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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
How does Antigone justify breaking the law?
In the play 'Antigone', the main character of the same name breaks a recent law. The law forbids burial rights to disloyal Theban dead. This law thereby violates the prior, enduring laws by which the gods expect Thebans to lead life and make ready for death. Specifically, the divine laws guarantee the honor of proper burial to all Thebans. And that becomes Antigone's justification for her civil disobedience. She must choose between obeying god-given Theban traditions or her uncle's royal decrees. She opts for good standing with the gods over good standing with mortals.
Why does Antigone bring her sister Ismene outside the palace in the opening moments of the play?
to tell her about her plan to bury her brother
What are some quotes from 'Antigone'?
Quotes from the play 'Antigone' may serve to remind readers of the plot, to generate discussion. One such early example is the observation by the main character of the same name that '...I owe a longer allegiance to the dead than to the living: in that world I shall abide for ever'. Another is Ismene's characterization of her sister Antigone as 'Thou hast a hot heart for chilling deeds'. Still another is Ismene's warning, 'A hopeless quest should not be made at all'. And the chorus has the concluding advice of 'Nothing that is vast enters into the life of mortals without a curse' and of 'Wisdom is the supreme part of hapiness... . Great words of prideful men are ever punished with great blows, and, in old age, teach the chastened to be wise'.
What has he decided to do with the sisters?
Creon decided to sentence Antigone to death, but let Ismene free because she was not guilty.
What is the origin of Oedipus' name in 'Oedipus Rex'?
The permanently swollen nature of his feet is what gives Oedipus his name in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).
Specifically, a rod is run through Oedipus' ankles when he is just three days old. The rod subsequently is removed, but leaves aftereffects. Permanently swollen feet and shuffling gait are among the consequences, of which the former is the actual meaning of the name Oedipus.
Free will is the philosophical opposite of predestination, or destiny. Predestination states your life has already been determined, while free will says all is choice.
How does Creon refer to the one who buries Polyneices in 'Antigone'?
It is as a man that Creon refers to the one who buries Polyneices in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).
Specifically, Theban King Creon assumes certain things when he hears about the burial of the body of his nephew Polyneices. He assumes that the perpetrator is male. He also assumes that the perpetrator is the hired thug of his influential but cowardly opponents.
How does Haemon feel about Antigone in 'Antigone'?
Admiration, love and loyalty are Haemon's feelings about Antigone in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).
Specifically, Theban Prince Haemon praises Antigone, his first cousin and bride-to-be, for respecting divine law and protecting the rights of the Theban dead. He persists in his love for her and in his desire to not break the engagement and to be married to her. He defends Antigones rights to holding her own opinions and to following her own course of action.
What is antigones motive for burying polyneices?
Antigone has many motives for burying Polyneices, the first of which is that he is her brother. The ancient Greeks believed that if a body was left unburied, the spirit would never be able to cross into the underworld but would wander the shores of the Styx, unable to find rest. To allow that to happen to her brother was unthinkable. Furthermore, leaving the body unburied would contribute to the cosmic "pollution" of the community begun during the reign of King Laius, as well as physically polluting the community. Decaying flesh smells bad and brings all manner of disease and vermin.
Another motive has to do with the role of women in ancient Greek society. Women really had no role in society; they were kept in the household performing domestic chores and birthing and raising new Greeks. The only time they really had a role in society was when a family member died. It was the women who prepared the body for the funeral. The women also ritually mourned the dead, tearing their hair and flesh with their nails to demonstrate their grief.
The third motive has to do with Antigone's family tree. Antigone's family was cursed in her grandfather's time as a result of Laius stealing (and raping) the son of the king from a neighboring kingdom. Consequently, Laius was killed by his son, Oedipus, who then married his own mother, Jocasta. Eteocles, Polyneices, Antigone, and Ismene are the result of that union. The entire line of the house of Thebes is fated to make poor decisions which result in their own death, and often the deaths of others, due to the curse.
Fourth, and most basic, Antigone buries her brother because it is required by the gods. The ancient Greeks believed that honoring the laws of the gods was of utmost importance. The gods could make a person's life pretty miserable if they were displeased by him/her. Antigone argues that she does not obey the civil law because the gods law is greater.
Why does Ismene accuse King Creon of slighting his son?
In an attempt to save her sister Antigone's life, Ismene accuses her uncle, Theban King Creon, of slighting his own son Haemon. Specifically, she points out the great love between first cousins and fiancés Antigone and Haemon. Additionally, she calls a spade a spade by asking if Creon really intends to execute Antigone as his own future daughter-in-law and his own son's future wife.
well, the children won't wonder why their family is broken and that they won't have to go in a little bit of a truama or depression why their family is broken and they won't really get jealous when they see other kids having both of their parents. And they would be proud to say "I love my family"
What role does Antigone's womanhood play in Creon's sentence in 'Antigone'?
No role at all is played by Antigone' womanhood in Creon's sentence in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.).
Specifically, Theban King Creon sentences his niece, Princess Antigone, to death for disobeying a royal edict that contradicts a far older divine law and cherished Theban tradition. He plans to have her die under a shower of hard, heavy, sharp rocks thrown at her by her fellow Thebans. But he changes his mind, not because of her womanhood, but because of her quick mind which he fears will turn her into a martyr with such a public execution.
What role does Creon play in 'Antigone'?
Theban King Creon plays two main roles in the play 'Antigone'. Dramatically, he plays the role of the villain. Functionally, he plays the role of head of state.
Why does Oedipus believe no one to be as sick as he is?
In his second speech in the play, Theban King Oedipus acknowledges the pain, impatience, and despair of Thebans over the unabated toll that famine, pestilence, and plague take upon their city and their fellow citizens. But he goes on to describe his sickened feelings of sorrow and powerlessness as the most extensive and intensive of them all. He specifies that others are touched by their own personal experiences, and those of their families, with scarcity, hunger, disease, disappointment, and death. But he as the ruler personalizes the tragedy of Thebes in terms of his own house and of the entire city.
Why is the teacher considered to be the mirror of the society?
It's not. The MIRROR is the mirror of society.
What curse does Oedipus repeat to polynices?
Oedipus repeats to Polynices the curse that Polynices and Eteocles, who are brothers, will kill each other in battle. The curse was put upon them by Oedipus, who is their father.
What did Oedipus do with sphinx?
Oedipus answers the sphinx's riddle. The sphinx had been killing people who couldn't answer it, and, since she was in the road into Thebes, anyone trying to get into Thebes was being killed, since no one could answer it.
The riddle was:
"What walks on four legs in the morning, two at noon, and three at night?"
The answer was:
"Man. He crawls (4) as a baby, walks (2) as an adult, and uses a cane (3) in his old age."
What are the effects of Creon forbidding Polyneices' burial in 'Antigone'?
Antigone's defiance and death, environmental pestilence and the suicides of Haemon and Eurydice are the effects of Creon forbidding Polyneices' burial in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).
Specifically, Theban Princess Antigone buries her brother Polyneices and is sentenced to death for breaking King Creon's edict of non-burial of the disloyal Theban dead. She commits suicide rather than die a painful death from live burial and starvation. Polyneices' body is re-exposed with Antigone's capture and sentencing. It is the cause of a pestilential environmental, pollution of sacred altars and the wrath of the gods because of sacrificial birds consuming the exposed bodies and including animal and human body parts within their digestive systems. Creon's son Prince Haemon and wife Queen Eurydice each take their lives because of Antigone's suicide.
Whom does Creon initially blame for Polyneices' burial in 'Antigone'?
Hired thugs are the individuals whom Creon initially blames for Polyneices' burial in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).
Specifically, Theban King Creon knows that people oppose him and his rule. He describes them as being powerful but cowardly. He concludes that his enemies bribe people who need money to break Creon's law of non-burial.
Who told Creon that Antigone buried her brother?
The Sentry told Theban King Creon that Antigone had buried her brother, Polyneices. He had two conversations with the King. In the first conversation, he didn't know the identity of the burier. He just knew that Polyneices' corpse had been covered with a fine layer of dust and sprinkled with oil. In the second conversation, he identified Antigone, whom he had arrested for a second burial attempt and brought with him.
What did the oracle tell Oedipus?
The oracle told Oedipus that he would kill his father and marry his mother.
What is the community's reaction to Antigone's defiance of Creon in 'Antigone'?
Quietly supportive is what describes the community's reaction to Antigone's defiance of Creon in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).
Specifically, Theban King Creon mentions that there is opposition to his controversial edict of non-burial of the disloyal Theban dead. Princess Antigone, Prince Haemon and Teiresias the blind prophet likewise indicate that Thebans suffer in silence. Antigone and Haemon describe Thebans as too afraid of Creon's temper to dare to openly oppose him.
What happens to Jocasta and Oedipus in 'Oedipus Rex'?
Suicide and death from old age are what happened respectively to Theban Queen Jocasta and Theban King Oedipus in "Oedipus Rex."
Specifically, Jocasta hangs herself once it is crystal clear to her that she is married to her own son. Oedipus blinds himself when he figures the distressing situation out. He loses his job, home, and friends when he is forced into exile. But ultimately, he dies from old age according to the play "Oedipus at Colonus."
