Drama Essay

Yiwei Chen

DR. Michael Moreno

ENGL126

05/13/14

Drama Essay

The ancient Greek tragedian Sophocles wrote this one of the greatest plays of the theatric history-Antigone in 442 BC. The story describes that Antigone, which is the daughter of Oedipus, breaks the law that the king declares do not bury her brother, the betrayer of Thebes, Polynices. She was put to death because she buries her bother. Antigone becomes famous in the city then. She is the tragic hero in this play, and her action protects the religious authority. Her tragic flaw is her hubris. Antigone's flaw is a special kind of hubris that afflicts those who possess the greatest insights. (Antigone's flaw,Lines, Patricia M. Humanitas12.1 (1999): 4.) She has excessive pride. She breaks the law to bury her brother which angers Creon. So Creon sentences her to death. But Creon, he decided everything alone. And finally, he does what he wants, but his family was broken by his own hands.

Antigone is the daughter of Oedipus, and she is a noble in her city. Oedipus was the king of Thebes, but after his downfall, Creon became the next king of Thebes. Antigone is Creon’s niece, so her family is like an aristocratic family. Her Brother Eteocles was dead in the war of protecting Thebes. And another brother Polynices became a betrayer, and colluded with enemies to attack the city. After the war ends, Creon holds a grand funeral for Eteocles, and gives an order that nobody can bury Polynices, the traitor of the city, otherwise, condemned to death. Antigone knows about this, but she still breaks the law, and buried her brother. So Creon gives the order that out her to death. Meanwhile, he meets a prophet, and the prophet tells Creon, his decision offends the Gods. Creon regret, and when he goes to save Antigone, she has hung herself already. The son of Creon, and also fiancé of Antigone, Haemon, fights with Creon, and then kills himself. Creon’s wife heard that her son was dead feels so sad, she blames Creon, and...