Antigone Character Analysis - 1468 Words

In the play of Antigone, Sophicles creates a plot that I believe playfully would make viewers sympathetic of the protagonist Antigone. At the beginning of the play, viewers obviously were very sympathetic to Antigone. All she wanted to do was bury her dead brother, and Kreon made it illegal to do such a deed. However, as the play went on, I gained more and more insight on Kreon and my opinion changed. Although Antigone sacrificed her life for what she believed was right, I sympathize more with Kreon because his actions that led to the unintended loss of his family were what he thought to be in the best interest of Thebes. Antigone is automatically the person everyone falls in love with during the play because the tragedy intentionally†¦show more content†¦As an authority figure, Kreon has to make tough decisions that are in fairness of the people of Thebes. As a leader, you cannot make laws and not punish one person for breaking them and then punish others. All people must b e treated equally under the rules of society. Also, Kreon states that â€Å"outsider will be even worse,† if his own family can be this disorderly (660) and that unruliness can â€Å"ruin cities and make household desolate† (672). Again, Kreon justifies Antigone’s punishment by analyzing the potential threats that could terrorize Thebes if he does not exert his power now. Antigone also shows the tendency to assert her own authority and not listen to others who are trying to protect her which makes it really easy to not be very sympathetic towards her in comparison to Kreon. In the beginning of the play, Ismene cautions Antigone about the consequences of her burying her brother and decides that she will not do it to protect herself. Antigone refutes her claim stating that Ismene will â€Å"be a hateful enemy to me† (24). By rejecting Ismene, she practically rejects someone who simply wants to just have peace for once. Their cursed family has suffered throu gh many tragedies and misfortunes, and Ismene simply does not want to be associated with another one. Antigone also shows this lack of trust with her individualistic persona which results in this lack of trust in anyone but herself. ThisShow MoreRelatedAntigone Character Analysis1422 Words   |  6 Pages Antigone, the final play in a series including Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, discusses the ideas of leadership, family, and choices. It features two central characters: Antigone, a girl who chooses to illegally bury her brother, and Creon, a king who decrees the burial of the brother to be illegal. Upon the first encounter of the text, it appears that Antigone is the â€Å"hero† of the play, but on further analysis, one realizes that the tragic hero, as defined by Aristotle, is actually Creon. The ideaRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of Antigone1533 Words   |  7 Pagesplay centers around a young girl, Antigone, that is determined to bury her wronged brother even though it will end in her imminent death. Creon, the king, has deemed it illegal for anyone to bury Antigone’s brother’s body, even though it is the female family member s duty given by the gods to perform the burial. Antigone stuck to her oath to bury her brother and is caught by Creon and sentenced to death. One of the main themes in this play is family. Each character s ending will be tragic due toRead MoreAntigone Character Analysis1071 Words   |  5 PagesSophocles’s Antigone depicts the struggle between two different characters with their own struggles, doubts, and beliefs. The play opens with the eponymous character lamenting a terrible situation to her sister Ismene. Their brothers Eteocles and Polyneices fought over the throne and killed each other in battle. 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