Post 11- Festival

Open Question

In Antigone, Sophocles presents the narrative of Antigone, a noble born from incest in tumultuous times. While Antigone’s high birth gives her the option to live a life of prosperity, she instead opts to defy her (great) uncle to follow her religious duty by burying her brother. Through each character’s high status and the familial ties of all allies and enemies, Sophocles illustrates that both high birth and familiarity with the enemy can serve to amplify tragedy.

Sophocles presents Antigone’s reaction to seeing Polyneices unburied as crazed and desperate. In contrast to her earlier attempt to bury Polyneices, Antigone cries out in anguish and is apprehended while performing rites of burial. Antigone’s emotional response to seeing Polyneices’s bare body shows her lack of control over emotional response and lack of care for the presence of guards. Through this, Sophocles demonstrates the importance of Antigone’s noble birth -- Antigone’s own noble birth led her to be less cautious and more defiant of any outside authority, driving her open defiance of Kreon rather than a carefully thought out plan to bury Polyneices. Furthermore, the chorus’s surprise to the guard leading Antigone to Kreon suggests the unorthodox situation of Antigone’s arrest, in contrast to Antigone’s lack of protest at her own arrest. Through this, Sophocles illustrates how Antigone’s high status led to Antigone’s self-centered perspective on the world, not caring about how the situation would seem to others.

Sophocles depicts Antigone like many other protagonists in tragedies, who have lived normal lives up to the point where they commit some sort of irrational action that leads all the other characters to believe that person has gone mad. Antigone’s irrational action as we know was burying her brother. No other characters are able to understand why she would do something like this because all her life she has abided by the nobility. In truth she hasn’t had to make many decisions herself. When she loses control of her emotions, she makes a decision for herself, thus defying Kreon and the nobility. But this is new to her as well because she has never defied anyone she too as well does not know how it feels and therefore doesn't understand the consequences of her actions. This inevitably foreshadows her death, having reached her breaking point and passed the point of no return. And no one is able to help her because no one can understand why she would do this. Through all this, Sophocles articulates the various characters oblivious nature to compassionate and depressed human emotions, which result in the deaths of many.

Antigone’s sister Ismene understands her and is sympathetic towards her whereas Kreon is not. Antigone and Ismene’s origins are bound to be very similar as they have grown up together which gives Ismene a natural understanding of Antigone’s life experiences and disposition. When Antigone tells Ismene of her plan to bury her brother, Ismene does what she can to stop her from carrying out her plan as she knew the consequences that would follow. When Kreon is made aware of the body being buried he is harsh, he does not show sympathy towards Antigone (later he does, yet at first he does not). The shared origins of Antigone and her sister gives Ismene a natural understanding and care for eachother.

Through acting on her emotions and personal feelings rather than the logical conclusion, Antigone acts solely on her own will while flattening everyone else in her way. When Ismene was told of Antigone’s plan, she naturally feared the consequences. Though when Antigone learned of her sister’s unwillingness to defy the king and share her motivation, she told Ismene off, believing her to be a coward as to not defy death. Later in the play, after Antigone buries Polyneices, she is met with the king. In this confrontation, she refuses to listen to reason and instead chooses to continue with her emotions and bring the lives of Haemon and Ismene down with her. Though Haemon met his fate due to Antigone’s actions, Ismene was able to live, only due to Kreon’s change in heart. This defiance of the kings and disregard for other shows Antigone’s unusual upbringing, as it was very abnormal for a women of this time period to defy the law for the sake of one’s self.

Antigone’s high birth also gives her a sense of power, while in actuality she has little to none. When she confronts Kreon over the actions that he has decided on her relative, she is very assertive and stubborn with him. While it isn’t a great idea for an individual to combat a king, Antigone does so anyway, demonstrating her sense of power. This sense of power clouds her judgement in a way, as she acts in haste, rather than mindfulness. Defying the king is a very high matter, but Antigone acts very quickly in order to keep her brother from being disgraced. While it is a beautiful move on her part, it definitely resulted in the end of her life. With a high birth, man also develops a great ego. Like Kreon, Antigone’s ego led to a persistent and aggressive attitude. Their scuffle resulted in a stalemate argument wise, as both didn’t budge at all. This is a resultant of high birth: unnecessary egos that cause pain and suffering for both parties. Antigone’s ego left her an no better position than her brother.

Antigone’s high birth gives her the option to live a life of prosperity. However,  she instead opts to defy her (great) uncle to follow her religious duty by burying her brother.  Sophocles develops Antigone’s character with her high status, which results in emotional responses to indicate defiance to authority, lack of caution through her irrational actions, and assertion and stubbornness due to her high birth. Through each character’s high status and the familial ties of all allies and enemies, Sophocles illustrates that both high birth and familiarity with the enemy can serve to amplify tragedy.

Poetry/Choral Ode

In Antigone, Sophocles presents the narrative of Antigone, a noble born from incest in tumultuous times. While Antigone’s high birth gives her the option to live a life of prosperity, she instead opts to defy her (great) uncle to follow her religious duty by burying her brother. Through each character’s high status and the familial ties of all allies and enemies, Sophocles illustrates that both high birth and familiarity with the enemy can serve to amplify tragedy.

Sophocles presents Antigone’s reaction to seeing Polyneices unburied as crazed and desperate. In contrast to her earlier attempt to bury Polyneices, Antigone cries out in anguish and is apprehended while performing rites of burial. Antigone’s emotional response to seeing Polyneices’s bare body shows her lack of control over emotional response and lack of care for the presence of guards. Through this, Sophocles demonstrates the importance of Antigone’s noble birth -- Antigone’s own noble birth led her to be less cautious and more defiant of any outside authority, driving her open defiance of Kreon rather than a carefully thought out plan to bury Polyneices. Furthermore, the chorus’s surprise to the guard leading Antigone to Kreon suggests the unorthodox situation of Antigone’s arrest, in contrast to Antigone’s lack of protest at her own arrest. Through this, Sophocles illustrates how Antigone’s high status led to Antigone’s self-centered perspective on the world, not caring about how the situation would seem to others.

Sophocles depicts Antigone like many other protagonists in tragedies, who have lived normal lives up to the point where they commit some sort of irrational action that leads all the other characters to believe that person has gone mad. Antigone’s irrational action as we know was burying her brother. No other characters are able to understand why she would do something like this because all her life she has abided by the nobility. In truth she hasn’t had to make many decisions herself. When she loses control of her emotions, she makes a decision for herself, thus defying Kreon and the nobility. But this is new to her as well because she has never defied anyone she too as well does not know how it feels and therefore doesn't understand the consequences of her actions. This inevitably foreshadows her death, having reached her breaking point and passed the point of no return. And no one is able to help her because no one can understand why she would do this. Through all this, Sophocles articulates the various characters oblivious nature to compassionate and depressed human emotions, which result in the deaths of many.

Antigone’s sister Ismene understands her and is sympathetic towards her whereas Kreon is not. Antigone and Ismene’s origins are bound to be very similar as they have grown up together which gives Ismene a natural understanding of Antigone’s life experiences and disposition. When Antigone tells Ismene of her plan to bury her brother, Ismene does what she can to stop her from carrying out her plan as she knew the consequences that would follow. When Kreon is made aware of the body being buried he is harsh, he does not show sympathy towards Antigone (later he does, yet at first he does not). The shared origins of Antigone and her sister gives Ismene a natural understanding and care for eachother.

Through acting on her emotions and personal feelings rather than the logical conclusion, Antigone acts solely on her own will while flattening everyone else in her way. When Ismene was told of Antigone’s plan, she naturally feared the consequences. Though when Antigone learned of her sister’s unwillingness to defy the king and share her motivation, she told Ismene off, believing her to be a coward as to not defy death. Later in the play, after Antigone buries Polyneices, she is met with the king. In this confrontation, she refuses to listen to reason and instead chooses to continue with her emotions and bring the lives of Haemon and Ismene down with her. Though Haemon met his fate due to Antigone’s actions, Ismene was able to live, only due to Kreon’s change in heart. This defiance of the kings and disregard for other shows Antigone’s unusual upbringing, as it was very abnormal for a women of this time period to defy the law for the sake of one’s self.

Antigone’s high birth also gives her a sense of power, while in actuality she has little to none. When she confronts Kreon over the actions that he has decided on her relative, she is very assertive and stubborn with him. While it isn’t a great idea for an individual to combat a king, Antigone does so anyway, demonstrating her sense of power. This sense of power clouds her judgement in a way, as she acts in haste, rather than mindfulness. Defying the king is a very high matter, but Antigone acts very quickly in order to keep her brother from being disgraced. While it is a beautiful move on her part, it definitely resulted in the end of her life. With a high birth, man also develops a great ego. Like Kreon, Antigone’s ego led to a persistent and aggressive attitude. Their scuffle resulted in a stalemate argument wise, as both didn’t budge at all. This is a resultant of high birth: unnecessary egos that cause pain and suffering for both parties. Antigone’s ego left her an no better position than her brother.

Antigone’s high birth gives her the option to live a life of prosperity. However,  she instead opts to defy her (great) uncle to follow her religious duty by burying her brother.  Sophocles develops Antigone’s character with her high status, which results in emotional responses to indicate defiance to authority, lack of caution through her irrational actions, and assertion and stubbornness due to her high birth. Through each character’s high status and the familial ties of all allies and enemies, Sophocles illustrates that both high birth and familiarity with the enemy can serve to amplify tragedy.