Why Is Antigone Still Relevant Today

According to Princeton University’s WordNet.web, a hero is someone of exceptional courage and strength. In the words of the great playwright Aristotle, “A man doesn’t become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall.” In most cases, tragic heroes have a high class in their society, but their character flaw causes their downfall in society. In the play Antigone, Creon exemplifies the traits of a tragic hero because his excessive pride led to his downfall; the chain of events that happened to Creon also caused the audience to feel deep pity for Creon.

Even after Antigone was sentenced to be tucked away inside a cave for the rest of her life, she held fast to those laws saying “You will remember what things I suffer...because I would not transgress the laws of heaven”(Scene 4 ll. 78-80). Antigone never doubted that she was wrong. She always knew that she was correct in the eyes of the gods, and in the end, it was the god’s opinions that mattered. Unfortunately for Creon, however, he learned this fact too late.

The first reason for Creon's stubbornness towards Antigone is that he wants to establish order in Thebes by being “the man”, and Antigone is directly

Antigone being the one to fight for her beliefs and obeying the god's laws attempts the burial of Polyneices and goes against Creon’s law to prove to him that he’s in over his head that he has too much pride in himself, in lines 15-35 Antigone claims that she is going to go

When Antigone is brought before Creon she admits to her guilt in disobeying the king’s edict. However, she says she

A great author once wrote, “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude” (Maya Angelou). These wise words are the backbone to the play Antigone by Sophocles. In this play, the audience is maneuvered through this tragic flaw between human and divine law. Many characters in the play are dissatisfied with the circumstances of their lives and because of that, they want to change the conditions in which they find themselves and when faced with a tragic event, the character’s attitude changes.

On the side of Antigone, she is very dedicated to family and it is her greatest priority. She takes it so important for her slain brother to get a decent burial that it brings her to face the wrath of Creon and she eventually dies for it. In the world today, such care that Antigone portrays for the family is almost

Old plays written in ancient Greek theatres can relate to todays world. Plays such as Antigone show us how they used to live and how we can improve our lives based off theirs. In Antigone pride and power are major themes throughout the play and although the play is old it still relates to modern audiences. One major theme in “Antigone” is pride. Pride is revealed in many characters throughout “Antigone”.

Power can not only be seen as literal oppression and tension between humans or characters, but also can be seen as perceived control where a tradition or belief

At the end of the play, the tragic flaw is unveiled to the tragic heroes in what is called a moment of recognition or anagnorisis. In this play “Antigone” there were two central tragic heroes, Antigone and Creon, with both similarities and differences. Antigone’s tragic flaw was relatively due to a positive quality, which is extreme loyalty to her brother in addition to another negative quality, which is being revolutionary. On the other side, Creon’s tragic flaw had a negative motive of extreme tyranny and stubbornness against the laws of nature and gods and human emotions, which caused tragic effects that could not be reversed despite his efforts at the end; consequently, Antigone and Creon’s characters meet at the point of recalcitrance. In this artistic drama, the writer delivers a significant message that utmost obstinacy and pride results in harsh punishments known as “the blows of fate” which are surely acute for anyone to

Antigone believes with all her soul that she is powerful and capable of deciding how to act based on the situation that is presented in her society. She is adamant that she should be free to disobey a command given by a man if she feels the command or the order is unjust and doesn't respect the human’s rights and that can be emphasised strongly by her quote when she

Her sister tries to convince her not to go against Creon’s decree, but because she was so stubborn she would not listen and did as she pleased. “A vain attempt should not be made at all”(Ismene). (Antigone) “So leave me

People have many different reactions when given power. The reaction is usually either one where they use power for a greater good and to guide others in a better situation, or they can misuse the power given and take advantage of the circumstances or others to make themselves feel even more dominant and in command. In the play, Antigone by Sophocles one of the main characters , King Creon, abuses his power to take superiority of others and in an attempt to gain control. The misuse of power is more frequent than the use of power for the favorable, even in many current events.

Consequently, this means that it is possible to modernize Antigone, most likely with the use of more modern examples such as corrupt politicians. Another universal theme presented by the play is the fact that even the smallest person, alone, can fight for what

Antigone strongly disagreed with Creon and his ways of thinking. She thought that all of his power and fame were going to his head. She thought that her brother was a hero for going and dying on the battlefield and that he should have a proper burial. She believed that he should be traditionally buried and not looked down soon like a villain of some sorts. Through the play of Antigone she shows her point of view by being very respectful but well worded at the same time.