Symbolism In Antigone

Antigone by Sophocles Antigone is a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles. It is a tale about the conflict between a girl trying to honor her brother and a king who uses his power to forbid it. This Greek play symbolically demonstrates the inner conflict between power and one’s conscience. (Haigh) Antigone was the third and final installment of Sophocles popular trilogy after Oedipus the King and Oedipus at Colonus (Sayre). Sophocles, who lived from 496-406 BCE was a treasurer for Athenian polis, a general under Pericles and a financial advisor for the Athens during the Peloponnesian Wars as well as being a playwright (Sayre). He was an extremely influential and significant figure in fifth century BCE Athens. He wrote many plays, but only 7 survived, Antigone is one of them (Sayre). The first of the series, Oedipus the King, Sophocles writes the story of the Thebian king who unknowingly kills his father then marries his mother as prophesized by a blind psychic (Sayre). Oedipus then blinds himself to compensate for the murder of his father and the incest with his mother (Sayre). His mother and wife hangs herself, unable to bear all the wrongness. Antigone focuses on the struggle of the daughter of Oedipus and his mother (Sayre). When the kingdom of Thebes learned about Oedipus’s life and crimes his reputation is ruined (Sayre). The people hate him for what he’s done. Oedipus and his mothers’ children suffer from their father’s choices. The children suffer judgment for being born from such sin. Their entire family suffered from his crimes, but the plays main focus is Antigone and her struggles (Sayre). Ismene, which is the younger sister of Antigone says, “Oh my sister, think- think how our own father died, hated, his reputation in ruins, driven on by the crimes he brought to light himself to gouge out his eyes with his own hands- then mother… his mother and wife, both in one, mutilating her life in the twisted noose- and last, our brothers dead in a single day, both shedding their own blood, poor suffering boys, battling out their common destiny hand-to-hand. Now look at the two of us, left so alone…” (Sophocles). Ismene’s words shine light on how she, Antigone, her brothers, her mother, and her father himself suffered from the choices that he made. The play begins with the death of Antigone’s and Ismene’s two brothers, Polynices and Etecoles (Sophocles). They killed each other in a fight over the throne of Thebes (Sophocles). Creon, who is the brother in law of Oedipus, now rules over Thebes (Sophocles). Creon declares that anyone who tries to bury of mourn over Polynices will be killed since Creon was on Etecoles side and believed that he was the rightful heir to the throne, not Polynices (Sophocles). Antigone challenges Creon’s new rule (Sophocles). She mourns both her brothers and insists that she gets to bury Polynices (Sophocles). She asks her sister for help but she refuses (Sophocles). Ismene states that they have no power in the situation and even though she loves her brother, she could not go against the king for fear that she would be punished by death (Sophocles). Antigone defies King Creon and buries her brother anyways (Sophocles). Antigone believes in the way of the Gods and believes that she has to give her brother a proper burial because an unburied body cannot move on to the afterlife (Sophocles). Eventually Ismene tries to apologize to Antigone and wants to help, but …show more content…
“Antigone’s uncompromising belief in herself plays off Creon’s equally uncompromising infatuation with his own power and dedication to his political duty, which he puts above devotion even to his family.” (Sayre). This conflict is a clear representation of duties verses morals and values (The Oedipus Plays). The struggle between human law and one’s conscience is a conflict still presented in today’s society (Haigh). Both Antigone’s and Creon’s points remain flawed though, because neither recognized the others point, nor discussed or deliberated to come to a compromised solution to the problem they face (The Oedipus Plays). The pride of both Antigone and Creon caused danger to them (The Oedipus Plays). It caused them to overlook the limitations of their individual power (The Oedipus