Essays about Antigone

Country: Ancient Greece

Original Language: Ancient Greek

Publication Date: c. 441 BCE 

Sometimes it’s hard to write an essay or Antigone research paper and analyze the main plot of the Greek tragedy written centuries ago, but it is easier when you understand the whole plot of the story written down below.Antigone, one of the daughters of King Oedipus, becomes the main heroine of this tragedy written by Sophocles. Oedipus killed his own father, married his mother, thereby angering the gods, doomed his children to inevitable death. As every antigone research paperAntigone research paper states – the tragedy raises the question of what is more important: “the law is written or unwritten”, the first is dictated to us by the gods, the second is ordered by the king.After Oedipus, having gouged out his eyes, leaves Thebes and dies, his sons, Polynices and Eteocles, come to power. But enmity flares up between them and Polynices decides to gather an army in order to win power for himself. Both brothers die in the battle, after which Creon occupies the throne, who was an adviser to Oedipus, and his son was to become the spouse of Antigone. Having become king, Creon decides to punish the traitor Polynices, depriving his body of burial, and to bury Eteocles, as a hero-king, with all the honors. But at that time it was not customary to deprive the body of burial, thus the soul of the unburied was doomed to eternal torment since it could not find a place for itself in the afterlife. Such a measure was unworthy of people and displeasing to the gods, so the dead was already defenseless. But Creon does not think about the laws of heaven, he follows the interests of power and state.Antigone learns about this cruelty and decides to go against the will of the newly-made ruler. After all, she equally loves both brothers, and can in no way allow one of them, even being a traitor, to experience torment after his death. She asks her sister Ismene for help, but refuses so, referring to the fact that everyone in the state must obey the written laws. Meanwhile, there is a holiday in Thebes, because the enemies were defeated, Creon announces his decision to the people, orders the body of the traitor to be taken into custody. But one of the servants bursts in, he reports that the order of the lord has been violated, and someone has already sprinkled a little earth on the body. The ceremony was not completed completely, but formally the burial took place. The king, in a rage, orders to find someone who dared to disobey his order, otherwise all the guards who guarded the body will suffer. After some time, Antigone is brought to Creon, she does not refuse that it was she who committed this crime. The guards say that when they returned to the dead, they brushed off the poured earth from him and continued their watch, but then his sister appeared, began to cry, and again showered him with earth. The princess reminds Creon that the law of the gods is above all, and he violated it. Creon is adamant, he decides to punish her too – walled up alive in a cave.At this moment, Ismene appears, who is ready to share her terrible fate with her sister. Creon accuses Ismene of complicity, but she says that has nothing to do with it. Antigone discourages her, wanting to take everything upon herself. Having summoned his son, the groom of Antigone, the king informs him of his decision, referring to the fact that this is necessary in order for the country to be in order. The son is outraged because the people are also opposed to such a cruel decision of Creon, the son says that he will be with his beloved to the end. The father blames Eros for everything, that he clouded the human mind. The order is carried out, Polynices is left without burial, and Antigone is walled up in a cave. The girl cries, says that instead of a wedding, her death warrant was signed, because she followed the will of the gods, but she does not regret what she did, she is already ready to meet in the kingdom of Hades with her mother and father. She does not understand what her fault is, and why then worships the gods if she is now considered wicked.And here the messenger of the gods appears to the king. He says that the gods are not happy with this course of events. The sacred fires do not light up in the temples, the birds have ceased to predict the events taking place. The messenger also says that for the violation of “unwritten laws”, namely for each death, Creon will pay with a new death. At this time, the servants are trying to find the son of Creon, not finding him anywhere, they report this to the king. He decides to fulfill the will of the gods, but it’s too late.Having opened the passage to the cave, Antigone is found dead. She decided to hang herself, Creon’s son sits at her feet, barely seeing his father, he rushes to him, but he does not reciprocate, and the son thrusts a sword into his chest. This is the first death promised to Creon by the gods. Upon learning of the death of the heir, Creon’s wife, unable to bear grief, also rushes to the sword.Every student who writes antigone research paperAntigone research paper, talks about a that this tragedy was a reflection of the mindset of the ancient Greek society of that time, where they fought between the laws of the king and the laws of the gods. It was an ongoing debate that literature pieces at the time potrayed.