Antigone and Savage Garden
The themes expressed in the song "Break Me Shake Me" by Savage Garden bear an uncanny resemblance to those expressed in the Sophocles play "Antigone." Both pieces of work attempt to throw us into the sheer chaos caused by the abuse of power. In the play, Creon is an almighty king, and will do anything to claim as much power as possible- Even when it means the demise of his own flesh and blood. When she realizes that her brother, Polynices, has been denied a proper burial, Antigone stands unwavering in the face of impending doom, and buries him anyway. She knows that her father is strongly against this action, but still persists, as if to challenge him. Creon, having heard of her unlawful act, immediately sentences her to death. Although it means the death of his own family, Creon is already drunk with power, and will do anything to continue to be seen as mighty in the eyes of the people. Before her death, Antigone shouts, "May he suffer... in equal measure." Her words slowly but surely become true
as Creon later realizes he may have gone too far. Before he can set things right, Antigone kills herself, as do Haemon and his mother, leaving Creon with an unfathomable sense of guilt. The people he loves, the family he has taken care of, are decimated- All in the quest for more power. It is then that Creon admits he has learned a "bitter lesson-" That having all the power in the world is worthless if you haven't anyone to share it with. In the song "Break Me Shake Me," one of the more poignant lyrics is "Break me shake me hate me take me over. When the madness stops then you will be alone." This portion of the song is symbolic of Antigone's relationship to Creon, and her final words to him as she is taken to die. She invites him to do his worst to her, but warns that in the end, he will be the one to suffer. Her words hold true, as Creon's decision to keep up his guise of a powerful ruler ends up leaving him lost and alone. Personally, the themes conveyed in both the song and play remind me
Some common words found in the essay are:
Savage Garden, Break Shake, Entertainment System, I've Nintendo, Butter Jelly, Light Gun, Duck Hunt, Super Mario, , break shake, song break, song break shake,
Approximate Word count = 675
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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