Sailing The Ship of State
I could very much use this post to promote The Empire of Celestria and my other hobbies, but I shall not, but from my own understanding of Antigone is that Antigone and Kreon are jousting in a ideological battleground. On one side of the field, Antigone is the knight (alluring to Kierkegaard) of the Gods […]
Girl, interrupted: Antigone’s unfinished revolution
The title of this blog is derived from a movie that I have never seen and that may or may not have some resonance with Antigone. The film — “Girl, Interrupted” — centres around an 18 year old who is … Continue reading →
The Chorus in Antigone
Reading Antigone, I was surprised at the effect (or lack thereof) the chorus had on the rest of the play. I have never before read a Greek play, and was taken aback at how the chorus was used. The only other story I’ve read that involved a chorus was the Penelopiad, in which the chorus […]
Ismene the Ignored
I found Ismene to be the most relatable of the characters. She initially doesn’t support Antigone, valuing the laws dictated by Kreon over the duty, which Antigone feels, to her family and to the gods. However, she later changes her mind and begs Antigone to let her help. As discussed in the lecture, Antigone and Kreon are both right and both wrong. Because there is no right answer between them, it is difficult for Ismene to decide what to do. This is how I would feel in such a situation…read more
Is Antigone a Tragic Hero?
From what I learned in high school when reading Greek literature, there are five key qualifications for a tragic hero: a. Noble Stature: Since the tragedy often involves the “fall” of a hero, the central character must have a lofty position to fall from, or else it’s not considered a tragedy, but rather just a misfortunate […]
My Thoughts on Antigone
After somehow managing to get through The Republic, I was under the impression that I would never again have so many questions about a single piece of writing. As usual, I was wrong. Looking back on Sophocles’ Antigone, I realize that there are many little things that confuse me now that I seem not to have noticed […]
On Absolutism and the State
Sophocles’ Antigone provides an interesting perspective on the absolute ruler. In lecture today, we talked about the idea of Creon as the real tragic character of Creon, whose fatal flaw of stubbornness and unwillingness to change is his downfall. As the other main character and the arguable antagonist, the audience gets to see a lot of […] Continue reading →
Antigone
Antigone is a Greek tragedy by Sophocles. It contains many lessons in a short drama. In the opening scene with Antigone and Ismene we learn about the Theban political situation in the play and how that relates to what Antigone is going to perform. Antigone’s father Oedipus, the former ruler along with his wife and […]
Antigone
This is not what I imagined when I began reading this novel. First, when I had picked up the myth, I had assumed that Kreon was a wise, fair, and understanding king; he proved to have none of these qualities. … Continue reading →
Antigone would vote Tea Party
The comparably specific themes and issues of Antigone were a nice change from the behemoth that was the Republic. Yet I found the situation in Sophocles’ work to be no less gripping. For Antigone’s dilemma seemed fairly pertinent and universal- should she abide by the law or follow what she thinks is right? The fact that […]