Theme Of Ignorance In Antigone

Socrates said, “There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance.” Ignorance is the lack of knowledge. A person who is ignorant does not even know they are uninformed or unaware. Ignorance is evil because it is rooted in assumption. Assumptions are always theoretical and can be disproven. Many times during the day people need to make assumptions or guesses. For example, a father who has raised his children assumes he will be taken care of by those same children as he ages. His children might have him put in a nursing home instead. On the other hand knowledge especially of one’s self can eliminate evil. Tragedy on the other hand is morally ambiguous, neither right nor wrong The Antigone has remained relevant through the ages because
Women’s civic duties included having children and taking care of the household. This remained the same during the time this play was written, but because of the citizenship laws enacted in through the Athenian state, the manner in which females were portrayed publicly began to change. David K. Roselli undoubtedly proves this point using historically documented difference in burial mounds as well as art and literature during the time Antigone was written. For example, the “Periclean citizenship law of 451 B.C which stated those not born from two citizens should not share in the Polis.” This led Athenian families to display female mourners, free and slave, to show not only their commitment to the Polis and their civic duties as women, but class distinction. Roselli further comments on “… the high degree of social unrest in Athens in the 440’s”. Whenever there is Political State, especially a democracy, tensions run high when there is more disagreement that usual and it spills over into the populace. Roselli also remarks on the difference between citizens, who had rights their slaves who did not. Creon overstepped his reach as King because as Roselli states, “…the Polis did require the burial of slaves…Creon’s