Antigone

Nicole Rapolla

Professor Kelnhofer

English 255

27 November 2012

Every Man For Themselves

In high school, everyone dreaded the day that teachers would say it was time to read a greek epic poem. But the views on this have changed drastically after reading Antigone by the great greek writer Sophocles for the second time around when you are in a college class. Antigone being one of his greatest work, has molded students mind on how greek civilization and greek mythology was in the fifth century or the golden age of Athens. During the fifth century women were not allowed to have opinions or even be noticed in society. "Antigone's choice was usually centered on the conflict between any of several interests that are understood to oppose one another: male authority and female autonomy; individual conscience and civic allegiance to the city-state; duty to one's family and duty to one's city-state; obedience to the laws of the gods-such as the requirement to bury the dead-and obedience to the laws of mortals."(Johnston,178).

Antigone did everything she could to go against her uncle and be noticed for doing something she strongly believed in. That is why at the end of the play, Antigone kills herself to earn kleos with the Gods.

Kleos in greek mythology was one of the biggest honors to get before you died. If you died with kleos you were believed to be invited to Mount Olympus with the Gods instead of going to hell. Kleos is earned by doing a heroic act in a war or as easy as throwing a party. But earning it was always the main goal for someone who wanted to gain immortality. This is exactly what Antigone wanted during the play, she wanted to...