Antigone Written by Sophocles

The story of Antigone written by Sophocles focuses on betrayal, choices, and the different consequences people make because those choices. In the story, Antigone decides to bury her brother, Polyneices, who Creon believes to be a traitor to his kingdom. Antigone decides to bury her brother despite Ismene's wishes and Creon's orders. Creon soon discovers that Antigone has buried Polyneices. He then sentences her to an execution. According to German Philosopher George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Antigone represents the tragic collision of right against right, with both sides equally justified. My personal thoughts on the events are very bias due to my religious and personal views. I believe that Antigone and Creon are acting unrealistic so I found it hard to support either of them.

As I said in the first paragraph that Antigone has a desire to bury her brother, mainly influenced by a religious sense, she believes that if she doesn't bury her brother, his spirit will be confined to walk the earth with no place for peace. Sophocles views of the gods are vaguer in Antigone than in Oedipus Rex, one of his earlier writings. In Oedipus Rex, Sophocles views are more obvious, the thought that you don't understand what the gods have planned out for you. In Antigone, Antigone believes that religious beliefs are more important than Creon's order. She even believe that Ismene should make the same choice that is said in Line 27-28 on page 640, "Now you can prove what you are, A true sister, or a traitor to your family," This is why I believe she is unrealistic, she seems to accuse her sister of being a horrible person even though she is just abiding by the law. I also believe her to be childish by what she's doing. When I say this, I mean when a person of authority makes it known you can't do this; she does it anyway like child.

As much as I have been ranting on Antigone, I also believe that Creon is also in the wrong due to the fact that he has so much hate towards the family. I believe that even an enemy of a family would have sympathy for his family. I do like his views on loyalty that he knows he has earned his peoples' loyalty. But I still believe him to be cruel and unreasonable to be sympathetic. I liked him better in Oedipus Rex; he was more likable and was the superstitious character that had to convince Oedipus's naive personality. He seems meaner as I have been saying. In Scene 5, Teiresias come to Creon after he had sent Antigone to her execution, to starve in a cave; he has a conversation with Creon that is basically summarized in these quotes on Page 671 and Line 37, "What glory is it to kill a man who is dead?" 673 and Line 75-76, "The one in a grave before her death, the other, dead, denied the grave. This is your crime." Teiresias agrees with my opinion that he is completely unrealistic about Polyneices and Antigone.

Based on the story, I believe that