tries to honor the traitor’s death will be sentenced to death.…

    • 819 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Antigone Research Paper

    • 602 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The well-known play, Antigone, is a representation of classic tragedy written by Sophocles. The story’s protagonist, Antigone, is portrayed as a tragic hero whose efforts to keep her family close quickly backfire on her. When Antigone’s brother dies, she wants to face the consequences and do the right thing in order to respect her brother and properly bury him. Antigone’s sister, Ismene, also displays the heroic qualities that Antigone does when she attempts to save her sister for being prosecuted. The classic qualities of a tragedy are displayed in the story, and these can also be found in many other tragedies later in literature. The important qualities that a tragedy always has can help analyze other novels and stories later are the heroism of the protagonist and the emotional connection the audience will sympathize for the protagonist.…

    • 602 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays