Antigone

Essay by PaperNerd ContributorHigh School, 10th grade September 2001

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Antigone The play Antigone, written by Sophocles is a Greek tale like no other. Compared to the Iliad and the Odyssey, Antigone has a central theme about conduct involving moral and political issues. Personal experience is the reason so many people can relate to this story. After all, the theme of the story is personal conflict, with two stubborn people at a standstill because of their unwillingness to compromise. The central issue of this play is the conflict between the laws of the gods and those of humans, with Antigone and Creon representing the opposite sides. Sophocles portrays these two title characters remarkably similar. However, it is Creon, and not Antigone, who is the hero of the story, because his character suffers a tragic downfall.

The central issue of the play is the conflict between laws of the gods and the laws of the king. Creon represents the regal view, while Antigone is just the opposite.

The primary conflict arises when Creon declares that no one be allowed to bury the body of Polynices, one of Antigone's brothers who was slain in battle. Antigone, who cares for her brother very much, wants to see him properly laid to rest, so that his spirit can find peace. Unfortunately, doing so will mean certain death, as Creon's orders are not to be disobeyed. Therefore, a conflict arises. Antigone believes that Creon's law is wrong, and that Polynices, although a traitor to the city of Thebes, should be buried. She finds it immoral of Creon to forbid such an action. While trying to convince her sister Ismene to help bury him, Antigone says, "The time in which I must please those that are dead is longer than I must please those of this world. For there I shall lie...