Antigone
Antigone
Sophocles' "Antigone" is pertinent for all ages and any individual who has experienced conflict can relate to the play. The essence and theme of this tragedy is personal conflict, with two extremely stubborn individuals locked in opposition. The problem is that neither Antigone nor Creon is willing to compromise. Sophocles complicates the conflict by depicting the two central characters as being remarkably similar. In addition, he invites sympathy for both characters. However, as in all Greek tragedy, the fundamental conflict in this play is not between Antigone and Creon, but rather is located in the laws of the gods as opposed to those of human beings."
Antigone was a baffling play to read. Sophocholes wrote this play during the Ancient Greek times. During this domocratic time government was just beginning. The rulers were kings and councils; it was not like our times with a president and the government
branches. Antigone had an itch for medaling with problems that weren't her own. She did it in Oedipus at Colonus and in Antigone. Creon is always full of anger and seems to be seeking the throne of Thebes in Oedipus at Colonus. Once he received it, he found out what tragedy his pride and weak knowledge brought to him and Thebes. Who was in the right and who was in the wrong?
Although, I believed that Creon's behavior as a king was incorrect and insensitive. Through my research I have found that his actions were merely to pervade duty in Thebes to keep it from chaos. If he would have mercy on Antigone, he could be for seen as a weak king. As for Antigone, she should not have rebelled against the king. Doing so made her a traitor not to her brother but to her king. Under the Greek law traitors are criminals. Her sense of religion was strong, but according to Adkins "The Greeks had no religion. Gods were thought to be everywhere and [this] was part of everyday life" (p.284).
Creon, with only the...
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