Sophocles concludes his tragedy, Antigone, with Choragos breaking the fourth wall and offering to the audience both a summation of the theme of the play and the lesson to be learned from the tragedy's of both Antigone and Creon. Choragos states: .
There is no happiness where there is no wisdom:.
No wisdom but in submission to the gods.
Big words are always punished,.
And proud men in old age learn to be wise.
Pride was a major cause for the down fall of both Creon and Antigone as well as the protagonist of Sophocles prequal to Antigone, Oedipus. Choragos mentions pride but he is sure to first put the lesson of the play, which is that you can't be happy unless you are in your rightful place among the gods.
Pride in one form or another causes the downfall of all three characters, and is the common theme among Creon and Antigone in Antigone. Creon's pride in his country and his arrogance in his ruling being the correct way conflicts with the equally strong pride of Antigone, whose pride lies in her family and belief in the gods. When this immense pride of both the characters crashes, the reader finds them at the bottom of their long journey down. "Fate had brought all my pride to a thought of dust" (Sophocles, 1081). Take this pride with the stubbornness of youth and it becomes even more clear how pride brought tragedy to both Antigone and Creon.
There are several valuable lessons, universals truths, that, through Sophocles characters, to be learned for Antigone. A major part of Sophocles tragedies is the chorus, which has many uses but was mostly a summation of the events thus far. As part of the chorus, Choragos is the concluding speaker of both tragedies, Oedipus Rex and Antigone, and in both he summates the play with universal truths, learned through the characters of the play. From those concluding lines, the reader's full attention is brought to the fact that the character's pride and arrogance blinded them from seeing the truth.
This type of conflict is shown in Antigone an helps present the character traits of the antagonist, Antigone. ... Antigone was also very strong minded. ... Antigone was also very strong willed. ... Antigone chooses to defy this law. ... Antigone believes that Ismene is a coward while Ismene believes that Antigone is foolish. ...
Antigone stands poised at the river separating herself from civil disobedience. ... Antigone's unrepressed emotions give voice to her dissatisfaction with Creon's dictum. ... Antigone's morals render her unable to see her tragic flaw. ... Antigone impels Creon by defying his order, and seals the fate of her life. ... Antigone's convictions bear a burden on her that she is not strong enough to lift. ...
In the play, "Antigone," the main character Antigone goes against all authority in an effort to give her brother, Polynices, a proper burial. ... Antigone has no respect for authority. ... Antigone also claims, "What Creon says is quite irrelevant" ( ln 4). Thus, Antigone does not respect government or Creon as a sovereign. ... "We can't live by Antigone's alone, but if we have no Antigones within us we are spiritually barren" (Cornell). ...
Later in the act, the Sentry enters again, this time with Antigone. ... Creon asks Antigone if this is true. ... Creon aims to justify his decision to let Antigone's dead brother rot. He also wishes to validate his choice to punish Antigone. ... I believe Antigone's act was morally correct. ...
Pride is part of what makes Antigone heroic. ... This is between Antigone and Polyneices. ... Antigone doesn't mind doing anything on her own. ... Antigone has no problem working by her self either. ... I think Creon feels he must defeat Antigone because she is a woman. ...
In Antigone, by Sophocles, Antigone is the tragic hero of the play, rather than Creon. ... Sophocles wants us to see Antigone as the tragic figure. ... He can either kill Antigone, or spare her life. ... Antigone is in a different position. ... Antigone chooses wisely in defying the law. ...
However, in the play Antigone, Antigone goes against the beliefs and defies the powerful tradition of male domination. In the play, Antigone's life was filled with pain and sorrow. ... Even after all of this, Antigone had even more pain to deal with. ... Antigone didn't fear death, but instead faced it with great bravery and strength. ... That is why Antigone is such an influential character in the play. ...
The Antigone Essay Through "Antigone", the play, Sophocles lets it be known that family is more important than authority. ... Antigone felt awful that Creon was doing such a wrong thing. ... Antigone took a moral stand and buried Polyneices. ... Antigone was Haemon's true love. Haemon committed suicide once he lost Antigone. ...
Antigone is not from a normal family. Her family feels very strong in what they believe in. Especially Antigone and Creon. Antigone did things that other people wouldn't normally do. Some people wouldn't defy authority to do what they believe is right. Creon did things that people wouldn't do. I thi...
Bigger than her body Antigone was right, yet so was Creon. ... However Antigone defied the king. ... The gods sided with Antigone. ... Creon is protagonist against Antigone, who is the antagonist; at the same time, Antigone is the protagonist with Creon as her antagonist. Antigone's actions were justified by divine law. ...
