She literally begs him to stop quarrelling with Creon but he refuses to listen to her. He becomes obsessed to Jocasta's demise. When he tells his wife, "I will not listen; the truth must be made known" (Sophocles Oedipus 825), she knows that she has lost her husband. The additional cost for Jocasta will be her marriage and, finally, her life. From these situations, we learn that duty is not something that can be had for free. Even in ancient times, individuals were confronted with choices to make for or against something they believed in. These choices involve some sort of sacrifice and it does not matter when these kinds of situations occur - sacrifice is a part of life and, more importantly, a part of human character. These ancient transcripts also educate us in the arena of familial values in that although family relations are significant, they are not always positive. In Antigone, we find that Antigone's relationship with her uncle is filled with rigidity. Because he is king, he can demand a certain amount of reverence from her and he can even offer her guidance. However, this does not mean that she will respect him and most of the tension in the play stems from their relationship. The tension in their relationship certainly does not dissuade Antigone from anything. After Creon asks her if she broke the law, she tells him, "I did it. I don't deny a thing" (Sophocles Antigone 492). She can admit to him that death does not frighten her and anything he could do to her is "precious little pain... This is nothing... I've been accused of folly by a fool" (Sophocles Antigone 520). In this scene, we see how little anything else means to her. Once she has made up her mind, there is no going back. We also see stress...
We have no doubt that he is in love with her but he is reminded by Mercury that he has an obligation to his family. He dealt with his desire and "though he sighed his heart out, shaken still/With love of her, yet took the course heaven gave him/And went back to the fleet" (Virgil 110). Aeneas had to abandon his passion for a superior sense of duty that included his family. Jocasta and Oedipus also experience tension in their relationship because Oedipus is so determined. Oedipus goes to great lengths to cause Jocasta stress, including questioning the messenger and arguing with Creon. Jocasta does everything she can to keep Oedipus from finding out the truth - even getting into arguments with him. She learns that she is fighting a battle that cannot be won because Oedipus is more concerned about his heritage than anything and he cannot see the bad that can come from it like she can. These situations allow us to see how family relationships are complicated, regardless of when these stories take place.
However, there are a number of similarities in the two writings, ranging from the dominance of men over women to the determination of women to do as they please, with no care whatsoever of the consequences that their actions have on themselves. "My Duchess" does not actually bring proof to support the concept that the duchess is actually dead, thus leading one to believe that she did not receive the
It was an open protest based of selfishness and arrogance and it had no rational explanation. Pentheus is punished by death and dies from the hands of his mother who thought he was a wild beats. Such death is very symbolic as it outlines that the will of god is higher than love of mother to son and god's punishment has no mercy to sinners: "What is wisdom? Or
Antigone: A clash of state and personal values Sophocles' drama Antigone unfolds the tale of the tragic daughter of Oedipus Rex. At the beginning of the play Antigone is the bereft sister of two dead brothers who died fighting in the Theban civil war. Creon gives the brother (Eteocles) who defended the city's current leadership a hero's burial while leaves the other brother (Polyneices) to rot in the streets, exposed to
Antigone Literature has the ability to reflect the society in which the piece was created and the cultural beliefs of that community. This cultural perspective also has to do with the religion of the community in which the piece of literature was written. The discrepancy between religious belief and the demands and order of the governmental system is a particularly common theme in literature. Perhaps one of the best examples of
Antigone is the last play in the Oedipus cycle written by Sophocles. In the play, Antigone, the Oedipus's sister-daughter challenges her uncle, Creon, who has ascended the Theban throne after he brothers, Polyneices and Eteocles, are killed in battle. In the play, Antigone defies Creon's mandate that Polyneices should not be granted a proper burial because he is an traitor and an enemy of the state. Because of her opposing
Hot-button topics like abortion and related women's rights are commonly addressed by feminists and non-traditional women. That is not to say that traditional women do not believe they should have reproductive rights, but only that non-traditional women are much more likely to speak out on the issue and make their voices heard. Through that, change is often made that benefits both the non-traditional and traditional women in society. This
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