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    Main Themes in Antigone

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    Lynet Wangui
    The document provides a summary of the main themes in Sophocles' tragedy Antigone. It identifies four key themes: [1] the theme of justice and how King Creon's views on justice evolve throughout the play; [2] the theme of power and pride and how Creon's pride ultimately blinds him; [3] the theme of family loyalty exemplified by Antigone's devotion to burying her brother; and [4] the theme of the feminine element shown through Antigone and Ismene's different approaches as women. The summary concludes that while Creon's pride led to tragedy, the play demonstrates how one cannot escape destiny and highlights Antigone's devotion to family above all

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    Main Themes in Antigone

    Uploaded by

    Lynet Wangui
    482 views5 pages
    The document provides a summary of the main themes in Sophocles' tragedy Antigone. It identifies four key themes: [1] the theme of justice and how King Creon's views on justice evolve throughout the play; [2] the theme of power and pride and how Creon's pride ultimately blinds him; [3] the theme of family loyalty exemplified by Antigone's devotion to burying her brother; and [4] the theme of the feminine element shown through Antigone and Ismene's different approaches as women. The summary concludes that while Creon's pride led to tragedy, the play demonstrates how one cannot escape destiny and highlights Antigone's devotion to family above all

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    The document provides a summary of the main themes in Sophocles' tragedy Antigone. It identifies four key themes: [1] the theme of justice and how King Creon's views on justice evolve throughout the play; [2] the theme of power and pride and how Creon's pride ultimately blinds him; [3] the theme of family loyalty exemplified by Antigone's devotion to burying her brother; and [4] the theme of the feminine element shown through Antigone and Ismene's different approaches as women. The summary concludes that while Creon's pride led to tragedy, the play demonstrates how one cannot escape destiny and highlights Antigone's devotion to family above all

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    482 views5 pages

    Main Themes in Antigone

    Uploaded by

    Lynet Wangui
    The document provides a summary of the main themes in Sophocles' tragedy Antigone. It identifies four key themes: [1] the theme of justice and how King Creon's views on justice evolve throughout the play; [2] the theme of power and pride and how Creon's pride ultimately blinds him; [3] the theme of family loyalty exemplified by Antigone's devotion to burying her brother; and [4] the theme of the feminine element shown through Antigone and Ismene's different approaches as women. The summary concludes that while Creon's pride led to tragedy, the play demonstrates how one cannot escape destiny and highlights Antigone's devotion to family above all

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    Wangui 1

    Main Themes in Antigone

    Liwawa

    School of Shoman
    Wangui 1

    Antigone is a tragedy by Sophocles written in or before 441 BCE. Of the three Theban plays

    Antigone is the third in order of the events depicted in the plays, but it is the first that was

    written. I’ll demonstrate that the play is constructed upon some main themes which display

    the standards the purposes of the play. These themes are the theme of justice, the theme of

    power and pride, theme of family loyalty and theme of feminine element.

    First there is theme of justice. Creon changes very quickly in his approach to the power of

    the throne. As soon as he hears that someone has dared to bury Polyneices, he begins to rant,

    looking for ―stiff-necked anarchists, putting their heads together, scheming against me in

    alleys (1.124-55). If at first he conceives of the best justice as an efficiently run state, he

    begins to obsess by seeing anarchists behind every bush. He must have obedience from the

    people. If he makes a law, it must be obeyed. To show himself weak before the people would

    make him unfit to rule. He says ―whoever is chosen to govern should be obeyed—must be

    obeyed, in all things great and small, just and unjust!‖ [emphasis added]. He cries out

    against ―Anarchy, anarchy! Show me a greater evil!‖ (3.42).

    Second it’s the theme off power and pride.Creon has always listen to the advice Thesias has

    given before; however, when Thesias tells him he must bury Polynices and let Antigone go

    Creon says, “You and the whole breed of seers are mad for money!” (Pg.1135). Creon is

    accusing the prophet of being a liar and that he just wants money. Thesias is explaining to

    Creon how he has been un-loyal to the gods and for that he will pay unless he lets go of his

    pride. Thesias states, “ … a corpse for a corpse given in return, since you [Creon] have…

    ruthlessly lodged a living soul [Antigone] within the grave then you robbed the gods below the

    earth, keeping a dead body here in the bright air, unburied, unsung, unhallowed by the rites”

    (Pg.1135). Thesias is saying that the gods will take the life of Haemon since Creon put

    Antigone in a cave to either kill herself or starve to death and left Polynices unburied not letting
    Wangui 1

    the gods off death have the body. It takes Creon some more convincing before he lets go of his

    power and will listen to the prophet advice.

    Third we see the theme of family loyalty. When a man acts upon betrayal of the city, that man

    looses the privilege to die in such honor. This is evident in the life of Antigone when her two

    brothers, Polyneices and Eteocles, both die at each other’s hands at war when deciding the ruler

    of Thebes. Polyneices cannot have a proper burial, because the new king, Antigone’s uncle,

    Creon created a law that decrees that anyone who tries to give Polyneices a proper burial will

    have a dire consequence: death. In Sophocles’ Antigone, the quest that Antigone endures to

    stay true to her pure intentions of honoring Polyneices by giving him a proper burial is with the

    fact that her defiance towards Creon is not only to do with Polyneices, but also to show

    appeasement to the gods. For Antigone, ”if [she] dared to leave the dead man,[her]mother’s

    son, dead and unburied, the would have be [the]real pain, ”not death(Pg.510-512). Her desire to

    free the spirit of her brother so that it can be at peace explains the true reason of her rebellious

    nature.

    Lastly there is the theme of feminine element. The play shows that Antigone was risen to

    become the sister who refuse to here Creon’s commands. She decides to go against him and

    give a proper burial to her brother, who rebelled against the states. As a woman, Creon has not

    given her any importance. However, she refuses to accept his logic. On the other hand, ismene

    submits to the patriarchal will and power. At the end, she is faced with a load of regret because

    she realizes her actions has caused her the future. She then comes to the conclusion that she

    will not be able to experience most of the things the other women in the play have or will

    experience. She thinks about marriage, children, and love before she dies. Antigone proclaims,

    “… unmarried. I’ve had no man, no wedding celebration, shared nothing with a husband, never

    raised a child. My friends and family have abandoned me in misery …” (lines 917- 19). In this

    part of the play, Antigone shows that she can be vulnerable and weak like traditional women,
    Wangui 1

    Ismene and Eurydice. It also displays that she wants the things any woman would want in life;

    she wants to feel the love of a man and she wants.

    In spite of the fact that, Creon's pride and ethics didn't go anyplace, it embodies an exercise to

    be learned. It shows one can't dodge destiny. What occurs in life is intended to occur by a

    higher catalyst above and shockingly science can't clarify. Regardless of everything, Antigone's

    character uncovers the amount she would do to demonstrate her affection for another person.

    However outright force adulterates totally. Creon just didn't understand this until it was past the

    point of no return.
    Wangui 1

    REFERENCE

    Sophocles. Antigone. Trans. Robert Fagles. Literature and the Writing Process. 6th. ed. Eds.

    Elizabeth McMahan, Susan X. Day, and Robert Funk. Upper Saddle River, NJ:

    Prentice, 2002. 605-640. Print.

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