Fate And Free Will In Sophocles Antigone

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Antigone has one very important central theme that contributes vastly to the plot. This is the constant dual of fate and, although mostly limited, free will. Or in other words the tension between individual action and fate. Now, while free choices, such as Antigone’s decision to defy the king (Creon), are significant, fate is responsible for many of the most critical and devastating events of the play. One of the most unique parts of Sophocles’ plays are that his characters not only play the roles they’ve been given but they also play “themselves”. By elevating the importance of fate, Sophocles tries to suggest that characters cannot be fully responsible for their actions. This makes it difficult, for example, to blame Oedipus for marrying mother given his ignorance. There have also been debates that the characters are not limited by their fates alone, but by the very knowledge of their fates. Take for example: Antigone, who was had been told she would die a brutal death as a result of her father’s incestuous ways. Since she already knew her time was limited and that she was to die young she lived her life carelessly and hence got herself to her execution. Maybe if she hadn’t known her time was limited she would’ve been more careful as to what laws she disobeyed and maybe she would not have had the attitude that she was going to die anyway. Fate and destiny are always there right in front of us, whereas, free will takes planning and the events going on around in …show more content…
Antigone says “Yea, for thou chosed'st life, and I to die”, where she and her sister clearly choose both their destinies; antigones being death and her sister choosing life. While ismene wraps her mind around her destiny, Antigone decides to put her limited free will in doing what she believes in. She makes her own independent choice even though it breaks the

Antigone Fate Vs Free Will

if any, have the faculty to successfully thwart fate. Fate is all encompassing, the most powerful force in all of human media. It preys upon a character’s weakness while simultaneously being the cause of a character's weakness. Creon, with his boundless confidence and cumbersome ego, is exemplary of a character who attempts to scorn fate, whether that fate be doled out by god or curse. His attempts, are in vain due to the actions and words of Antigone, who is the catalyst to Creon’s eventual downfall…

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English Essay

our power to love, or hate, For will in us is over-ruled by fate" - Christopher Marlowe (hero and Leander). A central theme in both versions of Antigone is fate vs. free will. It sways the characters behaviour and plays a key role in the characters lives. Antigone knows her fate and is ruled by it while Creon believes that he is in control of fate. In both plays Antigone and Creon make their decisions and these choices lead to their fates. Antigone's defiance is the cause of her death while Creon…

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Essay on Oedipus and Play Antigone

Antigone Essay People of power such as kings are often forced to choose between family and law. In the play Antigone, Creon has to make such a decision. He issues the edict to outlaw the burial of his traitor nephew, Poleneices. Creon makes all of his decisions based on his pride and his he position as the king. In Antigone, Sophocles uses characterization to emphasize that “There is no happiness where there is no wisdom.” (Sophocles, 767) and that too much pride is never good. "Fate has brought…

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Theme in Anitgone Essay

2010 Into the Theme of Antigone The Theban Trio logy tragedies were written to be performed at the Great Dionysus, a festival held in honor goddess Dionysus the goddess of fertility, theater, and wine, in Athens. Attending these plays was considered a civic duty and even criminals were let out of jail to attend. Antigone won Sophocles first prize at the festival and was an enormous success. The is one of the series in the Theban Trilogy which are the stories of Oedipus. Antigone sets after the story…

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Oedipus Rex And Antigone Critical Lens Essay

Knowing the future can destroy a character’s life. In Oedipus Rex and Antigone by Sophocles, Laios, Oedipus, and Creon try to break free from their known destinies because they are too proud, and this leads to their overall downfall. In both plays, the characters hear prophecies that they instantly deny. By trying to alter the inevitable, they cause more suffering for themselves and the people around them. In Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, Iocaste, Oedipus’ wife, describes how Laios received a prediction…

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Antigone Essay

well known even in Sophocles’ day, so his audience already knew what would happen at the end of Antigone. The contrast between what the audience knows and what the characters know sets up the tension, the dramatic irony. However, Sophocles uses dramatic license and adds events that are not found in any previous account of the myth, including the quarrels between Antigone and Ismene, Antigone’s two attempts to bury Polynices, Antigone’s betrothal to Haemon, the entombment of Antigone, Tiresias’s argument…

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The Fall Of King Creon In Sophocles Antigone

dangerous weapon to play with, especially when we turn against our religious beliefs. Sophocles’ play, “Antigone, paints a scene of tragedy, where King Creon’s excessive pride, or hubris, directly leads to his demise. Within the story, we watch as Creon’s hubris bears root to his suffering, where he eventually experiences catharsis. Based on Aristotle's theory, Sophocles depicts King Creon as the tragic hero in “Antigone”. Creon’s tragic flaw is hubris. While conversing with his son Haemon, Creon states…

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Comparison, And Creon In Sophocles Antigone

In the Greek play Antigone, by Sophocles, there are many conflicts, heroic acts, and deaths. All of the characters’ traits add to all the events and tragedies involved within this play. Antigone, King Creon, and Ismene are all main characters in Antigone. Antigone is stubborn, bold, and is willing to stand up for the rights of her dead brother, Polynices. King Creon, although his characteristics are very similar to Antigone’s, believes that Polynices should not be buried or given any rights because…

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Similarities Between Antigone And Creon

In the Tragic play Antigone by Sophocles, there are two characters that could be the tragic hero. The two characters are Antigone, the strong independent woman who wants a burial for her brother Polyneices, and Creon, the King of Thebes who does not want to bury Polyneices because he was a traitor to the city. According to Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero (a classic tragic hero), Creon is the better fit for the role of tragic hero, which is shown in the third requirement for a tragic hero…

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Oedipus And Antigone Analysis

Even though Sophocles wrote approximately 123 plays, only seven of them have survived. Two of these seven plays are Oedipus the King and Antigone, which both have very similar themes. Oedipus the King takes place in a city called Thebes where a plague occurs. The king of Thebes, Oedipus, is trying to save his city, trying to figure out what is causing these tragic events, but he is blind to the fact that he is the problem. In the play Antigone, Creon, the new king, has a tragic flaw very similar…

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