Most popular essay topics on Antigone prepared by our experts:
Fate is often said to be inevitable, an adverse outcome, condition, or end and free will is the ability to choose at your own discretion. In our everyday life, we make decisions and are often told that life is about making choices. It is because we have free will that we make choices which may […]
It is taught throughout history books that women were not in the early stages of Greek theatre. As theatre developed in Greece, the role of women in the theatre was greatly diminished. Scholars believe they were banned from the stages, and even from attending the performances. Is this true, or did women play a bigger […]
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It’s our responsibility’s as citizens to not only follow the laws in place but to challenge them when we deem them unjust. By doing this we are directly committing civil disobedience. Civil disobedience is a tool that when molested can hurt the system in place but, when used justly to alter the laws inhibiting certain […]
While reading and studying Antigone, I believe that Antigone and Creon are both stubborn, self-centered people. They both remind me of how a lot of humans do these days. . Each one is knows they are righteous and is going to stick to that no matter what. The unwillingness to change or compromise is […]
Inequality in Society One iconic saying that is known worldwide is “women and children first,” and it is usually used whenever we find ourselves in a life-threatening situation. Some could argue that people are just trying to be mindful of the vulnerable people who are not capable of saving themselves, but some could disagree and […]
1.Backround Information on Euripides Around 485 B.C. a man named Euripides was born in Athens, Greece. Euripides mother’s name was Cleito and his father’s name was Mnesarchus. In Athens Euripides father worked as a retailer. Euripides had two marriages that both failed. Euripides is most known for his influential Greek myths which seem to always […]
Different people share different experiences and therefore everyone establishes their own truth. Truth is something that is created by one’s opinions and although the truth is something that we consider as morally right, the truth is not always used for the right reasons. The truth never shifts into something else and it is in constant […]
The definition of the word hero is quite skewed. People tend to have their own definitions and interpretations of what the word means. However, people can usually agree on who a hero is and what makes a person a hero. In most cases, a hero can be described as one who shows great courage and […]
Backround Information on Euripides Around 485 B.C. a man named Euripides was born in Athens, Greece. Euripides mother’s name was Cleito and his father’s name was Mnesarchus. In Athens Euripides father worked as a retailer. Euripides had two marriages that both failed. Euripides is most known for his influential Greek myths which seem to always […]
The feminist theory is not just all about women, but it’s about the quality of life for people and races. The feminist theory also helps men and women understand the roles that they have been given by their social identities and experiences. The four practitioners that have the greatest impact on the feminist theory, all […]
Normative ethics is the exploration of the question if religion dictates morality and what the foundation of morality is. Whether it is even possible to combine them and if possible identify a set of basic moral rules that unify all the principles. Plato’s argument in Euthyphro conceptualizes that a benevolent being exists. But also fundamentally […]
The civil rights movement was considered to be one of the greatest key factors that helped African Americans gain their true freedom. Throughout the twentieth century, African Americans faced discrimination and were considered to be less than white Americans. When the civil rights movement got introduced by the government, the African American population saw this […]
One iconic saying that is known worldwide is “women and children first,” and it is usually used whenever we find ourselves in a life-threatening situation. Some could argue that people are just trying to be mindful of the vulnerable people who are not capable of saving themselves, but some could disagree and say that women […]
There is an anonymous quote that says, “Family is like fudge – mostly sweet with a few nuts.” I’m sure most of us relate to the intense love and caring we have for our families, as well as the insanity they can sometimes evoke. Because of this, stories about families are not only relatable but […]
Heroic Characteristics Creon is the leader or person of status in the play, “Antigone” by Sophocles. His status was the new king of Thebes right after the previous kings Laius and Oedipus had fled. As the king, he seems to care more about the loyalty and the obedience of the laws in his city than […]
Corey Marvin defines binary oppositions as “simply a pair of theoretical opposites or thematic contrasts” (1). In Oedipus the King and Antigone by Sophocles, there are many binary oppositions, but the most important oppositions are the following: calm versus irascible, male versus female, blind versus sight, and polis (city) versus oikos (family). While calm versus […]
Living in a country that is foreign to oneself can be quite difficult, especially during the 400 B.C.E. era. Now, imagine being a woman. A woman has an even lower rank than a foreign man in the Greek culture. It’s even more burdensome when you’re a foreign woman because this is only one step above […]
1. Antigoné faced a dilemma of picking a side between her family. Should she side with her loyal family members that disowned a son, or should she break forbidden rules and bury her brother that she once loved? I can understand why she felt indecisive to help put her brother to rest, even if […]
Critique of the play ‘MEDEA’ Synopsys In this tragedy Euripides demonstrates Medea as an uncivilized and wild medium who was also princess for her father was a King, from where she came from. Euripides exhibits a play that could be relatable to the humanity, a story that proved pain, hostility, rage and broken promises. Moreover, […]
The story of Oedipus is a true Greek tragedy in that the main character, Oedipus, rises to power in the city of Thebes only to be told of a prophecy saying he, although unknowingly, committed fratricide and his wife, Jocasta, is his biological mother. When all of this information gets to Oedipus he is rightfully […]
Throughout time the roles of women have been defined by society. As women we are told how we should behave and what is expected of women. In the past women were expected to play specific roles such as homemakers and caregivers. Women enjoyed very few privileges because of their gender roles in society. Over time […]
Upon currently taking a college course based upon what the good life consists of, Sophocles Antigone offers a new perspective that helps students gain a much better understanding of how others share a different view of what the good life may be. The play offers a multitude of situations, which allows for perfect opportunities to […]
The Classical Greek Literature Relationship to Tragedy in Antigone What is the relationship between Antigone and Classical Greek literature related to tragedy? The relationship between Antigone in Classical Greek literature is evident through the story line in which two characters disagreement and personal choices lead to an notable twist of unexpected tragic events. Tragedy is […]
Essentially family, the roles of women and men, and death plays a vital role in society. Family values have certain qualities that are crucial for a family to uphold. Gender roles have differed from ancient times to currently in today’s society. Unlike religious gods today, Greek gods took human form and had the same dilemmas […]
In Aristotle’s Poetics he portrays an unfortunate legend as a character who is overwhelming and through destiny and a defect they pulverize themselves. Moreover, Aristotle states over the top pride is the hubris of an awful saint. The legend is extremely self-included; they are ignorant concerning their environment and submit a terrible activity. A disaster […]
Sometimes, in life, we do not know what we are capable of until the moment comes. Hiding emotions could be crucial. We live in a society where males and females could do the same act, and the male always comes to the top because he has more dominance. The society we live nowadays tolerates more […]
Creon the Good Guy Antigone is a tragedy that deals with conflict and despair at the end of the story. Creon who is the King, creates a law that states no one is to bury the body of Polyneices because Polyneices was the brother who started the fight between him and Eteocles in Thebes. Eteocles […]
The home fire is the updated version of Antigone, which has transported from ancient Greece to todayr’s London and the main characters were British-Pakistanis. This premise forms the basis for Kamila Shamsier’s Home Fire, which updates Sophocles tragedy and sets it in the contemporary context of the War on Terror and the struggle of European […]
Families belong together “Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten” -Lilo and stitch “To become truly great, one has to stand with people, not above them.” -Montesquieu There a is a lot of problems in this world today. The topic I chose to focus on was families belonging together. I will be comparing this […]
Spencer Mullen Raul Torres IB Literature and Language February 1, 2019 Which social groups are marginalized, excluded or silenced within the text? Introduction The Knight’s Tale is centered around sworn Theban brother knights Arcite and Palamon, both of whom are trying to win over the love of Emily, stepsister of noble Duke Theseus of Athens. […]
Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero states that a tragic hero is a noble person who makes an error, in judgment or actions due to a central flaw, which causes their downfall. They then have a revelation and realize their mistake, but it is too late to amend for their villainy. In the Greek tragedy “Antigone”, by Sophocles, many think Antigone is the tragic hero. However, Creon fits Aristotle’s definition better. He makes an immense mistake by having Antigone executed that triggers his demise and loses everything he loves before fixing his mistake. Antigone would not be the tragic hero even though she stubbornly gets herself killed; she does not regret her actions.
Creon’s decision to have Antigone killed is his fatal mistake. He is angered that Antigone, a woman, has the courage to break his law. Creon wants to “carry her far away,/Out there in the wilderness, and lock her/Living in a vault of stone. She shall have food,/And there let her pray to the gods of hell:/They are her only gods:/Perhaps they show her an escape from death,/Or she may learn,/though late,/That piety is shown the dead is a pity in vain” (3.142-149) to prove he is a strong ruler, whose heart cannot be softened by a female “For they are but women and even brave men run/When they see Death coming”(2.162-165). He has guards take them away and lock up both Antigone and her sister, Ismene, until their death. Haemon, Creon’s son and Antigone’s fiance, comes to reason with his father. Creon becomes even more stubborn and tells his son that he is foolish to let a woman seduce him. Creon’s fatal flaw, hubris, leads him to question “you want me to show myself weak before the people?/Or to break my sworn word? No, and I will not./The women dies”(3.26-28). He follows through with his word making the biggest mistake in his life and Antigone is sent to her death.
After Creon makes his poor choice an old prophet Tiresias comes to Creon and warns him of the great sorrows that are coming. Creon realizes his mistakes and goes to repair them. Yet, it was too late, for Antigone “had made a noose of her fine linen veil/And hanged herself. Haemon lay beside her,/His arms about her waist, lamenting her,/His love lost underground, crying out/That his father had stolen her away from him./When Creon saw him, the tears rushed to his eyes,/And he called to him: ‘What have you done, child? Speak to me./What are you thinking that makes your eyes so strange?/O my son, my son, I come to you on my knees!’/But Haemon spat in his face. He said not a word,/Staring—/and suddenly drew his sword/And lunged. Creon shrank back; the blade missed, and the boy,/Desperate against himself, drove it half its length/Into his own side and fell. And as he died,/He gathered Antigone close in his arms again,/And now he lies dead with the dead, and she is his/At last, his bride in the houses of the dead”(Exodus 64-76). This was not the only thing that Creon lost that day. His wife was later found dead she had “stood before the altar, and her heart/Welcomed the knife her own hand-guided,/And a great cry burst from her lips for Megareus dad,/And for Haemon dead, her sons. And her last breath/Was a curse for their father, the murderer of her sons./And she fell, and the dark flowed in through her closing eyes”(Exodus 111-117). Creon lost everything and fell into despair “he was happy once, as I count happiness:/Victorious in battle, sole governor of the land/Fortunate father of children nobly born./And now it has all gone from him! Who can say/That a man is still alive when his life’s joy fails?/He is a walking dead man. Grant him rich;/Let him live like a king in his great house:/If his pleasure is gone, I would not give/So much as the shadow of smoke for all he owns” (Exodus 7-15). Now Creon had nothing and had to live with the fact that it was all his fault.
Antigone would not be a tragic hero because she never regrets her actions. She thinks what she did was right and she “dared/It was not God’s proclamation. That final Justice/That rules the world below makes no such laws./Your edict, King was strong, /But all your strength is weakness itself against/The immortal unrecorded laws of God./They are not merely now: they were, and shall be,/Operative forever, beyond man utterly./I knew I must die, even without your decree: I am only immortal/Now before it is my time to die,/Surely this is no hardship: can anyone/Living, as I live, with evil all about me,/Think Death less than a friend? This death of mine/Is of no importance; but if I had left my brother/Lying in death unburied, I should have suffered./Now we do not./You smile at me. Ah Creon,/Think me a fool, if you like: but it may well be/That a fool convicts me of folly” (2.57-74). This shows that Antigone was not only doing the right thing but she was punished for it. Antigone expected her punishment even though it meant her death, and still, that didn’t scare her into not burying her brother.
Antigone and Creon are very similar: they both are stubborn, they both make a ‘mistake’, they both meet their downfall because of that mistake. However, Creon is the tragic hero in the Greek tragedy. He realizes his mistake and tries to make it right, but it was too late. This comes to show that overall Creon better fits the definition of a tragic hero in the play Antigone.
