Antigone by Sophocles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Antigone by Sophocles - Essay ExampleThe ancient Greek play Antigone, write around 442 BC by the famous dramatist Sophocles, has become one of the worlds classics and has been astray published, performed and adapted in many languages and formats across the world. It is a memorable play, characterized by a background of finish and destruction, and the strong figures of Antigone and Creon, who are locked in opposition over what is to be done with the dead body of Antigones brother Polyneices. Major themes like the craft of a statesman (Creon) to protect his citizens against traitors, the duty of a charr (Antigone) to honor her relatives with a decent burial, and the duty of all to respect the gods are developed in the play. The heterogeneous characters are depicted taking up positions which demonstrate a number of different heroic qualities. In the opening scene Is custodye appears to be timid and she hides behind her gender to avoid facing up to the contrast that is presented t o her by Antigone We must remember that by birth were women,/and as such, we shouldnt fight with men Ismene realizes that she has a duty to bury her brother, but her approach is to back away from that and rely on the grace of the gods and the dead So Ill ask those underground for pardon. Ismene is concerned above all with her work out as a woman, and she is very aware of how her actions will confine her appear to other people. She wants to be seen as a perfect woman, meek and obedient But I cant act against the state.... Ismene cannot caseful up to life alone, and so she speaks out of weakness, and a desire to suffer death in show to spare herself still more suffering later. The lowly Guard is the character who most clearly operates only if in his own best interests. He is afraid of Creon, with good reason, because he knows that he has failed in his duty to watch over the corpse of Polyneices and could face very severe consequences, even death, if he does not make good his err or. He has news for Creon, but makes sure that he communicates his concern about his own batch first Guard I want to tell you first about myself./ I did not do it. And I didnt see/the one who did. So it would be un equitable/if I should come to grief. (Antigone, lines 275- 277). This plead makes him look like an unruly child, trying to explain away his conduct in front of an irascible father. He also tries to spread the blame amongst his colleagues saying Every one of us was responsible./but no(prenominal) of us was clearly in the wrong. (Antigone, lines 301-302). He did not volunteer to be the bringer of bad news, but was elect by the luck of the draw (Antigone, line 317) which shows that he is at the mercy of fate, and just following what he has to do, rather than making a moral decision about it. The first instinct that he has is to spiel away from his job and save his own life. He is not particularly loyal to his employer, but just wants to save his own skin. In the end he sees a chance to redeem himself, and keep his job, by offering up the woman he has caught in the act of burying the corpse. The way that he keeps changing his mind shows that he is willing to act opportunistically, based on whatever