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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
Why is 'Oedipus Rex' considered the epitome of Greek tragedy?
Dude and O what a T R A G E D Y !!! ...esp the part where he consults the Oracle Of Delphi ,spurned on by the suspicion that King Polybus & the Queen are not his parents, and the Oracle lets slip that hes going to bed his mother and murder his "sire" , of course revolted by this , he leaves his adopted parents , and so the tsunami of FATE , the gates that held back destiny , as he caressed the wheat fields on those summer days , lush green grass , babbling streams , happy playful jocularity , pass through his fingers as if an ogre of optimism wills to cup and drink from a stream of mercury , as that fast super liquid metal of solid shimmer , slips through the might of true hearts , that can never achieve justice , for whispering voices have doomed their fate so.
After the innocuous , unassuming , everyday hustle bustle , chariot encounter HE MURDERS HIS FATHER !...Tragic , more so when you reason that Oedipus is such a man that he left his ROYAL household behind in fear , that this kind of catastrophe might happen .Its the awe , of being dragged along by a current and there's nothing you can do , its like watching a NIGHTMARE , but the action hero is YOU , in his mortal might , he who can commit morale decision {like he left his parents , thinking it could be them} in his physical power {as in the murder of another man , Laius his father , unbeknownst to Oedipus}and yet still this rushing current of an estranged undesired fate , twits & turns everything , if you think about it , even if you knew , what can you do ! Another horror of the time , "not knowing" , as conveyed to us in the part where he discloses the "Riddle of the Sphinx" {"Which creature in the morning goes on four legs, at mid-day on two, and in the evening upon three, and the more legs it has, the weaker it be?" She strangled and devoured anyone unable to answer. Oedipus solved the riddle by answering: "Man-who crawls on all fours as a baby, then walks on two feet as an adult, and then walks with a cane in old age".} What irony , not knowing could spell death , and the whole crux of the play is that his parents KNEW!!! , willed to save this man{which Oedipus grew up to be } and themselves by committing infanticide.
The distraught Sphinx throws herself off the cliff side. Oedipus's reward for freeing the kingdom of Thebes from her curse is the kingship and the hand of Queen Dowager Jocasta, his biological mother. The prophecy is thus fulfilled, although none of the main characters know it.Again this constant HORRIFYING theme , THAT YOU DO NOT KNOW , stemming from a play where THEY DID KNOW AND THOUGHT THAT THEY {including Oedipus} HAD ACTED TO AVOID TRAGEDY .................. wow !
... Thebans arrive at the palace to call upon their King, Oedipus, to aid them with the plague of Apollo ravaging the city. Oedipus had sent his brother-in-law Creon to ask help of the oracle at Delphi, and he returns at that moment. Creon says the plague is the result of religious pollution, caused because the murderer of their former King, Lauis, had never been caught. Oedipus vows to find the murderer and curses him for the plague that he has caused. I mean that is just such an unbelievable twist , Oedipus is in search of his fathers killer ! It just defies FICTION , again reasserting itself as a master of tragic performance , that can only be summed up in the phrase that "Sometimes TRUTH is stranger than FICTION" which brings home the reality of such a tragedy.
Tiresias the prophet leaves, muttering darkly that when the murderer is discovered he shall be a native citizen of Thebes; brother and father to his own children; and son and husband to his own mother.I mean can you really just mentally digest the ongoing theme , the prophet who Oedipus consults IS BLIND !!!...And to talk about NOT KNOWING , the prophet refuses to say , only telling Oedipus to call of his search for the killer of the King , WHO IS INFACT OEDPISU S REAL FATHER , BUT OEDIPUS DOES N O T KNOW !!! O the tragedy of the mortal condition , truly it can be said "Ignorance is bliss"
Oedipus's wife Jocasta {his MOM} enters, and attempts to comfort Oedipus, telling him he should take no notice of prophets. Many years ago she and Laius received an oracle which never came true. It was said that Laius would be killed by his own son, but, as all Thebes knows, Laius was killed by bandits at a crossroads on the way to Delphi.
TAA DAA TAAA DAAAAAAAA , ALARM BELLS RING ... Thrusting tragedy after slashing catastrophe , it is as if it were symphony .Now Oedipus discovers , that it was him , on that crossroads , and that bit of WWF wrestling and a spot of rush hour commuter murder , WAS IN FACT HIS FATHER !!!
NOTE: How at the time , the King was on his way to Delphi , a place famed for its , fore SIGHT , hind SIGHT , , ,{"Let us not again wonder our destiny , for it is through the cloak of ignorance that a mans life we shall see" 1725}
Well , Oedipus finds out , his MOM , hangs herself , he storms round the palace asking for a sword {there's really no need for him to do this , i mean he is royalty , not short of a few pennies,but this is what nobility and having scruples does to you} he sees his MOMs body , takes it down , and with the gold pins that fastened her dress , STABS his eyes out ... O how very tragic , O how very torturous , O how very forlorn in misery & despair he must be to loose his SIGHT {because he never knew , he really genuinely did not know}
On an empty stage the chorus repeat the common Greek maxim, that no man should be considered fortunate until he is dead .Because that man realises that there are powers , be they preternatural or or natural , THAT ARE OUT OF YOUR CONTROL , like the statue of justice which is blind folded , for fear of discrimination , but surely the Gods {in there piety should have divinely intervened, seeing how it was set in polytheistic early Athenian society , surely they could see} ...
Of course , I could go on , but I hope in this summarily created synopsis , Ive to some extent conveyed to you the reason , why Oedipus Rex is considered one of the most spledid tragic plays of ancient Greece ... :]
Why is Oedipus concerned about his daughters?
That they're young, without protection, and vulnerable as the children of scandalous parents are the reasons why Theban King Oedipus is concerned about his daughters Antigone and Ismene. His two other children, twin brothers Eteocles and Polyneices, are mature enough to fend for themselves. Additionally, they're Oedipus' heirs. So their future courses are assured as alternate rulers of the Theban throne in a royal power sharing arrangement.
But Antigone and Ismene have no protector in the absence of their father. Their only hope lies in their uncle, Theban King Creon, looking out for them as the children of his only sister, Theban Queen Jocasta. With Creon as protector, the two girls well may find acceptable spouses and lead happily married lives. Without Creon's protection, they never can get away from the stigma of being both daughters and half sisters to their father, and daughters and granddaughters to their mother.
What does Haemon do when he discovers Antigone's suicide in 'Antigone'?
Attempt to kill his father and succeed in killing himselfare what Haemon does when he discovers Antigone's suicide in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).
Specifically, Theban Prince Haemon attempts to use his own sword to kill his father, King Creon. He fails. He then turns the sword on himself and succeeds in mortally wounding himself and dying next to Princess Antigone, his beloved first cousin and bride-to-be.
What world view is represented by Oedipus' anagnorisis?
Anagnorisis is the tragic hero's change from ignorance to knowledge. In the case of 'Oedipus Rex', Theban King Oedipus changes from ignorance to knowledge of the workings of fatein his life. For example, he begins with a view in which he believes that he can control world events because of his free will. But the more he tries to escape his fate, the closer he gets to it. Oedipus learns of his predicted fate to kill his father and marry his mother. He thinks that he can escape such a horrendous fate by fleeing his home in Corinth. Little does he know that Corinthian King Polybus and Corinthian Queen Merope aren't his biological parents. In his ignorance, Oedipus ultimately ends up in his true hometown of Thebes. On the way, he comes to the meeting place of three roads. At that crossroads, a stranger engages him in a street brawl over the right-of-way. Oedipus kills in self-defense the stranger, who actually is his own father and sovereign, Theban King Laius. At Thebes, he saves the city's people from the Sphinx. As a reward, he marries Laius' grieving widow, Theban Queen Jocasta. The happy couple became parents to twin sons, and two daughters. Unbeknownst to Oedipus, his doom is complete since Jocasta is his biological mother. And so Oedipus begins with a confident belief in his ability to control his life. He ends with a horrified realization of his complete inability to escape his fate. So he moves from a position of free will to one of fateful resignation.
Oedipus was raised by the King and Queen of Corinth...those were his "adoptive parents." His actual parents were King Laios and Queen Jocaste of Thebes. His original parents "executed" him after hearing the fate of their son Oedipus.
What is Antigone's motive for refusing Ismene's help in 'Antigone'?
That it is not based on truth is Antigone's motive for refusing Ismene's help in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).
Specifically, Theban Princess Antigone has to bury her brother Polyneices on her own. She makes no effort to hide what she is doing. She therefore manages to get captured and brought before her uncle King Creon for interrogation and sentencing. She rejects her sister Ismene's false confession of guilt as too late, too little and untrue.
It is in "Antigone" that Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.) talks about the good citizen finding a balance between the laws of God and the laws of man.
Specifically, Theban Princess Antigone seeks to be a good practitioner of her beliefs in family, fate, gods and traditions. She therefore supports the laws of god. In contrast, her sister Princess Ismene and her uncle King Creon try to be good citizens. They turn to the laws of man as their guideposts.
What is the suspense in 'Antigone'?
Whether or not Antigone will break the law, whether or not she will be caught and punished, what Haemon will do and whether or not Creon will be too late to reverse his actions are the suspenseful moments in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).
Specifically, suspenseful moments are times during which the audience is anxious or uncertain as to the outcome of critical events. The audience anticipates but actually does not know whether or not Theban Princess will break the law and be punished. Additionally, the audience expects that Prince Haemon, who so passionately loves Antigone, his first cousin and bride-to-be, will not just stand by and let her be executed. Finally, the audience suspects that King Creon will have to back down with such universal opposition to his personality and style of ruling.
What happens to Oedipus as a child?
The crippling of his feet, an escape from an early death, and placement in three foster homes are what happen to the future Theban King Oedipus as a child. He's fated to kill his father and marry his mother. So his parents decide to have him die by exposure to the weather and the elements. They have a rod driven through the three day old baby's ankles.
But Oedipus is rescued by a Theban shepherd. The shepherd ends up giving the baby to a fellow shepherd. The second shepherd is Corinthian born. He takes Oedipus back home with home. Oedipus then is placed permanently in the royal palace of Corinth. The Corinthian monarchs, King Polybus and Queen Merope, are childless. Oedipus is raised as their son and heir apparent.
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How did Oedipus fulfill his prophecy made about him when he was a baby?
the prophect made about him is that he would kill his father and marry his mother; hes given away to a far land... then he is told about the prophecy once hes older and to protect his 'parents' not knowing hes adopted; he leaves and travels to the city. On his way there he gets in to fight with a man and kills him. its his real father, he continues on and enters the city; where he mets a woman (his mother) and marries her... they have children (Antigone, and her bothers and sister)
What is Oedipus' reversal of situation in 'Oedipus Rex'?
The fall from respected to shunned, married to widowed, sighted to blind, employed to jobless, and wealthy to homeless represents the reversal of Oedipus' situation in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).
Specifically, a reversal of situation refers to the turns that life takes in a completely opposite direction when a character suffers. In the case of Theban King Oedipus, the turns are unenviable when he becomes known as his father's killer, his mother's husband, and his children's half-brother. His life comes to a halt and turns in the opposite direction on all personal and professional levels.
How does the chorus leader impact the characters in Episode 3 of 'Antigone'?
The chorus leader has no impact on the characters - other than possibly Ismene - in Episode 3 of "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).
Specifically, the chorus leader comments on the interaction between Theban King Creon and his son, Prince Haemon while doing nothing to stop its ultimate breakdown. Likewise, the leader comments on Princess Antigone's preparation for her death march, but does nothing to make Antigone feel better about, or escape from, her fate. But in contrast, he may make a difference regarding Princess Ismene.
In fact, Creon talks about the death sentence to whomsoever is guilty of burying his nephew Polyneices. The leader asks Creon if he indeed means death for both the guilty Antigone and the innocent Ismene. This is a clue that Creon picks up on, and he decides to spare the life of Ismene, whom he describes as wise since birth, but not to pardon Antigone, whom he describes as foolish since birth.
Who is the leader of the chorus?
The person who leads or conducts the chorus is called the conductor.
What is Eurydice's role and is her presence essential to the story in 'Antigone'?
It is in the essential role of character witness and whistle blower that Eurydice plays in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).
Specifically, Theban Queen Eurydice decides to take her life rather than give her husband, King Creon, any more chances or company in this life. Her final words and messy suicide doom her husband because of the consistent track record that she offers of Creon as the cruel cause of the suicides of all her sons. She uncompromisingly points the finger of blame for royal and municipal suffering at her husband.
Why does Eurydice curse her husband in 'Antigone'?
That she blames him for the deaths of all their childrenis the reason why Eurydice curses her husband in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).
Specifically, Theban Queen Eurydice receives the news of the suicide of Prince Haemon, her last surviving child. Her other children with her husband, King Creon, die similarly violent deaths. Eurydice blames her husband for the deaths, curses him and takes her own life.
How can Antigone's attitude towards Creon best be characterized in 'Antigone'?
Antagonistic best characterizes Antigone's attitude towards Creon in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).
Specifically, Theban Princess Antigone's name identifies her as an antagonist, which she certainly is to King Creon, her uncle and intended father-in-law. For example, she defies Creon not only physically by burying her brother Polyneices but also verbally in her trial. Contradicting, denigrating, insulting, interrupting, judging and rejecting are all within the antagonist's arsenal and all too present in Antigone.
What causes the tragic events in 'Antigone'?
A choice to obey one law and thereby disobey another punishable by death is what causes the tragic events in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).
Specifically, divine law guarantees all Thebans the right to below-ground burial and proper funerary rites. But Theban King Creon issues a law that contradicts the will of the gods and makes burial and funerary rites the privilege of those he deems loyal to Thebes. Disobedience of the divine law incurs the wrath of the gods and problems in the afterlife. Disobedience to Creon's law is punishable with a death sentence.
What is the life message in 'Antigone'?
Caution in regard to all authority figures is the life message in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).
Specifically, Theban Princess Antigone insists that the gods must be respected. But she is inconsistent in practicing what she preaches. For example, she offers nothing but contempt towards King Creon. In fact, she owes Creon respect as her king, her relative, and the representative of the gods on earth.
What happens to Antigone's parents in 'Antigone'?
Death is what happens to Antigone's mother and father.
Specifically, Theban Queen Jocasta is Antigone's mother. She hangs herself during the last half of "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.). She is survived by King Oedipus, her son and second husband. Oedipus is there one minute and then gone the next according to "Oedipus at Colonus" by the same ancient Greek dramatist.
Who changes positions on Polyneices' burial in 'Antigone'?
Creon and the chorus leader change their positions on the burial of Polyneices in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).
Specifically, Theban King Creon issues an edict of non-burial of the disloyal Theban dead, among whom is his nephew Polyneices. The chorus leader initially comments that Creon must do what needs to be done to rule. But by the end of the play, Creon backs down because the chorus leader takes a stand and advises that Polyneices' body be buried and that Princess Antigone be released from her live burial for trying to bury her brother.
What does the chorus leader tell Creon about Teiresias' predictions in 'Antigone'?
That Creon needs to do what Teiresias tells him to is what the chorus leader tells Creon about Teiresias' predictions in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).
Specifically, Teiresias the blind prophet announces that the mourning and suffering that goes around all Thebes will come back to the Theban royal household. He cautions that Creon needs to bury Polyneices' body and free Princess Antigone. King Creon does not stop his torrent of insults and threats. But he mentions the predictions to the chorus leader, who says to do what Teiresias says.
How does the city feel about Antigone's crime in 'Antigone'?
Supportive is the way that the city feels about Antigone's crime in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).
Specifically, Theban Princess Antigone dares to break her uncle King Creon's edict of non-burial of the disloyal Theban dead. The edict denies to Antigone's brother Polyneices and his Theban supporters the god-given rights of all Thebans to below ground burials. The people of the city of Thebes seek healing, not further conflict, and feel exactly the way that Antigone does, but lack her courage.
How does Antigone hang herself?
With her own halter is how Antigone hangs herself. She's walled up in a remote cave. Her uncle and intended father-in-law, Theban King Creon, only mentions letting Antigone have some food in the cave. So there may be no other deathly instrument than her own clothing when it comes time to take her life.
