Western Illinois University ACT, Financial Aid, More

Antigone Character Analysis - 927 Words

Breaking the law for the sake of love is a popular topic in media and literature today, and has been for years. This theme comes to life in Sophocles’ Antigone, as he illustrates the internal and external struggles of complex characters. The play follows Antigone, a young rebellious girl betrothed to the king’s son. Haemon, prince of Thebes, finds his loyalty caught between his father’s legalistic ways and Antigone’s, which stem from emotion. In Antigone, Haemon reveals himself as a tragic hero through his struggle between obedience to his father and his love for Antigone. His struggle reveals how obedience to authority must sometimes be broken to initiate change. Haemon’s love for Antigone pulls him in one direction, away from his†¦show more content†¦Haemon’s obedience to his father confines his actions and keeps him from speaking his mind. Out of fear, he remains between his father’s close-mindedness and his own intentions to better the kingdom. At the beginning of their conversation Haemon makes a point to tell Creon, â€Å"Father, I am your son†¦ you in your wisdom, set my bearings for me- I obey you† (710). Creon and Haemon’s relationship, though it holds love underneath, is rigid and controlling. Haemon must be obedient under all circumstances and complies, fearing the consequences of stepping out of line. His underlying love and familys teaching confines him to an ignored and discredited position in his kingdom and his family. Creon understands the motivation under Haemon’s argument, stating that, â€Å"every word you say is a blatant appeal for her.† to which Haemon respo nds by saying, â€Å"And you, and me, and the gods beneath the earth† (840-841). This conflict allows the audience to see that Creon fears where Haemon’s allegiances lie, and thus pushes requirements onto him. He convinces his son that loyalty to family need overcomes all other commitments. Haemon’s desperate action also appears through his plea that freeing Antigone is in the interest of everyone, not only his own. Haemon is experiencing an internal struggle between his moral instinct and the teachings of his father. towards his fiancà ©, while still attempting to keep his physical alliances lie with his father HaemonShow 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. The ideaRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of Antigone1533 Words   |  7 Pagesplay centers around a young girl, Antigone, that is determined to bury her wronged brother even though it will end in her imminent death. Creon, the king, has deemed it illegal for anyone to bury Antigone’s brother’s body, even though it is the female family member s duty given by the gods to perform the burial. Antigone stuck to her oath to bury her brother and is caught by Creon and sentenced to death. One of the main themes in this play is family. Each character s ending will be tragic due toRead MoreAntigone Character Analysis1468 Words   |  6 PagesIn the play of Antigone, Sophicles creates a plot that I believe playfully would make viewers sympathetic of the protagonist Antigone. At the beginning of the play, viewers obviously were very sympathetic to Antigone. All she wanted to do was bury her dead brother, and Kreon made it illegal to do such a deed. However, as the play went on, I gai ned more and more insight on Kreon and my opinion changed. Although Antigone sacrificed her life for what she believed was right, I sympathize more with KreonRead MoreAntigone Character Analysis1071 Words   |  5 PagesSophocles’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, refusingRead MoreAntigone Character Analysis1122 Words   |  5 PagesAntigone is a Greek play that features a heroine that shows courage and righteousness. This is an interesting play that I believe I would enjoy having the ability to direct. The possibilities that t his play can become I think would be very entertaining and meaningful to explore. If I were to direct this play I would want it to communicate that courage comes in many forms and that following one’s beliefs and morals against oppressors is one of the most courageous things that one can do. I would alsoRead MoreAntigone Character Analysis916 Words   |  4 PagesSophocles’ play Antigone, my initial impression of Creon was that his beliefs of the law and the state were rational because of his role as a ruler. But as the play progressed, I began to disagree with his behavior and his values because he only focused on his own moral beliefs rather than considering the beliefs of other people, which could have resolved conflict. Throughout the play, the theme of authority of the state and religion is represented through the individual beliefs of Antigone and Creon.Read MoreCharacter Analysis Of Antigone1009 Words   |  5 PagesIn Sophocles’ Antigone, Antigone finds herself between King Creon and her deep belief in the Gods. Antigone holds a hig h social status as she is one of the daughters of the late King Oedipus and she is King Creon’s niece. The play starts off with Antigone losing both her brothers in a battle that took place around the city of Thebes. One brother, Eteocles, is defending the city while the other brother, Polynices, is attacking. King Creon declares a decree that no one is to bury the traitor and ifRead MoreAntigone Character Analysis Essay603 Words   |  3 PagesIn Antigone, Antigone braves through all of her hardships and decisions with her morals and set of values. She dies with pride and no regret for she died because she acted doing what was morally right. Many Greek writers disagree with these traits that Sophocles has given her but it is appropriate because she needed these traits to show defiance and be able to stand up for what is right. Antigone is a tragic heroine who believes in her duty to her family and is willing to sacrifice allRead MoreCreon And Antigone Character Analysis1538 Words   |  7 PagesThe characters Creon and Antigone, from Sophocles’ Antigone, act as cautionary figures for the audience as they warn against the intense belief in and dedication to a single perspective, as doing so leads to a certain lack of malleability that is detrimental to maintaining a fully functioning society. The onlookers of this play, the Athenian people, come to naturally notice the benefits of remaining within the middle ground between beliefs such as those that Creon and Antigone stood for. The unfortunateRead MoreThe Character Analysis Of Eteocless Antigone740 Words   |  3 Pages The play Antigone, based in 441 B.C. in Thebes, Greece, told a tale about a fictional family. At the commencement of the play, main character Antigone and her sister, Ismene, travel to Thebes. Upon arrival, the two discover that both of their brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices, are dead. Eteocles has been given the p roper burial, but Creon, Antigone’s uncle who had just attained the throne, banned the burial of Polyneices, because he deemed him to be a traitor. Antigone believed that this was unfair

Monks Free Essays

The basic purpose of monasticism is devotion to spiritual work and abdication from earthly temptations. Monasticism is known in many religions including Christianity. The word â€Å"monk† itself derives from Greek ‘monos’ – alone, so originally monasticism supposed it’s adepts to live alone[1]. We will write a custom essay sample on Monks or any similar topic only for you Order Now Such lonely style of living has been known from the early years of Christianity, but it’s symbol is the figure of Antony the Great – a charismatic leader of the desert monks, who is said to be a founder of Christian monasticism. Antony and his followers completely left the world and devoted their lives to prays and manual work, attempting to reach cleanse their soul and know God[2]. Those â€Å"escapists† became known as anchorites (the word derives from a Greek word meaning â€Å"to withdraw†). Anchorites strived to stay alone with God and their way was a way of individual salvation. Such approach was good for early Christianity, however, with the development of Church as organization and spread of the new religion in Europe it could not satisfy both the Church and it’s numerous believers. So another way called cenobitic monasticism became popular. Saint Pachomius, the father of cenobitism has founded a community where numerous monks (both male and female) lived separately in huts or caves, however they met for prays and to perform common duties. Such from of monasticism allowed to make it more arranged and uniformed as well as to guide and control the monks. Pachomius himself wrote the first statute to govern the life in a monastery[3]. Cenobitism has not rejected the idea of personal mystical insight, it rather allowed to unite the associate-monks around a figure of a prior. So a monastery in cenobitism is a sort of school where knowledge of God is taught. Both cenobitism and anchoritism are united by several universal principles of monasticism such as surrender of all earthly vanity, labor as a part of salvation, individual way of spiritual rebirth, prayers as basic mystical practice, etc. Works Cited: 1.Lawrence, C. H. 2001. Medieval Monasticism: Forms of Religious Life in Western Europe in the Middle Ages (3rd Edition). New York: Longmans 2. Burns, Paul, ed. Butler’s Lives of the Saints: New Full Edition January vol. Collegeville, MN:The Liturgical Press 3.Johnston, William M. (ed.). 2000. Encyclopedia of Monasticism. vol. 2., Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers [1] Lawrence, C. H. 2001. Medieval Monasticism: Forms of Religious Life in Western Europe in the Middle Ages (3rd Edition). New York: Longmans, p.- 9 [2] Burns, Paul, ed. Butler’s Lives of the Saints: New Full Edition January vol. Collegeville, MN:The Liturgical Press, p- 107 [3] Johnston, William M. (ed.). 2000. Encyclopedia of Monasticism. vol. 2., Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, p. – 215 [4] Lawrence, C. H.   (supra note) p.- 45 How to cite Monks, Essay examples