I commented on the following people's prompt 2 so Aunty Lisa doesn't have to struggle to find my comments. :]
-Camille R.
-Kellie K.
-Amy T.
-Samantha D.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
PROMPT 2 & Update
UPDATE: Wow I never even knew we had a prompt two. It wasn't announced in class or on edline, so yeah. I was so close to not finding out but thanks to someone (you know who you are), this wasn't late and I was able to do it on time. THANKS! :]
Kneeling at the sands of Thebes, Antigone of the house of Labdacus commits a declared crime, but in her heart she knows that her actions will be a worth it as she gazes at the corroded body of her brother, Polyneices. In one of Sophocles' most acclaimed plays, he establishes a character who is expected to react like the rest of the women in the city and give in to men's demands. Creon, king of Thebes and uncle of Antigone, downplays women and treats them like mere accessories. However, Antigone breaks through the barrier of the law and defies his order, setting forth a chain of reactions that will change the lives of all those involved.
In the play Antigone, a battle ensues between Eteocles (who defends Thebes) and Polyneices (who attempts to plunder Thebes). Both perish in the battle, and Creon declares Polyneices a traitor and threatens to condemn anyone who gives Polyneices a proper burial. Antigone hears of the news and is aghast, and knows that in her heart it is a duty to uphold her brother's final wishes. She asks Ismene, her sister, for assistance but to no avail. Because of this, Antigone goes alone and breaks Creon's decree. She sprinkles dust over Polyneices' body, signifying a cleansing or a sending to the afterlife. Ismene pleads for Antigone not to go back, stating that they "are just women" and cannot do anything against men, iluminating one of the major themes of the play, the role of women in a society that is predominantly ruled by men. Angered by Ismene's words, Antigone dares to return to the body only to be caught by one of the guards. She pleads her case to Creon, not to be released from her consequence, but to prove her cause. Antigone tells Creon that the will of the Gods will always conquer his law, no matter how powerful he might think he is.
Antigone's betrayal of the law contributes a lot to her character. There are many arguments that the tragic hero in this story is Creon, but there are also evidences to support that Antigone could also be a contender for that role. In Antigone, Creon's tragic flaw is his unwillingness to open his mind and see from other people's perspective. This brings about his imminent downfall. However, Antigone is the breaking point in the play. Her fate brings the ultimatum to all the rest of the character's lives, and this is mostly due to a lingering trait that she possesses, which is her pride. In this play, Antigone seems to be boastful about her actions, that she alone buried Polyneices. In the scene where Ismene pleads to be joined in her sister's punishment, Antigone counters Ismene's plea and states that her sister had no part in burying Polyneices alone, and she deserves no credit. It is to be understood that this seemingly innocent act of protecting her sister is a guise for her thirst of justice. Antigone alone wanted credit, and she did not defend her sister out of love, but out of desperation to prove that Creon's laws should be defunct. In the scene where she walks to her deathbed, she rages at the people of Thebes and curses their sympathies, for she has no regret in performing the God's wills. She also has an epiphany and compares herself to the goddess Niobe, a woman who was turned into statue for boasting about her beauty. This statement, which is often perceived as cry for sympathy, can be analyzed as the point where her hubris is finally revealed, and that she acknowledges her pride as her downfall. Antigone believed that she alone can defy Creon's laws and save her brother's damned soul.
Antigone's death conjures a tragedy that claims the lives of many others who are left on the earth. Because of her death, Haemon, her lover, seeks vengeance against his father, attempting to murder Creon by impaling him with a dagger. Creon swiftly dodges his son's unexpected attack, and after Haemon's realization of his failure, his desperation leads him to commit suicide and stab himself. Overcome by grief, Creon contemplates whether the unfolding events have all been the result of his foolish judgement of Antigone, and weeps for the death of his son. Eurydice learns of his son's death, and is devastated when she finds out that Creon was the cause of his death. She, too, feels that her husband deserves no mercy, and joins her son in the afterlife by piercing herself with her sheers.
Do the end justify the means? In Antigone, the title character of the play is faced with a certain warfare in which her values is pitted against the laws of society. Does a woman have a voice in a society that is predominantly ruled by men? She strives to attain the answer to this question and breaks the law of a tyrannous king, therefore also breaking the stereotype of women as helpless. Though conflicted with society's views, Antigone successfully breaks Creon's decrees and proves that the God's laws will always reign above. In doing so, she also reveals her tragic flaw of pride and ignites a chain of events that bring the dramatic play of Sophocles' Antigone to a devastating close.
Kneeling at the sands of Thebes, Antigone of the house of Labdacus commits a declared crime, but in her heart she knows that her actions will be a worth it as she gazes at the corroded body of her brother, Polyneices. In one of Sophocles' most acclaimed plays, he establishes a character who is expected to react like the rest of the women in the city and give in to men's demands. Creon, king of Thebes and uncle of Antigone, downplays women and treats them like mere accessories. However, Antigone breaks through the barrier of the law and defies his order, setting forth a chain of reactions that will change the lives of all those involved.
In the play Antigone, a battle ensues between Eteocles (who defends Thebes) and Polyneices (who attempts to plunder Thebes). Both perish in the battle, and Creon declares Polyneices a traitor and threatens to condemn anyone who gives Polyneices a proper burial. Antigone hears of the news and is aghast, and knows that in her heart it is a duty to uphold her brother's final wishes. She asks Ismene, her sister, for assistance but to no avail. Because of this, Antigone goes alone and breaks Creon's decree. She sprinkles dust over Polyneices' body, signifying a cleansing or a sending to the afterlife. Ismene pleads for Antigone not to go back, stating that they "are just women" and cannot do anything against men, iluminating one of the major themes of the play, the role of women in a society that is predominantly ruled by men. Angered by Ismene's words, Antigone dares to return to the body only to be caught by one of the guards. She pleads her case to Creon, not to be released from her consequence, but to prove her cause. Antigone tells Creon that the will of the Gods will always conquer his law, no matter how powerful he might think he is.
Antigone's betrayal of the law contributes a lot to her character. There are many arguments that the tragic hero in this story is Creon, but there are also evidences to support that Antigone could also be a contender for that role. In Antigone, Creon's tragic flaw is his unwillingness to open his mind and see from other people's perspective. This brings about his imminent downfall. However, Antigone is the breaking point in the play. Her fate brings the ultimatum to all the rest of the character's lives, and this is mostly due to a lingering trait that she possesses, which is her pride. In this play, Antigone seems to be boastful about her actions, that she alone buried Polyneices. In the scene where Ismene pleads to be joined in her sister's punishment, Antigone counters Ismene's plea and states that her sister had no part in burying Polyneices alone, and she deserves no credit. It is to be understood that this seemingly innocent act of protecting her sister is a guise for her thirst of justice. Antigone alone wanted credit, and she did not defend her sister out of love, but out of desperation to prove that Creon's laws should be defunct. In the scene where she walks to her deathbed, she rages at the people of Thebes and curses their sympathies, for she has no regret in performing the God's wills. She also has an epiphany and compares herself to the goddess Niobe, a woman who was turned into statue for boasting about her beauty. This statement, which is often perceived as cry for sympathy, can be analyzed as the point where her hubris is finally revealed, and that she acknowledges her pride as her downfall. Antigone believed that she alone can defy Creon's laws and save her brother's damned soul.
Antigone's death conjures a tragedy that claims the lives of many others who are left on the earth. Because of her death, Haemon, her lover, seeks vengeance against his father, attempting to murder Creon by impaling him with a dagger. Creon swiftly dodges his son's unexpected attack, and after Haemon's realization of his failure, his desperation leads him to commit suicide and stab himself. Overcome by grief, Creon contemplates whether the unfolding events have all been the result of his foolish judgement of Antigone, and weeps for the death of his son. Eurydice learns of his son's death, and is devastated when she finds out that Creon was the cause of his death. She, too, feels that her husband deserves no mercy, and joins her son in the afterlife by piercing herself with her sheers.
Do the end justify the means? In Antigone, the title character of the play is faced with a certain warfare in which her values is pitted against the laws of society. Does a woman have a voice in a society that is predominantly ruled by men? She strives to attain the answer to this question and breaks the law of a tyrannous king, therefore also breaking the stereotype of women as helpless. Though conflicted with society's views, Antigone successfully breaks Creon's decrees and proves that the God's laws will always reign above. In doing so, she also reveals her tragic flaw of pride and ignites a chain of events that bring the dramatic play of Sophocles' Antigone to a devastating close.
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