Is Antigone's Character Consistent in Terms of Her Speech and Actions?
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- Category: English
- Date Submitted: 02/18/2010 05:35 AM
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In terms of her speech and actions, Antigone is someone who expresses herself ambiguously. Although Antigone is a woman with many feminine traits, it can be seen that some of her actions are more befitting of a man. Yet the fact that she chooses to bury her brother, Polynices, also reveals womanly perspectives of her character. The constant change in her character symbolizes that Antigone is a woman with a great instability in herself though at some point, she portrays great motivation in what she believes in. Therefore, it can be said that she is a woman who possesses many different characteristics.
The play begins with a tense emotional dialogue between Antigone and Ismene after the loss of their two brothers. Antigone who is in a more sensitive state than Ismene seems very agitated and perhaps frightened. As the last surviving women in the house of Oedipus, there is no doubt that their lives are at stake: “Now look at the two of us, left so alone… and things will get worse.” (Lines 70-77, pg. 62) The terror she feels terrifies her to the point she believes that life is pain. Never shamed or disgraced publicly, Antigone’s perfect world was shattered into pieces in a split moment, “There’s nothing, no pain… nothing I haven’t seen in your griefs and mine.” (Lines 5-8, pg. 59) While one of her brothers was buried properly with all rites, the other was left to rot on the grounds of the battlefield forbidden to honour. Antigone pities her brother: “…body of Polynices, who died miserably…unburied, a lovely treasure for birds that scan the field and feast to their heart’s content” (Lines 27-36, pg. 60)
Under Creon’s law, it clearly stated that it is forbidden to bury Polynices’ body however; Antigone defies the law by burying Polynices. Because she is a woman as well as her sister, she believes that this law is mainly aimed at her and her sister: “…the martial law our good Creon lays down for you and me.” (Lines 37-8, pg.60) There is a sense of insignificance...
The play begins with a tense emotional dialogue between Antigone and Ismene after the loss of their two brothers. Antigone who is in a more sensitive state than Ismene seems very agitated and perhaps frightened. As the last surviving women in the house of Oedipus, there is no doubt that their lives are at stake: “Now look at the two of us, left so alone… and things will get worse.” (Lines 70-77, pg. 62) The terror she feels terrifies her to the point she believes that life is pain. Never shamed or disgraced publicly, Antigone’s perfect world was shattered into pieces in a split moment, “There’s nothing, no pain… nothing I haven’t seen in your griefs and mine.” (Lines 5-8, pg. 59) While one of her brothers was buried properly with all rites, the other was left to rot on the grounds of the battlefield forbidden to honour. Antigone pities her brother: “…body of Polynices, who died miserably…unburied, a lovely treasure for birds that scan the field and feast to their heart’s content” (Lines 27-36, pg. 60)
Under Creon’s law, it clearly stated that it is forbidden to bury Polynices’ body however; Antigone defies the law by burying Polynices. Because she is a woman as well as her sister, she believes that this law is mainly aimed at her and her sister: “…the martial law our good Creon lays down for you and me.” (Lines 37-8, pg.60) There is a sense of insignificance...