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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 is Antigone contrasted to Ismene?
Antigone is contrasted with her sister Ismene in terms of disrespect or respect for the laws of the land. Theban King Creon issues a decree that approves the burial of the loyal Theban dead from the recent armed struggle against the invaders from Argos and their Theban collaborators. At the same time, the decree demands the non-burial of the disloyal Theban dead. This decree directly contradicts the god-given justice, rites, rituals and traditions of Theban society. In such a situation, Ismene cares only to be in good standing with Creon, her uncle and her king; and in compliance with the law. She cares nothing about the disrespect to her brother, Polyneices, who is among the disloyal Theban dead. In contrast, Antigone cares about her standing with the gods, particularly the god of the underworld. She argues that she will spend much more of her time in the world of the dead than in that of the living. She wants to be treated with respect when she dies, and to be accepted by her loved ones as having carried out the proper funerary procedures at their deaths.
Is Antigone or Creon the tragic hero in 'Antigone'?
Antigone is the tragic hero of the play 'Antigone'. The adjective 'tragic' describes an unhappy ending or outcome. The noun 'hero' describes a doer of great deeds and the possessor of great powers. The position description fits Antigone.
Specifically, Antigone does what has to be done despite the crushing cost to her own well being. She does the great deed of respecting the will of the gods and the god given rights of all Thebans to below ground burial and funeral services. For this great deed, she publicly is humiliated by Theban King Creon, her uncle and her future father-in-law. She also loses her chance at marriage and family. And she loses her life. She's the most heroic and the most tragic individual in the play.
What conspiracy does Oedipus think is against him?
Theban King Oedipus thinks that Theban King Creon and Teiresias the blind prophet conspire to overthrow him. Teiresias blames him for the death of the previous sovereign, Theban King Laius. Oedipus thinks that Teiresias isn't telling the truth. Instead, he thinks that Teiresias is saying what Creon wants him to, in order to discredit Oedipus and seize the royal powers for himself.
What does Theseus forget to do after he kills the Minotaur?
He forgets to raise the flag on the ship to let his father know that he is safe and was in fact not killed by the Minotaur, which his father asked him to do. When his father saw the ship and saw that there was no flag, he was so depressed that his son was dead, that he jumped off the cliff and killed himself.
What does the chorus say during the parados in 'Antigone'?
The 'parados' is the entry of the chorus into the orchestra. The orchestra is the place where the chorus dances and sings. In fact, the chorus originally was a group of dancers. But in the play 'Antigone', the chorus' entry into the orchestra is followed by their first statements. The first words of the parados are 'Beam of the sun, fairest light that ever dawned on Thebe of the seven gates, thou hast shone forth at last, eye of golden day, arisen above Dirce's streams!' In the rest of that first paragraph, and the following seven, the chorus tells the events preceding the action of the play. And so readers and viewers understand that Thebes was the site of a victorious repulsion by those loyal to their city against invaders from Argos and their Theban collaborators. The chorus ends on the ominous note of the special counsel that's called by new installed Theban King Creon.
Why is 'Antigone' still read today?
The play 'Antigone' still is read today, because of its timeless plot, dialogue, characters, and actions. To this day, the balance is being worked out between mercy and justice before the law. Likewise is the working out of the acceptable limits of obedience and non-obedience to inhumane, unfair and unjust laws.
Why does King laius and queen jocasta abandon their son?
King Laius and Queen Jocasta abandon their child, Oedipus, because they are told a prophecy where their son is destined to kill his own father and marry his own mother.
How does Creon plan to kill Antigone?
Walling her up in a remote cave is the way in which Theban King Creon plans to kill Antigone. She breaks one of his laws. The penalty is death through fatal injuries from the rocks and stones that her fellow Thebans throw at her. Creon decides to keep the death sentence. But he changes the form to starvation in a cave that's far away from him and his citizens.
He was a son of King Creon and Queen Eurydice of Thebes. In the Seven Against Thebes, Creon was told by Tiresias that Thebes would be victorious only if Megareus was sacrificed. Megareus willingly sacrificed himself, and Thebes won against the Seven.
How does the theme of betrayal play out in 'Antigone'?
The theme of betrayal begins with the play's beginning. For Theban King Creon betrays the faith of his people, his gods, and his family. For example, he disrespects the trust of his people in him as the defender of god-given traditions and of communal well-being. For he enacts a law that allows the carrying out of proper burial procedures only for those who were loyal to Thebes in the recent battle against the enemy Argive. In so doing, he scoffs at and insults the gods, who establish such traditions for the smooth passage from life into death. Likewise does he abuse and neglect the responsibility of him as sovereign to his people and as spouse, father, and uncle respectively to wife Queen Eurydice, to son Haemon, and to the two dead and the two living children of his deceased sister, Queen Jocasta.
No, Ismene doesn't help her sister Antigone. In the beginning of the play 'Antigone', she refuses to help her sister bury their brother Polyneices. He's considered a disloyal, dead Theban for having sided with the Argive invaders against his twin brother, Eteocles. Ismene's uncle, Theban King Creon, approves Eteocles' burial, but denies the same god-given right to Polyneices. Ismene refuses to go against the sovereign. Later, Antigone is arrested while burying Polyneices a second time. Ismene says that she supports her sister, and if need be offers to die with Antigone. But it's questionable how helpful Ismene is at that point. For she ends up saving her own life, and not stopping or mitigating her sister's sentence to a cruel death.
no husband, only fiancee. she killed herself before she got married. his name was Haemon, Creon's son.
What happened to Ismene after the death of her sister Antigone in the play Atigone?
Killed by Tydeus, son of Oeneus, who had come to Thebes as a ambassador. Tydeus had been ambushed by Thebans. He caught Ismene outside of the city making love with her lover, Theoclymenus. Theoclymenus fled; Ismene is taken prisoneer. She begs for her life but Tydeus kills her anyway.
Why must both Eteocles and Polyneices receive honorable burials according to Antigone?
Because for one they are both family to her in the end as well as the gods want proper burials for every person
How does antigone pour out her grief?
Her death will not bring as much grief as seeing her brother left unburied. They sing of huan glory. http://www.novelguide.com/antigone-sophocles/summaries/lines-241-525
No, Antigone wasn't an epic hero. She was one of the main characters in a tragedy whose title was her very name. Instead, she's a tragic heroine. For she does great deeds by defending those such as the dead who have no defense. She shows great power and strength in burying her brother Polyneices; holding her own against her uncle Theban King Creon; and processing to a cruel, lonely death.
What does the chorus think will happen to the killer of laius?
The Chorus thinks the Furies and the son of Zeus will follow the killer of Laius where ever he goes. They are unaware, at this time, that the killer is Oedipus.
With what surgical instrument does Oedipus blind himself?
The brooches that hold Theban Queen Jocasta's clothes together are what Theban King Oedipus uses to blind himself.
Oedipus chooses the brooches, because they represent everything that goes wrong in his life. Specifically, the brooches represent Jocasta, who is his greatest supporter personally and professionally. Unfortunately and unbeknownst to him and to her, Jocasta is also his mother.
Previously, Oedipus lives his life in fear of an unenviable prophecy coming true in regards to him. He thinks that he makes the life choices that will keep him from living out his fate as the killer of his father and his king and the father of children with his own mother. But both fates are realized in one fell sweep when Oedipus kills Theban King Laius and then marries Laius' grieving but beautiful widow.
In both regards, Oedipus realizes much too late that a simple, straightforward clue stared him in the face all along. Specifically, his victim is a man whom he resembles and whi is old enough to be his father. His wife is a woman whom he may resemble in some gesture or feature and who is old enough to be his mother.
If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck and walks like a duck, then it indeed is a duck. There sometimes is no other option than to judge a book by its cover. And yes, the elderly victim is Oedipus' father, and the older woman is Oedipus' mother.
What is the purpose of 'Oedipus Rex' and when does the reversal of the situation occur?
Before I answer this question, what does Oedipus Rex means?
Why did Creon think that Eteocles should be buried?
Theban King Creon thought that Eteocles should be buried, as a loyal defender of Thebes against the Argive attack. But the King thought that Eteocles' brother Polyneices shouldn't be given the same respect. Creon's rationale was the traitorous support of the Theban Polyneices to the enemies from Argos.
How and why does Sophocles explore blindness and vision in 'Oedipus Rex'?
Sophocles [496 B.C.E.* - 406 B.C.E.] explores the contrast of blindness and vision in 'Oedipus Rex' for dramatic effect and for a touch of realism. Realistically speaking, humans tend to rely greatly on what they observe with the senses, and most particularly through the sense of sight. Indeed, there's the saying that 'seeing is believing'. But there also is the cautionary 'appearances are deceiving'.
Both sayings are explored in 'Oedipus Rex', to the detriment of all of the main characters except for the blind prophet Teiresias. All of the other characters see and therefore suffer from flawed observations and faulty conclusions. The saying 'the blind leading the blind' takes on new meaning in regard to Teiresias. Only he among Thebans can't see, and yet he never is wrong or misguided over what he observes through his other senses.
*Before the Christian Era
He uses it when Tiresias is introduced. Since Tiresias is in fact blind and is a prophet makes Oedipus have a reason to not believe him. There are many quotes that can be found that exemplify this. Oedipus does not believe him when he says that Oedipus is the cause of the plague on Thebes. Oedipus retaliates to this insult to his royalty by insisting that since Tiresias is blind there is no way for him to be right when Oedipus can see and he cannot.
How do you vs minotaur lords in oblivion?
in the arena its final monster you face after being grand champion.
Why is Creon unable to stop the tragedy?
Not being able to stop the death of Antigone is the reason why Theban King Creon is unable to stop the tragedy in the play. He understands that he and his family are doomed if he doesn't reverse his previous actions. He's able to get the dead body of his nephew Polyneices buried. But he doesn't get to the cave in time to stop his niece Antigone's suicide. Her suicide inspires the successive suicides of Creon's son Haimon and Creon's wife Theban Queen Eurydice.
