Themes in Antigone

A detailed Summary of Themes in Antigone

Antigone, written by Sophocles, is one of the three dramatic plays with a tragic ending. There are many themes in this play, however in order to understand this play in depth, there are three major themes the reader must identify. These themes are hubris, or better known as pride, Antigone's gender, and Individual versus State; Conscience versus Law; Moral or Divine Law versus Human Law. These three themes are not only interrelated, but also fit in, throughout the course of the play.

Pride and its effects are a central part of Antigone. It is a trait despised by the gods, who bring suffering to the proud, but to the Greek mind pride is also an inextricable part of greatness. Both Antigone and Creon are incredibly proud, making it impossible for either one of them to back down once they have taken a stand. Pride is part of what makes Antigone heroic. Since most women in those days would not have the courage to stand up for what is right, pride makes Antigone "stand out from the crowd." Creon is also very proud of who he is, which is why this conflict seems to follow wherever he is present. Pride is what causes Creon, as well as Antigone and Oedipus to fall. Creon becomes a tragic hero at the end of the play because of his hubris

The play is also filled with instances of a sexist male viewpoint. Creon is the leader of the Theben throne, a position he highly regards. He believes that he has a "divine rule" and therefore his laws are just and fair. He rules the kingdom with an iron fist and demonstrates his prejudices towards women throughout the play. First, Creon is so upset that his laws are broken by Antigone that tries to hurt her as much as possible. He tries to act as prideful as possible, he states, "No woman shall seduce us. If we must lose, let's lose to a man, at least. Is a woman stronger than we?" (Sophocles, pg.212) This is proof that Creon does not see women as equal to the authority of men. He feels that women have no common sense and, therefore, must be punished for their irrationality. He eventually realizes that he has offended the Gods with his actions as ruler of Thebes. It is not until his own wife kills herself because of his oppression against humanity does he realize his mistakes. This of course is way too late to redeem his lost loved ones or take back his contempt toward women.

Ismene, who is a complete opposite of her sister, is a coward and refuses to help her sister because she feared men. This fear propels her to turn her head to the disrespect that is been shown to her brother, Polyneices. Her character is a close representation of the viewpoints of the male gender regarding women. She is lesser and weak-willed. She refuses to stand up to Creon even though in her heart she knows that his laws are morally wrong.

Antigone is a work that is known worldwide; in fact Antigone continues to be a rebellious and powerful play, inspiration for generations of rebels and dissidents. In our own century, a

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Approximate Word count = 1155
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English