... through a story. These lessons are taught and projected to the audience through the plot, characters and theme of the play. The plays teach lessons on loyalty, keeping promises, fate, courage, prejudice, and the manners in which humans relate to each other. Each of these lessons is valuable and although these plays ... and therefore not be destiny. Another lesson that is not as clear but is told to us through Oedipus the King, is to accept what is true, especially when one does not wish to do so. We must face reality with a strong, confident attitude and not shy away from it into ... Oe...

• Word Count: 2002
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... and democratic statesman. He decrees, "...nor could I ever make that man a friend of mine who menaces our country. Remember this: our country is our safety. Only when she voyages true on course can we establish friendships, truer than blood itself." (Antigone, ll. 209-213) As the plot develops, however, it becomes clear that for Creon the welfare of the ... to avoid the consequences of his stubborn decision-making. Antigone on the contrary never gives an inch in yielding to her opposition and goes to her death with her beliefs, true to her insistence on the right of Polynices body to a p...

• Word Count: 849
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... Creon is only further drawn into his false reality dictated by hubris. One critic states "[a tragic hero is] not eminently good and just, not completely under the guidance of true reason, but as falling through some great error or flaw of character, rather than through vice or depravity". Creon does not have the desire to be the king for he ... the King himself: oh look at him, bearing his own damnation in his arms". The vulnerability of a king who is pleading for his death after his demise due to his loyalty to the State makes the reader "melt with pity at what takes place" " (Poetics ...

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... 's life and the site and companionship of Oedipus, showing no remorse for either loss. Creon's character is essential to Oedipus the King in that it shows how the apparent loyalty of Creon to Apollo and to his sister and brother-in-law lead us to believe that Creon is one worthy of approval and admiration whereas nothing is as it ... govern should be obeyed "Must be obeyed, in all things, great and small."" (34-35). Haemon warns his father that the people of Thebes are doubting their king's true ambitions, but this simply angers Creon and does not make him reconsider his actions. Later T...

• Word Count: 1517
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... addressing the Chorus, he declares, "These are my principles. Never at my hands will the traitor be honored above the patriot. But whoever proves his loyalty to the state: I"ll prize that man in death as well as life" (l 232-235). Creon puts country above all else, and for this, ... who threaten his country, exemplifying strong convictions and firm decisions. However, as good and formidable as Creon may be, he also embodies human qualities. True, he does good in punishing Polynices, the aggressor to Thebes, but his foolish decision to not bury him defies the gods, and in turn, ... her c...

• Word Count: 1545
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... demonstrate her hubris by rebelling against the stereotype women portrayed with passionate outbursts and unconventional behavior. When she began acting in this manor women like her sister Ishmene who represented true femininity of the time warned her of her actions and that she should be dismissive. Throughout the play it's easy to recognise Antigone's rejection to the role she is expected ... the reader also exhibits her lack of concern when she does so. However, Antigone does prove that she is still a woman with feminine traits to a certain extent by showing her loyalty, love and care...

• Word Count: 1823
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... , Creon and Torvald Helmer address the challenge of how men and women are to live together in harmony. Ruler of Thebes in the wake of war, Creon cherishes order and loyalty above all else. He cannot bear to be defied, any more than he can bear to watch the laws of the state defied. "Never at my hands/will the traitor ... . When Nora reveals her crime to Helmer, the audience expects to see a grateful and understanding husband, but instead is greeted with a spiteful and unappreciative man who does not see the true purpose of Nora's deed. Similarly, Creon, instead of seeing that his niece An...

• Word Count: 1351
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... early events in Medea's and Jason's relationship clearly forshadow the situation that unfolds in Euripides" play. Jason's actions in marrying Creon's daughter are noble enough if his reasoning is indeed true, but unravel in a Greek tragedy filled with passionate revenge. He does not consider his marriage to Creon's daughter a sinful strike at his relationship with Medea, and yet Medea feels it ... must be treated as such. It is clear that Medea believes that her bond to Jason is not only lawful but emotional, and while Jason too feels that he has a loyalty to Medea, he does not see thei...

• Word Count: 681
• Approx Pages: 3

... ; Jason and Medea's original tryst, for example, required that she kill her own brother. While it can be argued the children's deaths are fated from the beginning, it nevertheless remains true that such a fate represents the triumph of perverse forces within human behavior. To reach the point of infanticide, Medea's basic human nature has to be transformed, ushering in conflict of ... a life would probably provide the most happiness out of the possible alternatives Medea contemplates, yet her decision-making process has left behind debating over personal profit and loss. Her only loyalty...

• Word Count: 324
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... blood," (Sophocles, 88) Oedipus the decided and executed these actions. What a fate for Oedipus who ruled greatly for the city of Thebes? Since Oedipus ruled greatly and experienced trust and loyalty from the Thebans it is easy to feel sorrow and sympathy for Oedipus at the plays end. This created the hostility toward the gods. The gods are not to blame ... oracles or fates. As for justice, the gods are justice. Readers will notice that Oedipus was not wise to the fact that his actions helped bring the prophecy from Apollo true. This blindness helps turn the readers against the gods. Ho...

• Word Count: 1136
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... of Greek tragedy as a means of catharsis for the audience, presenting Oedipus" development as the tragic hero. Moreover, it expresses Sophocles" social commentary concerning the evolution of individual thought versus loyalty to traditional beliefs and submission to fate. The tragedy of Oedipus begins with a speech that gives an idea of Oedipus" self-perception, describing himself as, "Oedipus whom all men call ... the one that he ran away from years ago. This refusal to believe the prophecy is Oedipus" direct denial of his own fate. Denying his fate is like denying his true identity, be...

• Word Count: 1741
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate