Social Life In Antigone

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Pages: 3

In terms of the relationship between the representation of social life, the attempt to make sense of the nature of humanity, and the goal of moral insight and argument in literature, there seems to be a pattern. There is a direct relationship between whether or not a piece of work offers a deep and true insight into human nature and develops a compelling and persuasive moral vision, while in terms of it accurately representing the reality of social life, it forms an indirect relationship.Although the relationship between the criteria have a relationship, it is an unequal relationship. It is usually the insight to human nature and whether or not a persuasive moral vision can be made from the texts have on the audience that prevail over its representation …show more content…
In order to expose that kind of vision onto society, it needs to convolute society itself and break norms to expose the extremes that the human condition can experience, and in doing so, creating a true insight to human nature. A prime example of this is Antigone. The plot of Antigone does not accurately represent the reality of social life: mythology and tragedy play a role that does not translate well into day to day social interactions: such as Antigone’s will to please the gods by burying her dead brother, Creon’s declaration to execute anyone who buries Polynices’ body, and the overall tragic death of the majority of the characters. The play, however, translates an overall profound message of moral choices and the human condition: hubris and morality. The tragedy creates a lens where the audience uses this play and its devices as a way to peer into such complex problems of the human condition: thus developing a compelling and persuasive moral vision for its audience. An example opposite to Antigone is As You Like It. Shakespeare’s As You Like It is a fairly accurate representation of the reality of social life: it displays different kinds of love, family, and power dynamics. The struggle of the characters between who they love and what they can have, and it is representative of the reality of