Antigone

Underestimating Ismene and showing an unwillingness to compromise or reconcile are the respective judgment error and character frailty that Antigone shows in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, Theban Princess Antigone finds her younger sister Ismene weak and lacking in conviction. Likewise, she is intent upon her convictions and has no interest in those of others or in finding common ground between the two. She therefore is unprepared for opportunities with Ismene and Creon to negotiate better fates for herself and the unburied Theban dead. Disdain for others and stubbornness do not improve her lot or that of such disloyal Thebans as her dead brother Polyneices.

No, Oedipus and his father Laius are not reunited at the beginning of "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, Theban King Oedipus still believes himself to be the son of Corinthian monarchs Polybus and Merope. Additionally, Oedipus' biological father Laius already is dead, at his own son's hands. Oedipus does not reunite with his foster or real parents until after his death, when he joins them in the Underworld of the afterlife.

It is through Antigone and Creon that hubris is expressed in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, hubris refers to "an exaggerated sense of self, arrogance, pride." Theban King Creon is arrogant and proud and shows an exaggerated sense of self when he issues an edict that contradicts the will of the gods. Antigone likewise shows an exaggerated sense of self, arrogance and pride when she disrespects Creon, her uncle, her sovereign and her intended father-in-law.

Thebes is the hometown of Oedipus' parents in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, Oedipus is a native son of Thebes, the hometown of his biological parents. But he does not know that. He thinks of Thebes as a fresh start and as protection from a horrendous prophecy concerning his presumed hometown of Corinth and his presumed parents, Corinthian monarchs Polybus and Merope.

Acceptance of human law, admission of guilt, an attempt to share in the blame, and an effort to talk Creon out of the death penalty are Ismene's actions in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. -- 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, Theban Princess Ismene chooses to obey a human law that makes Theban-style burials and funerary rites the privileges of some instead of the god-given rights of all. But she makes a false admission of guilt in an attempt to share the blame when her law-breaking sister Antigone is arrested and threatened with the death sentence. When Antigone refuses her help, Ismene tries to sway Creon towards the equivalent of acquittal or probation by reminding him of his son's engagement to Antigone.

That she uses her hands to commit the crime and that her behavior will affect the outcome of her trial are the reasons why the chorus says that death lies in Antigone's hands in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, Theban Princess Antigone buries her brother Polyneices despite King Creon's edict on the non-burial of the disloyal dead from the recent civil war over the royal succession. She has to bury Polyneices twice since Creon posts guards to prevent or reverse burials. The second time she is arrested and thereby has a chance to defend her actions. During her defense, Antigone's life and the treatment of the dead symbolicallyare in her hands, and she botches the opportunity because of her uncompromising stance and complete disinterest in contrary opinions.

That his mother is walled up in an attempt to thwart divine will is the reason why Perseus is referenced in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, the chorus tells of Princess Danaë, whose father, Argive King Acrisios, is warned of a prophecy that he will be killed by his own daughter's son. Danaë is imprisoned, but Zeus the chief god manages to get in. Danaë's father then locks her and her newborn son, the subsequent hero Perseus, in a locked chest that is thrown into the sea. Mother and son are saved by Antigone's paternal ancestor, Poseidon the sea god.

A life ruined by mistaken identity, a household of death and sorrow, and the high cost of taking something that belongs to another are warnings given respectively by Teiesias in "Oedipus Rex," "Antigone' and "The "Odyssey."

Specifically, Teiresias the blind prophet warns that Theban King Oedipus will be devastated by the knowledge of his true identity, the true nature of his personal life and the true source of his professional success. He subsequently warns that King Creon, Oedipus' brother-in-law and uncle, will experience the same pain from the death of a family member as he inflicts on all Thebes with his illegal edict against burial of the disloyal dead. Finally, he warns that Trojan War hero Odysseus' menwill pay a painfully high cost for eating the sun god's cattle.

In a second attempt to bury her brother, Antigone is captured by Creon's guards in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, Theban King Creon refuses to honor divinely ordained below-ground burial rights to the disloyal Theban dead. But Princess Antigone, his niece and intended daughter-in-law, decides to break her uncle's law and properly bury her brother Polyneices. She buries Polyneices, whose body is re-exposed by Creon's guards. The guards then catch her in the act of re-burying Polyneices' corpse.

Because Antigone is the main character and the tragic hero, the play by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.) is called "Antigone" instead of "Creon."

Specifically, the main character is the person who affects the course of action. The tragic hero is the character who does great deeds but meets with an unfortunate end. Both descriptions fit Theban Princess Antigone. In fact, her burial of her brother Polyneices affects the actions of all other characters, is a great deed, and results in the unfortunate turn that her life takes.

Because he encourages the insights of others Haemon differs in his concept of kingship from that of Creon in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, Theban Prince Haemon believes that a wise king accepts input from others and evaluates the impact of what he does. In contrast, his father, King Creon, considers no influence on royal decision-making and no impact other than strict enforcement and swift punishment. Haemon therefore sees kingship as a team work in progress whereas his father takes a one-man-rule approach.

Yes, the initial impression of a timid, weak-willed guard changes when he returns with Antigone in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, the guard announces that he has the perpetrator. He declares that he is pleased not to be tortured for not capturing the law breaker. He indicates that suspicion must be removed from him. All questioning proceeds with the real criminal, Theban Princess Antigone.

Break the royal and obey the divine is what Antigone decides to do about the laws in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, a royal edict honors below-ground burial rights for Theban loyalists but denies them to Theban King Creon's perceived enemies. By that edict, Creon's nephew Eteocles is buried whereas his nephew Polyneices' body is left above ground to be consumed by birds and dogs. Princess Antigone, Creon's niece and the sister of Eteocles and Polyneices, opts for obeying the divine law and burying Polyneices.

To report on offstage action; thereby help the dramatist respect the unities of time, plot and place in the play; and fine tune the onstage action are the dramatic purposes of the character of the sentry in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, the ideal play in ancient Greece presents a problem to be solved in one place within a 24-hour period. The play's action takes place before the main entrance to the royal palace of Thebes on the day after the end of the recent civil war over the royal succession. But it is possible to include relevant, offstage events from other places and times by way of the conversations of the characters and the comments of the chorus. Such eyewitness accounts keep the stage uncluttered, the dramatic tension heightened and the audience informed on a "need to know" basis.