Antigone

Sophocles’ drama Antigone presents a variety of idealisms from the Greek world. Sophocles discusses social, moral, and religious values; the role of women; and the roles of leaders; with the audience and utilizes a moral conundrum to communicate these ideals.

Examining the symmetry between Creon and Antigone provides important insights into the themes of the work. The play is about a war between different values as much as it is about the struggle between two strong-willed people. Antigone is struggling against Creon, but she is also struggling against patriarchy, the power of the state, and the rules of larger society. Creon is battling Antigone, but he is also fighting against chaos, disorder, the unraveling of the social fabric. In the twentieth century, the theme of the individual and the individual conscience struggling against the power of law and the state has caught the imagination of audience members most vividly. For modern audiences and the Athenians who first saw Anti...