Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Antigone, Ismene, and Uncle Creon
You've started reading Antigone, and already it's clear that the story is different than Oedipus Rex, yet similarities exist, too. What interests you about these characters? What stands out? What seems similar? How do Ismene and Antigone resemble typical siblings? How are they different? In what ways are they similar or different than Oedipus? What do you think of Creon as a leader? USE TEXTUAL EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT YOUR RESPONSE.
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Although Antigone and Oedipus Rex are both written by Sophocles, there are many differences between the stories. For example, Oedipus is no longer alive and hence is no longer ruling over Thebes. However, both stories are similar because they both feature a king who is determined to discover a culprit in a mystery. Oedipus and Creon both declare that they will do everything in their power to find the culprit. In Antigone, the main characters, Ismene and Antigone resemble a typical sibling relationship. The older sibling, Antigone is the bossier and more controlling one. Ismene, the younger sibling is more prudent and obedient to the laws. Although they are siblings, they both have different characteristics. Antigone is more courageous and fearless. She says, “ Creon is not strong enough to stand in my way.” Ismene on the other hand is cautious, fears death, and doesn’t want to die. For example Ismene says, “impossible things shouldn't be tried at all.” Antigone definitely reminds me of Oedipus. She is very determined to accomplish her goals. I think that Creon is a bad leader and is in some ways like Oedipus. Creon and Oedipus are similar because they both disregard the gods. They are also similar because they are determined. However, Oedipus is more heroic because he showed that he was more compassionate. Creon, on the other hand uses fear as a weapon and did not want to bury Polynieces even though he died.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that both stories feature the same characters, yet they are in different positions. They play different roles. Their personalities are the same, though this shows a different side to each of them. Each play demonstrates different reactions by the characters. Ismene and Antigone resemble typical siblings in that Antigone is more courageous saying "Creon is not strong enough to stand in my way". She is the older sibling bossing around the younger to bury their brother. Ismene the younger sibling wants to abide by the law saying "I have no strength to break laws". She has grown up bossed around and feeling inferior to her elder sibling. They are different than normal siblings in that their family is rather unique. Their brothers killed each other and their father is technically their sibling. Creon rules by fear. Oedipus on the other hand ruled with love. He makes the same mistake as oedipus, he disregards the gods.
ReplyDeleteThe characters in Antigone are very interesting and have a different points of view then each other. Antigone is not afraid, and is willing to risk her life, to bury her brother, where as Ismene, is very scared and is afraid of the punishments. They are similar, because they both care about their brother, they are just opposites in the way they act. Ismene and Antigone to resemble typical siblings. They fight and disagree. Antigone says, "That must be your excuse, I suppose. But as for me, I will bury the brother I love" (192). They have different points of view like most siblings, they also speak to each other in a way that siblings would speak together. They are different then typical siblings. Most typical siblings don't need to bury their brother, and are breaking the law. Also most typical siblings fight over what they are going to eat for dinner. Antigone and Ismene and like Oedipus, but in different ways. Oedipus is very persistent, and wont look at much reasoning, and Antigone is very similar in this way. Ismene, is running away from family and from troubles just like Oedipus did. She says, "They mean a great deal to me; but I have no strength.." (192). They are different then Oedipus though. Antigone has more strength, and is not afraid of death. Although Ismene is very similar to Oedipus. I think of Creon as more of an advisor then a king. I think this because, he lived along side a king and queen, but never had all the power and I think that because of this, their would be a more suitable king out their. I also think that Creon has an anger management issue. When he found out that someone buried the brother and disobeyed his order, he flips out on the Sentry, who was just delivering the message. Creon says, "Find that man, bring him here to me, or your death..." (202). Creon doesn't even hear the Sentry out before sentencing him to death if he does not find the one who buried the brother and for this I think that Creon would not make the best leader.
ReplyDeleteOne of the biggest things that jumps out about the new characters, Antigonê and Ismene, is that they seem to be exact opposites. Antigonê has almost no sense of self preservation as proven when she says “Creon is not strong enough to stand in my way” (191). She does not stop to think what defining Creon could mean for her and her sister. On the other hand Ismene is more cautious and thinks through the consequences. On page 191 she tells her sister “We are only woman, we cannot fight with men, Antigonê!” Unlike her sister she is afraid of what the consequences could mean for her and her family. It is not unusual with siblings to have countering views when it comes to what is right and wrong. Antigonê and Ismene seem to be normal siblings that fight and have different views but all of their traits have been amplified. Ismene is more cautious and defensive than a normal sibling and Antigonê is more bold than the normal child. Antigonê clearly gets her ideas of right and wrong from Oedipus and Ismene gets her ability to stand up for herself from him. On page 192 she says “ They mean a great deal to me; but I have no strength to break laws that were made for the public good.” It would take a lot of courage to stand up to a person like Antigonê, even more so if it is your sister. The whole argument that the two sisters are having is all because of Creon, who has now taken the throne and has forbid anyone from burying their brother. Creon has begun to use fear as a weapon. On page 198 he tells Choragos “ You will give no support to whoever breaks this law.” and latter he begins to threaten a sentry who brings news about Polyneicês’ burial.
ReplyDeleteDespite Oedipus rex and Antigone being in the same series and being written by the same author they are different. They both have many of the same characters and in the same the location but they are very different stories. There are some similarities though like the message and meaning behind the story. The intentions of the two sister are to fo good by their family. They both just want to do what is right. What stands out is there large differences. Ismene and Antigone resemble typical siblings because they fight a lot. They are average sibling that are very different, very set in their ways and argue a lot. The two sisters are very different. One is very gutsy and is not afraid of death. In the play she is willing to risk her life to burry her brother. The other is very conservative. She is not willing to go with her sister to burry her brother. She does not think it is worth risking. In the play she says it is not worth trying to do the imposable. Despite being so different they want similar thing. They both want to better their family Ismene want to stay behind and not get in trouble so she will not put a bad face on her family. Antigone want to burry her brother to release his soul. She cant leave him to be eaten by the birds. They are both similar to Oedipus because they want to do good. They both want to do what is right but they have different ideas of what that is. I think that Creon is different from Oedipus in the way that he does good for the city state but he does not care about the people as much. He wants to make the city state grow but he does not really care about the people. In this way I would much rather have Oedipus as a leader.
ReplyDeleteI think that the charters are really interesting, especially Antigone. She is very courages and is not afraid of death. She is willing to stand up for what she believes in. She is not afraid to get in trouble for doing what she thinks is right. A quote that represents that is "That must be your excuse, I suppose. But as for me, I will bury the brother I love" I think that it is noble of her for willing to break the law to do whats right for her brother who is dead regardless of the consequences. Ismene and Antigone are typical siblings. They go back and fourth on what they believe in but they always seem to stand their ground on their beliefs. Ismene doesn't give in to Antigone and stays true to herself and refuses to break the law.
ReplyDeleteThe story of Antigone is different than Oedipus Rex but the background information is still incorporated. I really like the character Antigone because she seems to have a very driven personality. She does not care that she could get killed for burying her brother. Ismene is the opposite of Antigone because she is cautious and fears the consequences. I think they resemble typical siblings because my siblings and I argue all the time. Antigone seems to have the arrogance that Oedipus had. Ismene is wise and loyal like Oedipus. I do not think that Creon is a good leader. He is constantly setting rules and is extremely strict. Creon is very orderly as he says "You will give no support to whoever breaks this law."(198). Oedipus seems like he would have been a better king for the town of Thebes.
ReplyDeleteIn the play Antigone you get fresh new characters than in Oedipus Rex. Whats interesting is that all these characters all have their own opinions on things. What stands out is the amount of courage and bravery some of these characters have like Antigone. Antigone is very strong willed and isn’t like most people in the sense that she's not afraid to die. What similar to the play Oedipus Rex is the sense that there are still people out there who afraid of saying the truth. Ismene and Antigone resemble typical siblings because they fight just like normal sibling do. They have different opinions on things and don’t always agree. When Antigone wants to bury their brother even though it would be going against Creon and Ismene doesn’t want to Antigone responds with, “This death of mine is of no importance but if I had left my brother lying in the death unburied, I should have suffered.” Antigone is trying to guilt Ismene into doing something which many siblings do to each other sometimes. They are different than regular siblings though in the sense that they are fighting over whether or not they should bury one of their own siblings. They don’t have any other family members but themselves because have all been killed. Antigone is similar to Oedipus because she is just as hard headed as he is and Ismene is just as scared as he was when it comes to the future. Creon as king isn't the best fit. He seems to be as loose of a cannon as Oedipus was and I think that in the future it will come back to haunt him the same way it did to Oedipus.
ReplyDeleteThe plays are similar yet different. In both plays the king is full of rage but in Oedipus Rex the king is compassionate but in Antigone the king uses fear. I think both sisters, Antigone and Ismene, are very interesting. Ismene is very cautious and rational while Antigone is reckless and unpredictable. I think they resemble sisters because the older one, Antigone, bosses around the younger one, Ismene. Antigone and Oedipus are very much alike because they have tunnel vision.
ReplyDeleteOedipus dies but he leaves behind a lot of problems. For one his sons are destroying both the city - states they live in. This is so different from how the two sister act around each other. Oedipus' daughters Antigone and Ismene don't have the powers that their brothers have so they are forced to stick together. They are very close and want to protect one another. Since the deaths of Oedipus and his sons, Creon is king. He is a VERY different ruler that Oedipus. Oedipus was more loosey - goosey for lack of a better word. He was more open to the people who came to him for help. Creon is strict. He he has a very "my way or the highway" mindset. Wether or not this a good, I can't say now but, as the play progresses we will see. I think that all together Oedipus death has left a mark on each person. As the character develop their motives and their way of being will become clear.
ReplyDeleteIn Antigone, Ismene and her sister Antigone are the exact opposite of each other. These two characters have their own ways of going about things. For example, Antigone is all about doing what's right for her family and it doesn't matter to her if she is going to break a rule. However, Ismene does want what is right for her family, but she doesn't want to go to the fullest of possibly breaking the rule and getting caught. Uncle Creon is now the ruler of Thebes since he was next in line from blood, and he has changed quite a bit by being a lot more stressed out and dealing with all of the consequences of being a ruler and making the laws. King Creon seems to be making rules just for the sake of having rules. Creon was always treated highly in the position of a king, but he never had to deal with the stress from all of the decisions of being a king. King Creon is similar in both Oedipus Rex and Antigone by looking out for what's best for his two nieces, Antigone and Ismene. Creon had promised to King Oedipus that he would look out for them, since Oedipus was about to exile himself, and Creon has kept that promise, but he is a little harsh on the girls because he is punishing them both since one was trying to do what's right for her family. Antigone and Ismene resemble typical sisters because they are the exact opposite of each other but they both care for their families first before the rules. Antigone is trying to bury her brother because Creon refuses to bury him since he went on the other side of the big war, but Antigone doesn't care if she is going against the King's rule of not allowing to bury Polynecies. Antigone doesn't fear death because she is trying to do what is best for her family. Ismene however does want the best for her family, but she fears death, and she wouldn't want to go that far to just bury her brother. Ismene and Antigone are very different but they still love each other and Ismene is against Antigone burying their brother because Antigone could cause death, and Ismene doesn't want to be left alone (again). Since both of her brothers and parents are dead. Ismene wished to Antigone as she goes off, "Go then, if you feel that you must. You are unwise, But a loyal friend indeed to those who love you" (194). This quote shows how Antigone and Ismene are very close and different in their own ways. Ismene had self reservation to Antigone because she was able to say no to her sister, and it shows how strong they both are. When Ismene said that Antigone is unwise, it was like when Oedipus said Teiresias is unwise. Oedipus and Antigone are very alike because they both didn't fear death, and went to the fullest to help others out, especially their family. Oedipus was a leader just like Antigone. King Oedipus and Creon are alike by both having a rage issue, and disrespecting the Gods, by trying to outsmart them. However, King Oedipus was much more compassionate about being King than Creon was. Oedipus was elected to be king unlike Creon where he became King because of his blood. Creon is a ruler because of his blood and so he was never elected because he was seen as a true leader. He also makes rules just for the sake of having rules, and where he uses fear as a weapon.
ReplyDeleteWhat interests me about the characters is that as soon as Creon gets into a position of power he acts different than he did in the first play. He gets very strict and orders new laws. Ismene and Antigone are typical siblings in a sense that one of them is more in charge. Antigone bosses and tries to get her younger sister to bury her brother, while Ismene refuses and tries to get Antigone to not do something so reckless. Antigone and Ismene are different because Antigone is not afraid of dying, while Ismene is. Antigone is also not afraid of Creon, she says, “Creon is not strong enough to stand in my way”. I think that Antigone is the most like Oedipus, because when they are both very persistent with what they’re trying to do. I think that Creon is more strict than Oedipus, but so far he is not a bad king, just different.
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ReplyDeleteIn Antigone i see how this story is different but still greatly relates to the play Oedipus Rex. In Antigone the characters are very interesting, they are different and respond and act differently than in Oedipus Rex. The relationship between the two sisters really stand out, i can see how she looks up to the older sister, and also how the older sister is a rule breaker. Creon is similar from the old book. They are typical in the way that i showed before in how they look up to each other but most sisters don’t do illegal things. they are similar to oedipus in the way that they try to defy the gods. Creon as a leader is not as caring as Oedipus but gets everything done and keeps Thebes afloat.
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