Antigone (Methuen Students Editions) (Student Editions) by Anouilh

Researching translations is never an easy task, and in this case, where you'll have to search on the store for the title and the translator to find what you want, it's particularly difficult.

Here's what I've found by comparing several editions:

1. David Grene translation: Seems to be accurate, yet not unwieldy as such. My pick. Language is used precisely, but not to the point where it's barely in English.

2. Fitts/Fitzgerald translation: Excellent as well, though a little less smooth than the Grene one. Certainly not a bad pick.

3. Fagles translation: Beautiful. Not accurate. If you are looking for the smoothest English version, there's no doubt that this is it. That said, because he is looser with the translation, some ideas might be lost. For instance, in Antigone, in the beginning, Antigone discusses how law compels her to bury her brother despite Creon's edict. In Fagles, the "law" concept is lost in "military honors" when discussing the burial of Eteocles. This whole notion of obeying positive law or natural law is very important, but you wouldn't know it from Fagles. In Grene, for example, it is translated to "lawful rites."

4. Gibbons and Segal: Looks great, but right now the book has only Antigone (and not the rest of the trilogy) and costs almost 3x as much. I'll pass. But, from a cursory review, I'm impressed with their work.

5. MacDonald: This edition received some good write-ups, but I wasn't able to do a direct passage-to-passage comparison.

6. Woodruff: NO, NO, NO. Just NO. It's so colloquial it makes me gag. Very accessible, but the modernization of the language is just so extreme as to make it almost laughable. You don't get any sense of the power of language in the play. You just get the story. If you want this to be an easy read, then get Fagles, not this.

7. Kitto: Looks good, though not particularly compelling over either Grene or Fitzgerald (or Gibbons if I wanted to pay so much more).

8. Roche: Practically unreadable the English is so convoluted. Might be the most literal translation, but what's the point unless you are learning Greek and want such a direct translation.

9. Taylor: Way too wordy. Might be more literal, but again, why?

Hope this all helps. Translations can make or break the accessibility of literature. Pick wisely.

"Antigone," the drama by Sophocles, has been published as part of the Dover Thrift Edition series. The Dover version is translated into English by George Young. An introductory note states that the play was first performed in the 440s BCE.
The introductory note also includes a brief summary of events leading up to the events of this play. "Antigone" concerns the family of Oedipus, former ruler of the city-state of Thebes. As "Antigone" opens, Thebes is ruled by Creon, the brother-in-law of Oedipus. Creon is at odds with his niece, Antigone, because he denies a proper burial to Antigone's brother Polynices. Antigone's intention to defy her uncle sets this tragedy in motion.
This is a powerful story about familial duty, social customs, gender roles, and the relationship between the individual and governmental authority. The issues in this play remain relevant today, and are powerfully argued by Sophocles' characters. At the heart of the play is this question: Is it right to disobey a law or edict that one feels is unjust?
But "Antigone" is not just a philosophical meditation; it's also the story of a very personal clash between two strong-willed members of a very troubled extended family. A bonus in the play is the appearance of the seer Tiresias: it is a small but potent role. Overall, this play is a solid example of why ancient Greek drama has stood the test of time.

I actually read an online version of this text provided by my teacher as part of my Introduction to Drama course, so this is not the same translation I'm writing about, but is the same work. While I cannot be sure about this exact translation, I do know that the play itself is an excellent example of ancient Greek tragedy. Even more striking is the strong role given to the female lead, especially at that time in history. It offers a great historical perspective in general. If you are interested in drama at all, it is almost certainly a good idea to read some of the earliest examples, including this one. There are lots of good translations online, as well as in collections of dramas from ancient Greece and elsewhere, in addition to the stand-alone versions. In good translations, such as the one I was provided with, it is easy to read and follow, so there's no reason not to give it a shot. As someone who has read many ancient Greek dramas from several different genres, it's certainly one that I highly recommend.

I think that reading this book would be a positive experience for anyone who can understand it. It has a couple of good morals it communicates to the reader, and it has some hidden points that the reader is allowed to decipher.
Sophocles was trying to get across several points in this play. Firstly, in the time of this play being written, women were subjugated and considered sub-class citizens. Throughout the play, though, the main character and the play's namesake, Antigone(An-tig-oh-nee), who is a woman, fights for her right to act out against the orders of Creon(Kree-on), the king of her home city of Thebes. Creon signifies the typical male ruler at that time. He is domineering, overbearing, and a power hungry chauvinist who cannot stand to be wrong under any circumstances. He clashes with Antigone over the burial of her brother Polynices, who fought her other brother for control of the city. In anger over having his orders defied, let alone by a woman, Creon has Antigone locked in a sort of makeshift dungeon, wherein she eventually hangs herself. It seems throughout the play that the gods are on the side of Antigone, such as when they send a dust storm to bury Polynices, but Creon doggedly pursues his own interests and desires through it all. Thus, the reader is led to side with Antigone from the very beginning, cheering for the heroine, an unusual choice for a play in Sophocles' time.
However, there are some secondary points being communicated here. For one thing, the "hubris" or pride of Creon and Antigone eventually leads to the death of not only Antigone, but also Haemon, Creon's son, and Creon's wife. This illustrates the point that pride not only affects us, but those who we come into contact with and are around us. Also, Antigone chooses to go with not only her gut, but also with the gods, and go against the government. I believe that this is Sophocles' way of communicating to us that though the government can be flawed, especially when it's choices are fundamentally and morally wrong, taking a stand against it may be costly, as it is to Antigone in the play.
While reading this play, I learned mostly about the effects of pride on a person's life. The Bible says that "Pride goeth before a fall", but what is not said is that the fall will be just of the person who has pride. As an example, Haemon did not have a strong issue with pride, but he suffered because of the stubbornness of Antigone and his father, Creon. Creon's wife is hardly mentioned throughout the play, and never seems to come in contact with Antigone, but her life is ended by the squabble as well. Antigone's sister, Ismene(Iss-may-nee) also suffers, because she loses her last sibling due to the rivalry.
I would recommend this reading to other readers, but I would warn that the poetry is extremely difficult to understand, and that if they have trouble with Shakespeare or other older poets, then they might not want to read this, or at least get the Cliff's Notes.

I thought that Antigone was a really great script and was really appealing to me and probably a lot of other readers too. It was a great story about after Oedipus Rex basically killed himself and his two sons, Eteocles and Polynices fought over who would be the next ruler of Thebes and eventually killed each other and that Oedipus' daughters, Antigone and Ismene are now fighting about the burial of Polynices.
Sophocles wanted to have a woman who was the main character and a man who was the complete opposite of Antigone. Since the women were not allowed to participate in the plays and mostly anything, Sophocles wanted to change all that for the better. The people that you meet in the play are: Antigone, Creon, Ismene, Haemon, and Tiresias. The main reason for Sophocles writing this is for a woman to take the part as a headmaster of the main purpose of the play.
I have read that you should respect your elders and submit to those in authority as it says in Romans 13:4-7. Those women in Antigone were greatly disrespected in that time and the men were looked up to. The ruler of Thebes in Antigone now is Oedipus' mother (and wife's) brother Creon, and Creon does not want his son Haemon to marry Antigone because she buried her brother and that was against Creon's law, but the non-burial was also a disrespect for the gods of Greece. Antigone, for her crime was sentenced by Creon to death and the disrespect of all the people and the charge not to marry his son Haemon. After Haemon heared about the sentencing of Antigone, he went away and killed himself. Creon was a really hard-headed, cold-blooded man who took orders from only one person, himself, there was a few people who tried to talk him out of it like the Senators or a blind man named Tiresias and even one of the Sentinels tried to talk to him, but he would not listen to any one of them at all, he simply dismissed that until Haemon killed himself and he would listen then after his own son died because of something he did to the one he loved the most.
I would defiantly recommend this script to anyone who loves tragedy or one who likes the Ancient Greeks. The story is the greatest of all Sophocles plays in my mind and I think people out there would love it, I read it over and over again, I could not put it down it was so good. In conclusion, I would like to say that this script was excellent and I will still read this script twenty years from now and until I die, maybe.

Antigone
Matthew Newkirk
10-15-03
Drama, Mr. Paden
Antigone is good story if you want a story that has a good plot but is semi-difficult to understand. It was a bad story because it was hard to follow because it was written in the play format. For someone that has not so good reading comprehension it will take a little bit more time for them to get the meaning of the story, and the message the author (Sophocles) was trying to get across.
I believe that Sophocles' purpose in writing this play can be summarized into three main points. I believed that the first purpose was to shock the audience because for a woman to be the lead character in a play was truly controversial for that time period. The reason I know this is because if you look at any other play of his time period the main character was most often a man.
Another reason for him writing this was to give women of the day a ray of hope that maybe these people will eventually admit that women can have good ideas. I know this because Antigone's belief that you should obey the gods also lines up with some world-views of today. For example Christians believe that you should not do anything that does not line up with God's word despite what the government says.
The third and final reason I believe Sophocles wrote this was to relay to the audience that too much pride can kill a man. It may not kill him physically but it can kill him mentally and physically too. For example at the end of the play the gods would not let Creon (king of Thebes) die because that was their way of retribution for wrongs that people have committed.
This play also has some very good life lessons that everyone can apply to their lives personally. The first life lesson that I personally could apply is not to let pride and fame and fortune get in the way of what really matters, like family and friends. Another lesson is to not be afraid to admit your mistakes and to take advice in the council of others. These are two life lessons I got out of this story.
I would recommend this play because it is a good tool to use if you are trying to learn what will happen if you do not seek the council of others.

Antigone is a very powerful and positive play in the fact that it teaches many life lessons to be learned. When people read a book or play, they do not take the time to focus on what they can learn from that book or play. With Antigone, the story lays out positive, life lessons that would only take a few moments to think about.

When Sophocles wrote his play Antigone, I think he had a very good point in holding an opposite position to his city's laws. In the time that Sophocles lived in, they looked down upon women. Women were not to be held high, they were not to speak against the law, and they were not to overcome a man. But, the main character in this play, a woman, did all these things. She defied the city's laws and overcame a man. In fact, by having a woman as the main character, the title of the play, and having the story revolve around her, Sophocles became famous. This could very well be a great reason why Sophocles wrote this play.

In the beginning of this play we have Creon, as king, holding his position of keeping his law. He sees himself as right, he will not have a woman win over him. He is prideful. Throughout the whole play, we constantly see Creon making prideful statements, followed by the chorus stating that those who have pride will come to an end. Finally, at the end of the play, when all is lost, Creon gets a taste of what the chorus was talking about. May be Sophocles wanted us to learn this lesson as well.

From these two examples we have two possible reasons why Sophocles has written Antigone. The main reason why Sophocles wrote Antigone, in my opinion, is the latter. When we use the example of women standing up for what is right and men holding their ground, it is good. But it really doesn't pertain to today's times. True, women still have restrictions on what they can do, but we really can't draw a lesson from the story. On the contrary, using Creon's example gives us a picturesque lesson of pride that we all can learn. It is often the last part of a story or book that is the hardest to end. I think Sophocles did an excellent job. The last line says, "Teach men wisdom is age, at last." Creon throughout the whole play is very proud. But at the end, we see here that Creon's pride was finally torn down by the destruction that went on around him. That prideful people can be taught is what I think Sophocles wanted his readers to learn.

Before I read Antigone, I had been learning an important lesson in my life. When I walked through the halls, and I thought to myself, "How can people act like that, do they really think that's cool?" I was judging them; I was putting myself above them. I was saying that I was better than them. From reading Antigone, I learned the lesson doubly that the proud and arrogant will be taught their ways are wrong. When Jesus came to earth, He hung out with every crowd. He did not exclude, judge, put himself higher, or possess arrogance towards anyone. If I am supposed to be like Christ, why am I so proud? Why am I putting myself above others when we are all exactly equal? It's because I'm human. And that's what humans want to do- is put themselves higher than others. But I am called to be not of this world, to not be how humans want to be. I am called to be like Christ, to conform to His Word. And His Word teaches to not be proud.

Although Antigone is written a little hard to understand, and in a historical setting, I would highly recommend it. Americans these days do not take the time to read a historical book or play that could have a great impact on them. They see the "thy, and thou," and they put it down and pick up a book they can understand. My challenge to you is to pick up Antigone, read it, and try to understand the lesson that Sophocles wanted you to learn. It could change your life.

I had a positive response to the book Antigone because of the fact that some good life lessons were included in the story. I didn't really understand all the words of the story because it was one of those old stories written back in the olden days.
Sophocles wrote a good story and added along a couple of life lessons in there that we teenagers would understand because Antigone was around our age and made the same mistakes that we do. The main thing with Antigone was that when she made a mistake, she wanted everyone to know that she did it, and no one else could take the blame for her. She was too prideful and she thought that she was the best when she had done wrong things. When she was about to meet her fate, the words she quoted were "I know I would die but pity me anyway." She doesn't even care that she is going to die. While I was reading this book, I thought Antigone had the most pride I have ever read or seen being displayed.
From this book I have personally learned that I will never try to show as much pride as Antigone. Actually the main downfall for every body in the book and in real life is pride. The second lesson is to get wisdom before we die. The last six lines in the chorus on page 52 say, "Teach men wisdom in age, at last." That is saying that we need to gain or get wisdom before the end of life.
I would recommend this book to others because even though the words are hard to understand, the book packs a lot of life lessons. I thought this book was going to be boring, but getting in our discussion groups and answering questions, hearing everyone's opinion kind of woke me up and got me interested in this book.

"Antigone" is an epic tale of woe and heartache. Written by Sophocles more than 2000 years ago, it remains one of the most beloved of all ancient Greek tragedies. The third in a series of three plays, "Antigone" records the downfall of one royal family. The great playwright Sophocles who is second only to Shakespeare in his writing abilities turned heads with his controversial topics and unimaginable heroes and heroines.
Most of his plays had morals to them, and "Antigone" is no exception. The foundational principal of "Antigone" is pride, and the effects that it has on those around it. According to Sophocles, the very presence of pride can bring down a dynasty. Because of the pride of two people, Antigone's world crumbles at her feet.
Antigone comes from a family full of turmoil. Her father, Oedipus Rex, the king of Thebes, had been sent away from his family due to a prophecy that he would kill his father, and he did just what was prophesied. While traveling toward Thebes, he came across a band of men who attacked him, and he unknowingly killed his father. Then, when he arrived in Thebes, he married a newly widowed woman named Jocasta who is his mother and the mother of his children, Antigone and her brothers and sister.
After many years, Oedipus Rex was informed of what he had done, and he is so completely devastated that he plucks his eyes out and retreats into the wilderness. Josasta upon hearing the news of husband's identity kills herself. In the midst of his grief, Oedipus Rex places a curse on the lives of his two sons, Polynices and Eteocles. The curse being that they will both die by the other brother's hand, which is exactly how they die. The brothers wage war against each other over who will be the next king of Thebes, and they are both slain during the rebellion lead by Polynices who is the second in line for the throne.
With the death of both Eteocles and Polynices, Creon, the brother of Jocasta and the uncle of Antigone, seizes the throne and places an edict that no one can burry the body of the traitorous Polynices who lead the rebellion on Thebes. If anyone so much as touches his body, they will be killed. For this time period, not to be buried was a great offence to the person's soul, and considered the worst things ever to happen to a person. It is at this point in the trilogy that Antigone steps up to defend the honor of her family and her deceased bother.
In the middle of the night, Antigone sneaks off to burry her brother despite her uncle's unretractable law. When Creon discovers the missing body, he is furious and demands that the criminal be found and put to death. After much searching, Antigone is found guilty. In order to save the life of her sister, Ismene claims that she was the true culprit, but Creon takes no heed. He sentences Antigone to be jailed in a cave out side of town where her life will be in the hands of the gods. If they wish her it live, than they will keep her alive. By punishing Antigone in such a way, Creon attempted to remove her death from his couscous.
All of these proceedings and charges angered Creon's son, Haemon, who was betrothed to Antigone. Haemon along with other cancellers of Creon attempted to convince Creon to refrain from harsh judgment of Antigone. Haemon even proclaimed to Creon that he would be sorry if Antigone was harmed in any way for his love for her was sincerely deep, yet Creon heeded not his warning.
Creon proceeded with his plans of for Antigone's punishment, and doing so, angered the gods. Shortly after placing Antigone in her eternal imprisonment, Creon encounters a blind prophet named Tiresias who warns Creon of the gods' anger. He tells Creon that because of his crimes everything he holds dear will be lost to him.
In order to save both his kingdom and his loved ones, Creon buries Polynices' body with the honor that it deserves and attempted to release Antigone from her stone prison, but he is too late. Antigone full of misery hung herself from the ceiling of cavernous jail cell. Haemon who had come to her stone tomb with the hope of releasing his love from death found her death body hanging from the rafters. In his love-sickened grief, Haemon took his sword and ended his life at the feet of his lover.
On hearing the news of the death of her son, Eurydice, the wife of Creon and the mother of Haemon, kills herself as well. Creon who is so distressed with the death of his family members wishes he could take his life as well, but he knows that he cannot. He is destined to live out the rest of his life in misery and anguish due to his harsh and unforgiving treatment of Antigone.
I believe that Sophocles is clearly showing the downfalls of pride. He wants the reader to walk away with a humble spirit and a forgiving attitude. I personally felt humbled by this play. When I finished reading it, I felt a strong sense of gratefulness for loved ones that I hold dear. It made me want to tell them that I loved them, because you never know when death will come knocking at your door.
I recommend "Antigone" only if the reader is willing read the play many times over. It is not an easy read full of many words and phrases that had no meaning to me. But over all, "Antigone" was an excellent play full of principals that everyone needs to learn during their lifetime. My hope is that when it is read that we will all learn the truths taught by Sophocles. If everyone learned the destructiveness of pride, the world that we live in would be a better place.

Sophocles finished the trilogy nicely with this. Part 3 basically revolves around the contrast between Creon's hatred and Antigone's compassion. Creon's son also plays an interesting role. He sways between his father and Antigone, and finally he chooses Antigone. The death of Antigone and Creon's son is a worthy followup to the horror of Oediuus blinding himself and the beauty of Oedipus "seemingly sighted" entering the Greek version of heaven. It is also interesting that when Creon beholds this horror, he too becomes human again. It is interesting that Sophocles creates both intense horror and beauty in each part of the trilogy. Also, the horror in his plays returns the characters to humanity.

I think that Sophocles' Antigone was both a good story and a not so good story. I liked the story because it was an interesting plot with all the twists and turns and all the foreshadowing and parallels made between the gods and the characters. One reason that I did not like it was because it was hard to understand. The language was different from the modern language that I am used to and therefore it was a little confusing at times. Also I am not familiar with the Greek gods so at times, I did not catch all the comparisons between them and the characters.

I believe that Sophocles' main point in writing this story was to teach a lesson. The point of Greek tragedies were to teach religious lessons to the characters and also to the audience. One of the main points of the story was about hubris. About the characters' pride. Creon was a very prideful man, and was not willing to admit his mistakes until the conclusion of the play when he had nothing left. When the consequences of his choices were irreversible. Sophocles' might have been trying to point out the damage that pride can do and expose it for the problem it really is. Not only does pride affect yourself, but the choices that you make also affect other people. Pride has a rippling effect.

Creon's pride was very evident when he would not admit that he was in the wrong for not burying Pericles in the first place. When Antigone defied his order, his pride began to take its toll. He would now have to obey his own order and kill her for going against him. By killing Antigone, he was killing his son, Haemon, emotionally. Haemon was to be married to Antigone and now was destined to be without his love. When the guards began to entomb Antigone, they realized that she had hung herself and when Haemon saw that she was gone, he killed himself at her feet.

Creon's pride once again ripples into someone else's life. His wife, Eurydice, hears of her son's suicide and quietly leaves. She goes into her room and then slits her throat. When hearing about Eurydice's death as well, he finally admits his mistake. "No one is guilty of the deed but I alone. Would that the last blessing might come to me, the day that ends my life. Lead me then forth a thing of naught, who slew his son and wife. All is lost and on my head is a doom too hard to bear."

From this book, I have learned that when I think that my decisions only affect me, I'm wrong. My decisions affect other people just as much and possibly more than they affect me. When I have a decision to make, whether big or small, I should consider others as well as myself when making these choices. I should not be selfish and do what's only best for me, but also what is best to the people that the results could affect.

I would recommend this play despite some difficulties in comprehension because of the important lessons that Sophocles attempts to get across to the audience. They are life lessons that everyone should hear and learn. These lessons are essential for life. They teach people the social skills that they need in order to live in a world centered around other people and their lives.

Oedipus had two sons and two daughters. Oedipus died and his oldest son came to rein. When time came for the younger brother to have a turn, the older brother started a fight. Both brothers died leaving Creon to rein with their two sisters, Antigone and Iseme. Creon ordered the younger son tobe buried but the older son to stay unburied. He said anyone who burys him shall die, because they believed that a soul will wander the earth if not buried and the gods law said everyone shall be buried and Creon disobeyed. Antigone went and buried him and when she came back she got in an arguement with Iseme. The guards told Creon and they unburied the body again. Antigone came back and buried the body. Creon tried to change Antigones mind and keep it a secret but she refused. Iseme was brought before Creon and he asked if she helped and she said yes. Antigone quarrled with Iseme that Iseme chose life and she chose death but she didn't want to be the only decendent of Oedipus left. Heamen, Creons only son and was engaged to Antigone, pleaded with his father to save Antigone for him and th people. Creon ignored him and Antigone was sent into a cave with little food and water and it was sealed. Heamens voice cried out of the cave instead of Antigone. Creon ordered the guards to unseal it. Creon went in and saw Antigone hung herself and Heamens sword drawn. Creon backed into the corner as Heamen advanced foward. Just then he turned the sword on himself and fell next to Antigone dead. The news reached the queens ears and she killed herself. Creon, although alive and well, felt dead and continued to rule.

Sophocles main purpose for writing this tragedy was even though God told you to obey your authority, if it goes against His word, you stand up for what you think is right. Antigone obeyed the gods and Creon didn't and so even though it disobeyed, she did the right thing in the gods eyes. I have learned to stand up for what you beleive. A life lesson example is the government thinks that christians should not talk about their religon because it might offend others so they started taking out the ten commandments in the supreum court and "under one God" out of the pledge of aligence in public schools and that the teachers and students should not have a bible or speak about their God in the schools.

I didn't like the play that much because I couldn't understand it very well. Although it is a very confusing book for some people, I reccomend it to those who like to try and interrupet it.

Antigone

Antigone was a very good play. I did enjoy reading it but there were positive and negative aspects of it. The play was extremely hard to read. I did not understand a lot of it. The wording was complicated and the story line was a little shaky to me. I enjoyed and could understand the movie more than the play.

I think Sophocles main purpose in writing this play was to bring out positive and negative points in the society of his time. Some of the positive points he was writing about is that the gods are in control. I think he was saying that maybe women aren't as important as they should be. That is why he named the play Antigone. He was also making the people think what would they want to do more obeying the governing authority or doing what they thought was right.

I think that he was making the people think because there was a lot of talk in the play about which one was right. I also think he named it after a woman and made her the main character to make people think about how important women can be in the society.

I have learned to stand up for myself. A lot of time people may make comments about how they don't like my religion or my school or clothes or anything really. Now I can stand up for myself and say I don't think that's nice or right and then I can even argue my point. I don't know if I will ever be able to stand up for myself to the point of death.

I also learned that women do play a pretty important role in society. Now I take offense when people tell me that women have no place in giving their opinion because we really do. God says we should submit to man but that does not mean we are their slaves.

I would and would not recommend the play. To people who really enjoy having a challenge in reading and can understand ancient Greek wording then I would say go for it. They would really enjoy and understand the play. But for people like me who do not understand the wording I would say it would be best to not read it. I was pulling my hair out just trying to understand a ton of the words. I did not even understand what was happening until we saw the movie of it and I was like oh so that's what that meant.

Overall I think that once you understand the language and can deal with that than this play is an excellent one to read because it really shows you about the world back then and the challenges they had to go throu

"Antigone" by Sophocles depicts a tragic story that embraces many of life's difficulties. It tells of family honor, inescapable curses, conflicting pride, and ironic happenings. "Antigone" was a beneficial play to read because it is a work from when Drama first began. It gives us a picture of how the Greeks lived their lives and what their views were. The story illustrates the controversy of the gods ruling over man, women in the society and many other poignant issues that the Greeks dealt with.

I observed there are a few certain themes that Sophocles maintained throughout the play. They are prominent and relate to life in Greece. I find it interesting that Sophocles chose to title his play after a woman. In Greece, women were looked down upon and greatly belittled. Sophocles was making a point that the view of women in the society was harsh and perhaps unfair. To make the hero of the play a woman was very uncommon and mostly unheard of. In the play Sophocles writes lines that show how a man thinks of a woman and his regard to being as low as her would be unbearable. Such as when Creon states "No woman, while I live shall order me" It was the fight between the two. Creon, the King of Thebes, uncle to Antigone, was a man with pride in his heart. Antigone, a stubborn and spirited girl, thought the burial of her brother, Polynices, was her duty to him. The conflict arose when Creon announced to the city that whoever buried the body of the traitor (Polynices) would be killed. Regardless of this edict, Antigone resolves to honor her brother by burial, declaring the gods approved of her act, even though it was against the law.

Pride was a characteristic in both Creon and Antigone. Creon was prideful from the beginning. He was arrogant to keep Polynices from being buried and then later on, he defied Antigone's reasoning, shrugging it off because he didn't want to admit his wrong. The Chorus sings of Creon and his pride, saying that he will suffer for it. "wrath, was bound for his words of mocking and pride." After condemning Antigone, Creon was visited by a blind seer, Tiresias, who told Creon he was wrong to make the law and he shall suffer because of his pride. Antigone, not faultless to pride, was very confidant to the point of being arrogant as well. She had no meekness towards Creon and fearlessly gave her opinion of his wrong, and her choice to defy him. Sophocles displays these prideful characters and their consequences for being so. He shows that the gods despise the pride of a man.

From reading the circumstances and choices that were made in this play have affected my perspective. Antigone's confidence in her choice, though not popular, is an inspiration to me personally. She never backed down from what she believed was right, but was confident that she needed to follow through in her beliefs to the point of death as the consequence. She is a good example to me because I should always be ready to stand up for what I believe in and do it with confidence. Putting my trust in God as my personal Savior is worth my defense. Antigone has reminded me, besides the pride, that my faith is what makes me the person I am. I am ready to stand with my choice and have full confidence in my dedication to Christ.

I fully recommend this play as a positive reading and I enjoyed the deep thoughts and critical thinking that "Antigone" brought to me. It has been an enlightening experience to read of the Greek tragedy that Sophocles portrayed, truly a captivating play.

Though a Greek tragedy, Antigone gave off a positive message, portraying the loyalty and the forgiveness that exists in love. However, not excluding the importance of honoring doctrine and submitting to authority. As the story progresses, the reader is placed in a position where their opinion is continuously changing, forcing them into a state of mind-boggling curiosity.

Sophocles' main point in writing Antigone was to make readers consider the consequences of their actions and to question whether or not a person's fate is preordained. You see, upon learning that he had married his mother, Oedipus blinded himself, and because of the bad behavior of his sons, he cursed them, saying that they would kill each other. Which eventually did occur when Polynices, Oedipus' son, attacked Thebes with six other men. Now, because of his betrayal of Thebes, Creon denied Polynices of a proper burial, damning him to eternal punishment in the underworld. Antigone, despite her brothers' betrayal, planned to bury him, though it had been forbidden. Now, because of one mistake made by Oedipus, an entire country was brought to their knees and suffered great loss. This was also written because by centering his play around a female character, Sophocles shocked the Greek culture, because they viewed woman as of no value and having no opinion. However, not only did Antigone have an opinion, she disobeyed the decree given and ultimately defied or belittled the power of a man. Then she did not deny the accusation, but instead said that she followed first the laws given by the gods, indirectly informing Creon that he was incorrect. This was unheard of because she was a woman and had no value, whereas a man, especially the king, was held in high regard and not disrespected by anyone.

Personally, I was reminded of and learned a lot by reading this. It brought to my attention the importance of making wise decisions. As I get older, I gradually take on more and more responsibilities that require commitment and dedication. I need to carefully consider these responsibilities when I am making decisions and should explore all of my options, pray, and venture through each possible consequence, good or bad. By doing so, I could prevent myself from, what could have been avoidable difficulties, later on. Also, I was reminded what an awesome gift we have in America. All people, even woman, have the right to stand for what they believe in, whereas in some countries, even today, woman are considered worthless and without opinion. However, in America we are given rights and yet a lot of people here fail to recognize them because they have become prone to having them.

In conclusion, I would recommend this play because it requires a lot of thought and understanding. You have to understand the convictions of each side in order to fully comprehend the fullness and purpose of the play. It not only made you think, it also made you feel. Because of the way the story is written, the reader can relate to the characters, making the story intriguing and worth reading. The grammatical structure of the play painted a vivid picture of each character and their unique personalities and their strong convictions. Also, the plethora of personality in the play was surprisingly refreshing and made the play warm and heartfelt.

The Greek tragedy of Antigone is a pivotal work of literature not only in today's society, but also in Sophocles' time period. Sophocles' bold action in not only placing a woman as the heroine in his play, but naming the play after her as well contradicted all traditional gender ideas of that period, and consequently made an unspoken statement to his society. The Greek playwright also addresses the traditional Greek views of hubris and the inescapable fate that haunts human lives, writing in such a way that his "sermon" does not overshadow the story itself. The play is used to communicate the issues, rather than the issues being used to create the play.

Though Sophocles addressed many points within Antigone, his main purpose was to bring into focus the philosophical question regarding two contrasting authorities: Man's and God's. This contrast is first seen through Antigone and Ismene's argument over the burial of their brother, Polynices. Antigone defies the law prohibiting his burial and repeatedly states that her loyalty and honor will remain with the gods, and not with man's law (p.3). When charged by Creon with criminal offense, and questioned as to why she had so defied the king, Antigone exclaims that Zeus himself did not declare the law preventing the honor of Polynices; therefore she is not obligated to personally honor it. This angers Creon, who feels that, as king, he holds supreme authority, and no one, especially not a woman, should be allowed to show any form of defiance (p.17).

Very accurate pictures of Antigone and Creon are portrayed by the Greek Chorus on page 35 and further show the struggle between the two authorities. The story of the mortal Danae is a clear representation of Antigone, telling of how the Greek heroine was shut up in a cave to die, and yet was looked upon with so much favor by Zeus that he conceived a child with her. This is a strong foreshadow of the gods' favor towards Antigone and her decision, for she herself would be buried alive because of her honor to the law of the gods and not to man. Creon is shown through the story of Lycurgus, a madman who was known for killing both his wife and son, and was severely punished by the Heavenly Beings for his excessive pride. This also is a use of foreshadow, for Creon's wife and son would also die, and his rigid pride would eventually cause his ruin. Both stories show which character gained, or lost, the gods' favor, while displaying the struggle of Man's law with the Divine (p.35-36).

Sophocles also included what seems to remain the focal point throughout all Greek theatre: the folly of Man's constant pride. The Greeks believed that pride was a dangerous sin, and was always met with awful outcomes. This viewpoint is shown in the story of Lycurgus mentioned before (p.35-36). However, it is largely communicated by the way the gods choose to deal with Creon, which is shown in his lament on pages 47-52.

Antigone includes a wide range of lessons throughout. One that I personally gathered was the immense effect that each individual's actions have on those surrounding him or her. Each part in the chain of events that occur within Antigone is created by the preceding links. Polynices' rebellion prompted Creon's decree, which led to Antigone's defiant decision. Her decision increased the rigidity of Creon's pride, leading to his declaration of punishment, the destruction of his family, the judgment from the gods, and ultimately Creon's failure as king. These few repercussions of decisions made are a small representation of the consequences, whether good or bad, that resulted from each person's action(s). In the same way, so my personal choices affect future events and those around me as well. It is important to remember that not only do my priorities and values impact my own life, but others' also, and this must be considered before action is taken. The slightest change in events may make an incredible difference in the future.

I would absolutely recommend this play to be read by others. Not only does Sophocles' use of foreshadow and his constant historical and mythological references give a sense of intrigue and liveliness to the play, but his work also provides a deeper understanding of Greek values and the importance which religion held throughout their society. It is also interesting to note that the prominent issue that Sophocles discusses throughout the plot, the struggle of the supremacy between the law of Man and the law of God, is voiced largely in our own culture today. Consequently, this shows that societies may excel scientifically, socially, mentally, etc, and yet still be dealing with issues that have not been resolved for thousands of years. This fact alone grants relevance to the study of history and the lives of those before us, and gives strong reasoning that Antigone is not just another classic piece of literature, but one that is useful to read and applicable even today.

In my opinion, the play Antigone by Sophocles was a good play. Surprisingly, it wasn't all that hard to read thanks to the translations and excellent cliff notes (although I wouldn't recommend it to a six year old). Overall, I thought that Antigone taught several good moral lessons. It also raised some very good questions about several topics.

The main characters in Antigone are Antigone (obviously), her sister Ismene, and their uncle, Creon, who is the newly appointed ruler of the Greek city state of Thebes. Antigone's and Ismene's father, Oedipus (the original King of Thebes), also had two sons, Eteocles and Polynices. However, Oedipus killed himself and left the city to his two sons. Polynices had been branded a traitor to Thebes and had been killed in a battle along with his brother. With both sons dead, Creon became the new King of Thebes. He made a decree saying that no one shall bury Polynices because he was a traitor. Antigone ignored this and secretly buried her brother. This was because in Greek times, when a body was left unburied, the Greeks thought the soul would not go to heaven or some similar place they believed in. They believed that the body of the deceased had to at least be covered with some dirt. Of course Creon was extremely angry and upset and wanted to find out who had disobeyed his decree. A little later in the story Ismene decides that she wants to take the blame. In the end, a few characters die (it is a Greek tragedy after all), someone is taught a lesson by the Greek gods, and someone one ends up extremely sad but you will find this out if you read the book.

The main point of Sophocles writing the book was probably for two reasons, other than the fact that it was a way of pleasing the gods at the time. The first was to teach a lesson to the people about the gods. This lesson was to respect the power of the gods or the ones in authority. In the book, Creon thought he was all powerful, all knowing, and always right (sort of like a communist state). He would latter find out that he was totally wrong. As fate would have it, he would lose both his son and his wife due to his ignorance. In my opinion, Creon was wrong! Creon was the reigning authority but he overstepped his boundaries. Antigone disobeyed the reining authority but obeyed the ultimate authority which was the beliefs of her society. The book taught me that no matter what your beliefs are you should still respect the ultimate authority in your life, may it be God in my case, the Greek gods in Antigone's case, or someone else altogether such as the government. If Creon had respected the gods like Antigone had things would be different for him. The second lesson Sophocles was trying to teach was about pride. As the chorus would say "wisdom first for a man's well being" (page 52 in Antigone). Basically this means it is better to be wise than to be right. Creon had to learn this lesson the hard way. It wasn't until he had lost both his son and his wife when he accepted that he was wrong. Thanks to the book I learned that pride is a deadly beast. It can ruin the strongest of men and the greatest of nations. Even though it was written many years ago, it can still teach us important lessons today.

I thought this version of the play was well written (although it was sometimes hard to understand the first time reading) and I would recommend it. However, if you are not serious about the book, skimming over it, or just plain can't understand old English at all, this is not the book for you. If you don't mind that almost all the book is in old English, then I would say definitely buy it! It is a great book that teaches a many things and also raises some very interesting questions. I would have to give the book 8.5 out of 10 and is one of my top ten favorite books. Hey, why are still here reading the review? Go on and buy the book already!!!

Sophocles' Antigone is the first Greek tragedy that I have ever studied and let alone read. Although the reading was difficult at times I managed to successfully find my way through it. I enjoyed the depth of the story and ultimatley it's message.

In the Greek theatre often their stories struggled with the idea of fate and destiny and Antigone is no diffrent. The decisions and actions of every character unfolded a seperate consequence. Sophocles wrote with the purpose of showing an example of a family who suffered from the sins of the father. Sophocles main point in Antigone was to display the importance of how pride and lack of wisdom can have devastating consequences.

The story of Antigone opens explaining to the reader that there had been a war in which Antigone's two brothers had killed eachother. The war began because of one brother's pride and desire for power. Their pride ultimatly lead to their death. Every descison that has been made before this has lead this family to great disaster. Antigone is now left with a choice to obey a ruling or as she feels dishonor her family. Antigone's bold attitude seems rare for a women of this time. I believe that this is what makes the actions she takes so much more daring. Women were not seen as significant in this time and culture.

Towards the end of the play Creon has recognized his pride as the reason for some devastating events that have taken place. He says on page 50, "Woe is me! To none else can they lay it, this guilt,but to me! I,was,the slayer,I say it,unhappy,of thee!

We all are faced with the consequences of our actions. The play closes with the chorus saying the lines, "Wisdom first for a man's well being maketh, of all things. Heaven's insistence nothing allows of a man's irreverance;and great blows great speeches avenging. Dealt on a boaster. Teach men wisdom in age, at last."

Another significant aspect of Antigone is the title. The fact that Sophocles was willing to use a women's name as the title made a statement in this culture.

There are three things that I have personally taken away from this reading. The first thing is more on an external level. I have had the opportunity to read and understand a Greek tragedy. As a future theatre major I consider this significant. As a current theatre student I find this knowledge incredibly important. I also understand know where theatre originated and it's reasons for coming about.

A second lesson that I have taken away from this reading is the significance of pride. I know that in my own heart pride is something that I struggle with in some areas. In Antigone Creon's pride destroyed him, his family, a place he loved, and a power he couldn't resist. Pride plays a major part in the play because of the consequences resulting from it. As a Christian pride can also have devastating effects on your heart and it must be dealt with and corrected before it effects your decisions.Antigone and Creon both had views that could be seen as right, but each person's pride destroyed them.

The third thing that I have learned from this reading is the reality of choices. Sometimes we make choices on impulse or feeling and some may not be popular. Choices that have effects that leave lasting marks and have devastating realities. There are also the choices that can help and benefit us. These choices may be difficult when we are in the midst of them but they have amazing results after we go through with our decision.

I truly enjoyed reading Antigone and highly recommend it for others. Whether your an avid theatre goer or just someone who loves to read, Antigone holds an important lesson we all can learn from.

The famous play of Antigone, written by Sophocles, was very interesting. It kept me guessing throughout the book and totally surprised me with the death of Haemon. This story reminded me of Romeo and Juliet in a way because seeing the death of the person they loved resulted in killing themselves side by side.

This play had a very positive impact on me. It reminded me to check my pride because it is very easy for pride and power to blind you of the things that are right. Creon was blinded and completely obsessed with power. He would not even let his own flesh and blood be offered mercy from his laws.

I believe that Sophocles wrote this play for two main reasons. He wrote it for the competitions that the ancient Greeks held to honor their gods but also to send a lesson that pride comes before the fall. It reminds me of a line from Spiderman which states "with great power comes great responsibility". It is what we do with the power we are given that will make us who we are. Creon realized that he was at fault and learned his lesson at the end of the play. On page 50, section 4 he says, "Woe is me! To none else can they lay it, This guilt, but to me!". Sophocles wants us to learn from Creon's fall and not learn this mistake by firsthand experience.

This play is a great for anyone from about high school and on. It was not too hard to understand even though it was in Old English but I recommend you to read about what took place before this play, in order to fully understand the characters.

Sophocles had a great impact on Ancient Greece and has impacted drama in a tremendous way! He did this by using a woman as a main role. The reason that this was so unique was because woman, were being looked lowly upon in ancient times until the past couple hundred years.

I was assigned to read one of the remaining seven plays of the writer Sophocles, Antigone. When I first began to read it, I did not find it enjoyable. It was originally written in Greek and then translated to English as well as Sir George Young was able to convert. The story was amazing but the words of the play made it difficult to understand. If you have a hard time keeping your mind focused while reading a book, then I would not recommend this play for your reading material. However, if you enjoy Greek plays and such, then you would take pleasure in Antigone.

As I said, I had a difficult time at the beginning enjoying what I was reading. It was not until I realized how strongly Antigone must have felt about her family that I looked up to her and wanted to continue reading to see what would happen. Although Creon had high power and was against Antigone's motives, she continued with what she felt was right. I also grew an unfavorable passion against Creon as the story went on. He seemed to only think of himself and want everyone to follow his rules. The world revolved around him. By the end of the play, I was disappointed and hoped there was a sequel. So although the play was difficult to comprehend at times I decided to give it a three star, because Sophocles was an amazing writer; and I'm sure many people would enjoy his work.

My thoughts on what Sophocles' main point was for writing Antigone has changed quite a few times. My first thought was that it was to teach the reader life lessons. An example of this is how you need to stick with your family through thick and thin and not be ashamed of them. To not change your beliefs or thoughts because of someone else but to do what you feel is right from the beginning. I have not changed my opinion on that completely, but after a class discussion, someone brought up a good point that I also think could be Sophocles' reason. Back when Sophocles wrote the play Antigone, women were not thought of highly. When it came to plays not many women had lead roles, if they were in the play at all. I think he was also trying to get the audiences attention by having something unusual be apart of his work.

Sophocles hit on a lot of situations that people struggle in, even though he may not have meant to. People in the world these days are ashamed of their families. Whether it is because of what they look like, or how they act, they don't take honor in their family. Antigone took such honor in her family that even though it was against the law, she gave respect back to her deceased brother. She faced the consequences, but not once did she say she was sorry for what she had done. Another thing that Sophocles made a point on was not thinking only of yourself. The character Creon was a self-centered person who wanted people to follow his way and no other. He even thought his laws and opinions higher than the gods.

I would recommend this play to anyone who does not have a hard time concentrating on what you read. Even if you do have a hard time keeping your mind from wandering, this is still a good story to read. It just may take you a little longer to understand it all.

Oedipus was the ruler of Thebes. Oedipus killed his father and married his mother. He had four kids by his wife (mother), two sons Eteocles and Polynices and two daughters Antogone and Ismene. In result Oedipus blinded himself and he put a curse on his sons. The curse was that his sons will kill each other fighting over their father's kingdom. This curse came true. Also his wife (mother) committed suicide. This is how Creon, the brother of Eurydice became king of Thebes. This play was hard to understand but as you read along, you understand it better.

I think Sophocles' main idea for writing this play, is to express the importance of family values. Even though Antigone never had a close relationship with her brother, Polynices, and the fact that he defied his country, she still thought it was important that he have an appropriate burial. Also when Antigone told Ismene that she was going to bury her brother, Ismene told Antigone not to bury him for the sake of her life. This means that if she buried her brother, Polynices, she would be killed by Creon. Ismene still loved her sister and she wanted to take the blame for burying their brother so Antigone would not have to die. It was very brave that Antogone the disobeyed the government, Creon's law stating that she could not bury her brother. She was a woman and she disobeyed the law, this was unusual because women were not allowed to make decisions. Women were not very important. If you were a woman, you were expected to stay at home and care for the house.

I think another idea Sophocles was trying to make to the reader, is that you should stand up for what you believe in. What you believe in could be anything. When you stand up for what you believe the results may not always be positive. The good part is that you stood up for your rights and did not go against your belief.

While reading this play I understood that family is very important. Even when you have rough times your family will still be there just as Ismene was for Antogone when she was about to die. Isemene was willing to take the blame so that Antogone could live. You should love your family no matter what the situation. I also learned the importance of freedom of speech. I now know not to take it for granted. You should use your freedom of speech, but use it wisely. Antigone used her freedom of speech for her brother's appropriate burial.

I would recommend that play to a person that is looking for a good family drama because it deals with hatred, love, happiness and passion all in one story. It teaches family values and togetherness. In conclusion it is a very good and uplifting story.

"Antigone" (probably first performed about 442 B. C.) is another tragedy centered on the flaw of stubborn pride. It also presents the conflict between secular law and divine law. A stubborn King Creon of Thebes refuses to allow the equally stubborn Antigone to bury the body of her brother Polynices despite the entreaties of Creon's wife and son. Creon orders her death but she commits suicide, as does Creon's wife and son. The play has excellent characterizations. It has a very tragic tone and the suspense is exceptionally effective. But, make sure you get a good translation!

Antigone is a Greek tragedy in every since of the word from the moment you open the cover to the very last word on the last page you are totally amerced in a story that truly captivates and portrays the true image of the human sprit. There is not an emotion that is not roused to life by this powerful piece of literature. The plot of this masterpiece seems to rack the deep recesses and foundations of your soul. The unique piece of literature is the story of a free spirited young woman and her uncle the newly crowned kind of Thebes. In the begging all thing are well within this peaceful town but that is about to change. The hand of fate is again about to play devastating role in how the game of life is played. Creon the new king is a patriotic and devoted man who wants nothing more in life than the best for his own family and country men. But when his nephew, stabs him in the back by starting a revolt against his rule, he has no choice but to defend his kingdom and contently killed his own flesh and blood. The king takes it a step to far though, he then goes and refuses to bury the young boys body. In the culture of the Greeks this a true curse to the soul of a man. They believe that till the body of the dead is buried he is forced to wander the earth in search of peace. The young Antigone is the sister to this brave hero now is stuck in and endless battle between her own morals and the governmental law. One might think that Sophocles, the author of this truly revolutionary piece of literature was trying to get his audience to think about their own decisions in life. The choices we make for day to day even the small ones a directly tied in to the values we have in life whether we realize it or not. Antigone for example chose to go against the law and bury her brother showing her true values of loyalty to family and her god rather than the forces of this earth. This kind of loyalty really hit me in the bottom of my heart. I think if could live my life day to day with half as much conviction she had I would be a great leader in my time. This play caused me to evaluate the principles of my own life and I hope to be a better leader because of it. I think that this is one of the most powerful and moving plays i have ever read and that is saying a lot. Everyone should read this really unique and revolutionary piece of literature sometime in their life it may say you a lot of heartache down the road, and I mean that

Antigone Critique:
Reading Antigone had a positive approach for me because it has a lot of morals and principles in it. Which you can learn from and apply to you in everything you do. At first I thought that it was going to horrible, especially when you just start off because how they write it, is awkward at first. But when you start to examine and go deeper into what they may be trying to say then you can really learn and evaluate on what there point may be or what they may wanting to get across to you..
I believe that Sophocles' main purpose to write this play was because in his day having a woman even as the name of his play was a big thing, so the play did emphasize on the role and leadership that a woman held. And part of the issue in the book was that Antigone was going against the customs and normal behavior of a woman, which did not please Creon. Also I believe that maybe Sophocles was trying to get a message across to evaluate your priorities and to stand up for what you believe in. He also may be trying to prove that "Hubris" -which is pride- can cause you to be blind. The fact that maybe the gods did want the brother to be buried or that Antigone's motive could have been right in what she did which was to honor her brother.
I personally have learned that when you are disagreeing that you should try to put aside your pride and think of the reason or situation that the other person is in. To put your pride away and give it up to God, to totally surrender your will to Him and not rely on yourself to get the things YOU want done but to act in His will.
I would definitely recommend this book. I think that it has an awesome point to it and values in it, but you just have to try and look for them. It is a little hard to follow sometimes, but keep it up and maybe you'll enjoy it too.

The play Antigone was a great play with many twists and turns that will diffidently leave the reader begging for more. With all the inside looks on the believes of the Greek gods and how the Greeks actually viewed them. Containing various characters along with there strengths and or weaknesses, as well as how they succeed or how they fail. Whether it is the corruption and down fall of the new King of Thebes, Creon, and how one mistake lead to the deaths of his loved ones as well as the fall of his kingdom. Or the obedience and shyness of Ismene, who happens to be Creon's niece, and how she will not help her own sister burry their brothers body, because of the fact that she doesn't want to displease Creon and the empire although she knows that she should. Finally, there is also Antigone, the strong a stubborn girl who defiles her uncle/guardian/king Creon, because he has order that her brother cannot be buried, and that it will be eaten by the beasts and wild animals, because of what he has done. However, the characters are not the only interesting part of the play, the themes are also amazing containing such things as betrayal, disobedience, murder, suicide, and much more. Leaving a positive reading without a doubt. Also, Sophocles (the writer of the play) did an excellent job of getting his main point across. The main purpose of the play Antigone, though uncertain at the very beginning is shown more and more through out the play, especially in the chorus. However, if you cannot catch on to what the chorus is saying all the time the very last few lines should help quite abit, " Wisdom first for a man's well-being maketh, of all things. Heavens insistence nothing allows of man's irreverence; And great speeches avenging, Dealt on a boaster, teach men wisdom in age, at last." If nothing the last sentence should diffidently tell you that the whole purpose of this play is Sophocles trying to show us the importance of wisdom and how one bad mistake can lead to the death of many, as well as the fall of a kingdom. Which, is diffidently something that I learned reading this play. Just reading and showing how the anger of one man and how one choice that he made without thinking of the consequences of his choice lead to the death of his niece, his son, his wife, and even his whole kingdom, just kind of shows that you should be care full about some of the choices you make because you never know what will happen (it may not be as extreme but bad stuff can still happen). However when its all said and done I believe that this is a great play that anyone can enjoy. There is only one warning that I must also give though, the script can be very hard to read and may require you to have to look it over a few times or even get the scripts with the translation on the opposite side. Other then that the play is great and I diffidently suggest it to others.

When I began reading Antigone, I thought of it was difficult to understand

because of the older language and also I thought it was kind of boring. But as the play

progressed, I found myself getting deep into the plot and the character build up. I was

captivated by Antigone and Ismenes characters after I fully understood what was going

on. The contrast between the two women was extraordinary. How Antigone is so ready to

take on the king even if it means death, and how Ismene thinks she knows her place and

doesn't want to question it. I thought, for the most part that the play was positive in itself

and that the plot was so intriguing and dramatic, that I couldn't stop reading when I

started.

The purpose of the play, however, is not as simple as if it was enjoyable or not.

Sophocles was very wise and sure in his decision on what the purpose or moral of this

play would be. When he starts out the play, you dont really know exactly what is going to

happen. I think he likes it that way. It keeps you guessing. I think, at the end of the play

though, the purpose was kind of to teach a lesson. It was hard to interpret what the

meaning of the play was. But after thinking about it, many parts of the play come together

to form a common purpose. The fact that Antigone is a woman and defied the law, even

in a time when women weren't considered able to have a say and that she had her sister

who loved her telling her it was a bad idea, the fact that there was really no strong family

bond between Creon and Antigone, and the fact that everyone ends up dying all lead to

Creons understanding of wisdom and how it always prevails over pride. I'm pretty sure

that, that was Sophocles' main point of writing.

At first, I was completely on Antigones side with what the outcome of the story

should be. It may be because I am a female, but I was hardly even considering Creons

side. I was focused more on the fact that Antigone was just sticking up for what she

believed in. But as the play went on, I started thinking about the time period. And to be

honest, Creon was really just doing all he knew. He was the king and there was so wide

man in the beginning saying, "Hey, Creon. She has a right to do this." No, he was the

authority and men were higher than women. That is all everyone knew, including Creon

and Antigone. Antigone was the one who broke the law and buried her brother. So who

was right? Antigone who broke the law but was just trying to stick up for her family? Or

Creon who showed no mercy but was just following the law? This is what I have learned;

It is very nice to stick up for what you believe in, and that's what I thought the moral was

going to be. But, you have to know how far you'll go and where to draw the line. I am

still not sure that if I was Antigone that I would have went ahead and buried my brother. I

really dont think I would have had the courage to defy the kings law, even if it was my

uncle. So, I thought I had learned to always stick up for what you believe. But now I think

I have learned more about making sure your willing to deal with the consequences before

you go ahead and be a hero.

I think I would definitely recommend this play to my friends. I would be sure to

recommend it to someone who is old enough to understand the language for one thing,

and someone who could understand the time period and how important it was that a

womans name was the title of the play. I dont think you can fully understand and grasp

the knowledge that you should from this, if you arent capable of understanding Creons

side as well as Antigones. I would also not recommend this play to someone who would

be offended by the fact that they worshipped many gods and women were considered

lesser than men, because the men and Ismene both put women down throughout the play.

I would recommend this play to anyone who has an open mind a just really wants to read

a good play.

Antigone, written by Sophocles, shows us how pride can get in the way in how we treat others.In Antigone, Sophocles has a couple main points that I think he tries to allow his readers to see in his play. One of the points is that in Greek times women did not have a very highly respected portrayal in society and by naming his play Antigone, after a woman this shows boldness and uniqueness. The play would not be as well remembered if it were to be named after another main character such as Creon. Also in and throughout the play the controversy of the law of man and the power of the gods is highlighted. In the play it is said that the power of the gods surpasses the will of man and no matter what man does the gods will get their way. Creon tries to almost defy the power of the gods by saying that you should not respect a person that has recently died by burying them. This is why Antigone's so distraught, It was not just the fact that she wanted to bury him, but also that she wanted to please the gods. The power of fate also is significant in the life of Antigone for she knows that her families fate was not of good nature and since her background with her dad, Edipus, was cursed then her life as well would be cursed.

I reccommend Antigone because it's a great life lessons play and the fact that it has so many dramatic characters who make the storyline interesting.

I read Sophocles' book, antigone. At first, I really hated it beacause i couldn't understand what was being said. But as I read it over and over and over again, I began to understand it a little better, and I actually liked the plot of the book. I would not recommend this book if you have a hard time understanding difficult translations.
I think that there were many points that Sophocles was trying to get across in this play. One of them was that you should obey the gods over the king since they were a higher form of authority. What happened was that Antigone wanted to bury her brother, Polynices, out of respect no matter what wrong he did. But Creon differs in opinion. He says that since Polynices was a traitor, his body was to be left unburied and unmourned. But Antigone ended up still burying her brother because that was what she felt the gods wanted her to do.
Another point that he was probably trying to make was that he felt women shouldn't have been treated as low as they were. He was even taking risks writing a play with a woman as the main character because back then, women were considered very low class. They were not even allowed to be in plays.
I think that Sophocles was also trying to make the point that we should not be prideful. The Greek word for pride is "hubris". Antigone and Creon had so much pride that it actually led to the death of most of their family, including Antigone.
There were a couple of life lessons to be learned in this play. One of them is to obey your God over earthly authorities because all men are sinfuland their laws aren't always right. Another one of them was that you should not be prideful. As I said before, Antigone and Creon had so much pride that it led to the death of most of their family, including Antigone.

A play (tragedy) about collaboration and resistance, intending to be an allegory of France (could be replaced with about any invaded country) during WWII set in the context of greek mythology.
The play focus on the moral dilemnas of collaborating authorities hating to do a dirty work but doing it anyhow (because someone "has to do it" for the population, for the sake of keeping on living, even if a "lesser" life) versus individual acts of resistance, refusing any concession to their liberty and happiness. War, freedom, politics, inviduality. The book is summary but invites to an eternal discussion.

I think Antigone the play by Sophocles is important for people to read today. This play is beneficial to the modern day reader because it shows affection, love, and loyalty and what happens when these go wrong. These emotions and traits were very important to Sophocles. Antigone the title character of the story is only one of the main characters. The play centers around her and her extended family. Creon, the evil king, is also Antigone's uncle, (and Great Uncle, this is a very entangled family) he has ordered that one of Antigone's two brothers is not be buried because he betrayed his City State (ie Country) because he went to the neighboring city state and fought for the enemy. Ultimately being killed by his brother during a battle and by wounding the other brother sufficiently that they both ended up dead. These were just the first deaths in the family. The evil uncle ends up killing most of the family. The family members show how dysfunctional a family can be both in the ancient world and we can relate this to life today. In today's world having an appreciation for the affection, love and loyalty shown in the play "Antigone" by the sisters is a good lesson for reader's today. Finally, an understanding of the importance of having good family relationships to prevent dysfunctionality along with an understanding of duty to Country can a benefit to the modern reader.

In this part to the Oedipus trilogy; Antigone's brother dies and she has to fight to bury him. Her uncle disagrees with here and that's basically what this sequel is all about. This story is very easy reading. Recommended for ages 15 and older

This is the second story in the trilogy, and in my opinion it is the best one out of the three. Although all of them are fairly easy to read this one was the easiest for me. For the most part it kept me occupied. Sophocles wrote this in such a way that I actually get into the story. How Sophocles writes this is what I like the most, it's not like a Shakespeare play where you have no clue what is going on because it's really old English. Although this is still an old play it pretty easy to figure out what is going on in it. I would highly recommend that you read the first one before you read this one because there is a lot of information that your need to know from the first one.

Thoughts
I feel that Sophocles "Antigone" was rather enjoyable. I loved the irony throughout the whole story that Sophocles is so great at. I loved how the whole fight happened between a family. It resembles a modern day family. The brothers fighting, siblings fight non-stop. I look at Creon and Antigone's relationship to resemble at father daughter relationship. Creon being the father of a teenager, (Antigone), who is looking at things for herself and going against her father's (Creon) rules. Also the irony of how the people that Creon really cared about were the people who ended up dead in the end. His pride was too great; his emotions did not stand a chance against his pride. It was very easy to relate to the plot of the play.
Personally I feel that Sophocles was trying to say that you have to be aware of what is really important in your life. You have to sit down and think about if what you are doing will bring you happiness in the end. Creon was not the greatest at this. He decided to put his pride in front of his family. In his mind there was no way a woman would go against what he said and get away with it. Even if it was his niece, and future daughter in law. But I can not put all of this on Creon. Antigone also was very prideful. But unlike Creon, she decided that family was more important then the laws of the land. While Antigone's decision making could be considered arguable, I would say it was safe to say that Creon did have his priorities mixed up.
From reading the play I have been able to reevaluate my life. From seeing the way that Creon ended up in the end, I decided to take my pride and put it towards the back of the line. In my life my relationship with Jesus Christ should be first, but other things always seem to slip in there. Maybe it is not pride, maybe pride was just used as a substitute for something, maybe it is an addiction, or something else that interferes with what is really important. I have had the chance to look at my life and get my "pride" in order. Something like that can tear a man apart and his family. Sophocles wrote a great example of this.
If you have not read Antigone yet, I would highly recommend it. I feel it is a great story. It has a strong plot. But I feel the most enjoyable part of reading it comes from when you take it off of paper and you put in your life. Now I'm not saying go and live your life by a play written more then 2000 years ago. But no one is perfect, except my savior, Jesus Christ, and until the day I am standing next to him, I would do mostly anything to strive for perfection. I being a Christian am called to be like Christ. So if taking something that I have read and try to make it apart of my life helps me along the road then I say why not. Read it, enjoy it, apply it.

American educators frequently treat "Antigone" as one of the more accessable classics that can be easily digested and understood by their students. Usually this is because those pedagogues reduce Antigone to a simple matter of conflict between the individual and the state. Debates are arranged between students, and most of them sympathize with the individual, while a few justify the exigencies of the state. Although the individual (represented by Antigone) is at odds with the state (personified by Creon), to focus on that specific conflict is to fundamentally misunderstand the play.
Sophocles was not interested in who was in conflict with whom as much as he was interested in the nature of conflict itself. The showdown between Antigone and Creon is unavoidable because each is justified--even required--to perform the actions that ensue. In Ancient Greek society almost every facet of life fell under the domain of one or more of the gods. The gods of the family require Anigone to remove the body of her brother from its humiliating public exposure on the city walls. On the other hand, the gods of the state require Creon to punish traitors and to rigorously uphold the law. Each party is invested with a compelling moral duty and each is acting on behalf of a culturally sanctioned institution (family, state). In this sense, the conflict between Antigone and Creon isn't one between individual and state but between justifiable moral imperitives.
I can understand why educators, particularly in the U.S., focus on issues of individual and state in "Antigone". It's easy to grasp and it's as contemporary as arguments about abortion or the NRA. But I think students would gain a deeper understanding of the play and of their own lives if educators took it one step further and talked about the play's depiction of inevitable, mutually justifiable conflict. This is especially crucial in today's world where conflicts of the worse sort are perpetuated by each party's fundamental sense of legitimacy and justification.

In Sophocles' Antigone, there is an ever-present sense of doom and despair awaiting the reader on with every flip of the page. The desolate plot dealing with the hold of fate over each individual has the reader end the play with a sense of helplessness and abandonment. There is nothing that an individual can do to escape the fate laid out before them. Although Antigone is a well written play with underlying themes of holding fast to a set of beliefs and loyalty to family, the overpowering motif of life being controlled by a divine force is quite depressing, giving the reader an allover sense of hopelessness.

The focus point of Antigone was the stronghold the gods held over each individual's life. Despite Creon's numerous attempts to correct his unintentional disgraces, in the end, his efforts were futile. Creon was walking the fine line of trying to maintain the welfare and happiness of the citizens of Thebes, as well as to do what he thought was morally upright within himself. Because of his inability to obtain this inner balance, Creon only succeeded in bringing doom upon himself. The entirety of the play centers around an action which Creon believed to be righteous, which was the decision not to bury Polynices. It is not likely that at the moment Creon made the proclamation to not lay soil upon Polynices, that any thoughts of the utter devastation the coming days would unfold were even a fleeting thought. What seemed to be a blessing handed out by the gods was actually a death sentence for Creon's soul.

The Chorus speaks of the ultimate power of the gods by saying, "Thy power, O God, what pride of man constraineth, which neither sleep that all things else enchaineth, not even the tireless moons of Heaven destroy? Thy throne is founded fast, high on Olympus, in great brilliancy, far beyond Time's annoy. Through present and through future and through past abideth one decree; Nought in excess enters the life of man without unhappiness." The above statement is a prime example of how the gods so willingly lavished fine accolades upon a mortal one minute, while in the next they were stripping him of all his worldly possessions. The gods continually acted on whims, and mortals were nothing by a plaything to which they acted as a puppeteer. Sophocles was specifically mentioning the hiatus between the place of the gods and the place of a mortal. The gods were above reproach, seated high on the Olympian throne, while the mortals could do nothing more than to just worship them in awe. Not even time was able to be a force acting on the gods, but they could do as they pleased, and they did do as they wished with the mortal as their instruments of play.

While the majority of the play dealt with the role of gods over the human race, there was one admirable quality found within the title character which should be emulated by all who read the play. Antigone was so determined and steadfast on bringing her brother a burial, she was willing to face death as a consequence. If society today had more zealots of their beliefs as Antigone epitomized, the world would become revolutionized, with strong leaders rising out of the multitudes instead of the rather unassertive and politically correct leaders the world is breeding. If the strong nations had leaders who were not willing to alter the way they believe or pander to the demands of a minority, but stood strong, despite criticism and upset, the outcome would be a society truly living what it professes instead of just meandering through life attempting to keep the majority settled.

The tragedy of Antigone is a superb play which any individual can relate to. Whether it be having taken part in a situation that seemed to be spiraling out of control, or being able to empathize with Antigone and her passion to do what was upright, even the modern audience can relate to the trials present in Antigone. The plot of this play is intriguing, and ultimately, any individual yearning for a greater knowledge of fate, human nature, or even just Greek literature would be able to draw conclusions which, if integrated into their life, would be beneficial to anyone.

I think that the over all reading of Antigone was not positive and i really did not comprehend it. What i did understand was not possitive.The story was verry tragic and seemed to loose its edge at times. Now maybe because i am a young reader i did not find it intresting but it did have some good scenes.
Sophocles's main Purpose in Writeing was to entertain the greek Gods. The Gods were a Verry big Obsession back then.
One thing i did learn however was that i must never take my rights in this country as a woman for granted. Back then women did not have the same rights we have today. I can say watever i want and voice my opinion without being persecuted. Back then women were killed for less then that and shown little respect.I think that being greatful for my country, freedom, and rights is deffinatly sometihng i learned to do from the reading.
I would not reccomend this book to anyone through the ages of 6-16 because i thought it was verry boreing and it wasnt intresting to the young reader. The dialog beated around the bush and it wasnt entertaining to me let alone a Greek God.Now if they made a modern day version of "Antigone" i think that the book would attract more young readers and have a much more powerful impact. so if you are a fan of Sophocles or are just plan bored then pick up this book. if not put it back on the shelf!

The script of Antigone was not a story I favored. The character Creon, was the only one who lived at the end and Sophocles did not say what had happened to Ismene. It also didn't help that I didn't understand some of the lines because the way they talked so different from the way we talk now. I did not like the character Creon, because he had a really big issue about women teaching him or women being taught because they were supposedly a lower species. He had absolutely no respect for women and I think that really bugged me because man and women were made equal.
I think Sophocles main point in writing this script was to entertain the gods,because he would get a bunch of people together and act it out for the gods the best they could,because they had very high respect for the gods in those times.
Though I did not understand all of the script, I've learned a life lesson while reading this, and that is, that you should always put family first and their opinions because, they are the people that matter the most in you life. I've also learned that if you do not listen to your counsel, the nation will over come you. Another thing is that the women now are treated so much better than the ancient greek times and we should be grateful for that.
I would recommend this scriptto mature teens and adults, because i think that they would understand it and be able to enjoy it the most. I would not recommend this script to someone who may have a hard time reading ancient greek talk because it would of couse be difficult to understand and they will not be able to enjoy the script.

In preparing to read Antigone, I looked at several translations before making my decision. By far, the Greek Tragedy in New Translations' version of Sophocles' Antigone was the supreme. By offering an introduction, mythical background, appendix, and author's note, the reader is able to easily become aquainted with the background surrounding the play's storyline. The version captures the original spirit of the play in the spelling of the Greek names, and in the whole body of the translation itself. The perfect edition for those studying The Antigone!

Anoulih's version of Antigone was adapted for the time in which he lived. It contains hidden symbols to, at the time, both get the book past the censors and give the french audience moral and courage to stand up to the Nazi's and follow their beliefs. The characters are adapted slightly to fit his version, ie Tieresas is left out and a nurse is introduced. He also had to adapt the personalities of the characters, for instance Antigone develops a whiny habit, and Creon is seen as a "good guy". This was also done in order to get the play by the sensors. It is a well-written play with rounder characters than the original. This version would be better read after reading the original.

I found this edition (Dover Thrift) by following a link for paperback from the Braun translation. The publisher reviews on this page indicate it is the Braun.

It isn't: it's the Young translation, which is not workable for my classroom because of it's difficult "KJV" English. Now I've wasted two weeks in planning my Greek unit, and any hope I had of using Antigone is shot.

Teachers: avoid this translation unless your students are advanced. It's isn't worth the money you save.

This is a modern version of Antigone that helps students relate the themes of the original version to modern times. The concepts of a higher law than man's is certainly expressed, but more importantly, the determination of the few and the role of Haemon are stressed. This is an excellent piece for an Advanced Placement class to use after reading both OEDIPUS AND ANTIGONE BY SOPHOCLES.

This was an excellent book. It is an adaptation of the Greek play "Antigone," by Sophocles, written here by a French existentialist author and playwright. The ending contains something of a twist from the original, and there are some excellent symbolisms contained in this play as well. Both of these elements stem from rich existentialism views. The book makes one think of the meaning of life, when and if it is worth living, or better to die instead, for a cause.