Antigone Character Analysis - 1071 Words

Sophocles’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. Creon, their uncle, has forbade anyone to bury Polyneices, since he is considered a traitor to the city of Thebes. As the king, Creon holds the authority of the state above family ties, refusing to â€Å"count the enemy of the land / friend to [himself]† (187-188). Antigone believes the opposite; her loyalty to her family is more important than her loyalty to her king. She asserts that she â€Å"never shall be found to be [her brother’s]†¦show more content†¦He states that â€Å"I am no man and she the man instead / if she can have this conquest without pain† (484-485). In addition to threatening his authority, Antigone threatens Creon’s masculinity. He constantly references the fact that Antigone is a woman as a negative attribute, and implies that part of his humiliation comes from the fact that a woman is defying him. When he condemns her to death, he proclaims, â€Å"No woman rules me while I live† (525). Ismene tries to share the blame with her sister, but Antigone rejects her efforts and resolves to die alone. Ismene shows love and concern for her sister, asking, â€Å"When you are gone what life can I desire?† (548), but Antigone brushes her off, telling her to save herself but that â€Å"I shall not envy you† (553). Antigone and Ismene never share any true solidarity or support for each other; this may be one of the reasons why Antigone feels so alone. Ismene is inconsistent with her support, first rejecting Antigone’s idea and then trying to share in the blame. As soon as Ismene disagrees, Antigone all but disowns her and rejects help and support from her sister. In her stubbornness, Antigone destroys her relationship with one of the only people who is loyal to her. Haemon, Creon’s son and Antigone’s fiance, arrives and tries to convince his father to reverse his decision since the people of Thebes do notShow 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. 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