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Antigone
The play 'Antigone' is at least 2,440 years old. Still timely nevertheless are its main concerns over what to do about a bad law and how far to go for the sake of love or justice. Contributors typically ask and answer questions about the play's author, characters, imagery, literary devices, plot, and relationship to other plays of the same themes or time period.
3,361 Questions
Dramatic irony is at work; it reveals that Oedipus often speaks rashly.
How are both dramatic irony and cosmic irony or irony of fate shown in the play 'Oedipus the King'?
Dramatic irony is seen in the marriage of the main character of 'Oedipus the King'. Cosmic irony also is seen in the main character's fate. It's found in Laius' and Oedipus' embracing of fate by the very attempt to flee it. A situation in the play 'Oedipus the King' is dramatically ironic when it isn't in harmony or sync with the accompanying actions or words. This lack of harmony in the drama is expected to be understood by readers and viewers, but not by the characters themselves. For example, ancient Theban society doesn't allow marriage in the direct line. Marriages in the direct line include those between mother and son. Theban King Oedipus and Theban Queen Jocasta are presented as the happy couple and as the happy parents of happy children. And yet the King unknowingly is his wife's son, and the King's children are all the unknowing products of an unacceptable, incestuous relationship. Indeed, the royal family appears to be in compliance with the laws that govern marriage and society. But in reality the royal family unknowingly breaks the laws that separate acceptable from unacceptable behavior. A situation is cosmically ironic when the fateful event that is to be avoided happens through the very attempt to escape it. For example, Theban King Laius is warned that any son of his marriage to Theban Queen Jocasta will become a father killer. The King and the Queen have a son whom they leave alone and exposed to harsh weather and to hungry animals and birds. But their son survives and grows up to carry out - albeit unknowingly - the very fate that the couple seeks to avoid. In taking the original prediction to heart and trying to change fate, the three main characters find themselves with a prophecy that they themselves help to be carried out in full instead of to be thwarted.
What do the last two lines of antistrophe 3 mean in 'Oedipus Rex'?
In antistrophe 3 of the parados, the chorus concludes with a plea for Bacchus' help. Bacchus is a god who's liked while the war god Ares isn't. A military solution is feared and rejected, in the immediately preceding strophe 3. So the chorus asks Bacchus, 'blithe god whom we adore', to get any soldiers drunk. The drunkenness will remove the influence of Ares, the 'god whom gods abhor', from Thebes.
How old is Oedipus when he dies?
Oedipus did not die. He only blinded himself. At the time when he dethroned himself it is estimated he was around 50.
What is one's duty to the state in 'Antigone'?
Unquestioning loyalty and obedience are one's duty to the state in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).
Specifically, that is the duty according to Theban King Creon. Creon feels that a ruler makes his own decisions without consideration of contrary opinions and with regard for impact on the populace. He argues that unanimous support for a ruler, as expressed by unquestioning loyalty and obedience, leads to a smooth sailing ship of state.
What are the consequences for Creon when he issues the edict against burial in Antigone?
Creon makes the decision that honoring Polyneices in any way would be
dangerous for Thebes, so he makes the edict forbidding the burial. When he finds out that Antigone has broken the edict, he makes another choice-to enforce the edict, despite the citizens' suspicion that he is wrong. Creon must face the consequences when first Antigone, then Haimon, and finally Eurydice die, each at their own hand.
What was the argument that supported Gomper's position?
free time means wasted time.
The more free time we have the more we think.<<<<Correct NovaNet Answer!
What damage does Oedipus do to himself near the end of the play?
Oedipus has sex with his mother and murders his father.
What is the difference between 'Antigone' and Sophocles' other works?
The story of 'Antigone' holds a unique place within the body of plays that Sophocles [496 B.C.E.* - 46 B.C.E.] left for generations of literary readers and theater goers. It's his only script in which the title character is a woman who dies in the course of the play. Equally unique is his treatment of the conflictbetween legal and moral duties.
If you are an abused child and have not told anyone who do you tell first?
If you're in school, I'd suggest talking to a counselor or a teacher you trust. They can offer you a safe environment and contact the people who can help you and your family. If you're not comfortable with that, you could tell a close friend, but they might not feel like they can tell their parents and you might not get the help you need. There are also phone hotline numbers you can call to report the abuse; people at the other end of the line can also get help for you and your family.
No matter who you talk to, tell someone. Abuse can be emotionally painful, embarrassing and hard to talk about, but it rarely stops without some kind of intervention. Do the right thing for yourself and your family. Good luck.
AnswerYou have to tell someone you trust. A teacher, a minister, the mother of a friend. Only you know who will help you most.Look in the phone book for helplines.
good luck
AnswerHOPEFULLY YOU have an adult that you are close to and you trust. Maybe an aunt or uncle or a teacher at school that you are comfortable with. Many schools have counselors or a resource center where you can ask for help. Teachers, doctors, counselors, and many other adults that care for children are "mandatoryreporters", which means that if you tell them you are being abused, by law they have to notify "Child Protective Services" so it can be investigated and help you if you are being abused. Telling a trusted adult is your first step, and itwill be very difficult, but NO ONE has the right to abuse you. There is "NOEXCUSE FOR ABUSE". Be tough and tell the truth. I hope this has helped you and things work out O.K.Does Creon announce his decision to kill himself after Haemon's death in 'Antigone'?
No, Creon does not announce his decision to kill himself after Haemon's death in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).
Specifically, Theban King Creon is devastated by the suicide of Prince Haemon, his only surviving child and heir apparent. He looks forward to death. But he makes no actual mention of taking his life.
How does Tiresias react to King Oedipus pleading for help?
An initial refusal to help is the reaction of Teiresias the blind prophet to Theban King Oedipus pleading for help. He doesn't want to cooperate, because he knows the ugly reality behind the beautiful illusion of happy royal married life in Thebes. He knows that albeit unknowingly Oedipus is a murderer and a sex offender.
Specifically, Tiresias knows that Oedipus kills his father and royal predecessor, Theban King Laius. Then as a reward for saving Thebes from the beastly Sphinx, Oedipus marries Laius' grieving widow, Theban Queen Jocasta. So Jocasta becomes wife and, albeit unknowingly, mother to her only son.
Teiresias knows that Oedipus will find this information completely unbelievable. So the prophet is in a bind. He may lose his life by telling his superior the shocking truth.
At the same time, Teiresias may lose his life by saying nothing. A pestilence is ravaging the Theban population, livestock and harvests. If not stopped, it may kill the entire city. The only way of stopping it is identifying and punishing Laius' killer[s]. And that killer is the prophet's and the entire city's superior and king.
What news is the Sentry reluctant to deliver to Creon in 'Antigone'?
That the body of Polyneices is covered with dust is the news that the Sentry is reluctant to deliver to Creon in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).
Specifically, the Sentry guards the exposed bodies of the disloyal Theban dead. He is ordered to do so because of Theban King Creon's edict of non-burial of Theban traitors. Many oppose the edict, which denies to Polyneices and his Theban supporters the god-given rights of all Thebans to below ground burials and proper funeral rites. The Sentry reels with fear at the thought of his sovereign's reaction to the civil disobedience.
What brother does Creon bury with honor in 'Antigone'?
Eteocles is the brother whom Creon buries with honor in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).
Specifically, Eteocles is the nephew of Theban King Creon. He is killed during the first civil war over the Theban royal succession. He and Creon fight on the same side so Creon buries Eteocles with full military honors.
Who are king polybus and queen merope?
King Polybos and Queen Merope are the king and queen of Corinth who take in Oedipus in Oedipus Rex after his parents abandon him.
Why does Oedipus not heed Jocasta's warnings not to pursue the Messenger's news?
A professional responsibility, a problem solving personality, and a personal concern are what keep Theban King Oedipus from heeding Theban Queen Jocasta's warning against pursuing the Messenger's news. Professionally, Oedipus is responsible for identifying and punishing the murderer or murderers of his royal predecessor, Theban King Laius. Personality wise, Oedipus shows himself to be a problem solver. He learns of his fate to kill his father and marry his mother. So he runs away from those whom he believes to be his parents and settles down far away. In his new hometown, he solves such seemingly unsolvable problems as a heavy tax burden and a harrying Sphinx. Personally, Oedipus expresses the concern that what happens to one Theban king may happen to him.
What does 'tragic awareness' mean?
The realization that one is on a collision course with disaster is the meaning of 'tragic awareness'. It's knowing that one is headed towards a tragedy that can't be avoided along a certain path of action. For example, Antigone in the play of the same name decides upon a certain course of action. She knows that she risks her life by so doing. But she also knows that she can act in no other way. She therefore knows that she is foredooming her own tragedy by her very own choice of action.
