Term Paper on "Justice Retribution and Humanity"

Term Paper 3 pages (1002 words) Sources: 0

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Antigone and Oedipus

Sophocles' plays Antigone and Oedipus the King form the first two parts in a trilogy of tragic plays. Because of their interconnected plots, the two dramas share much in common in terms of themes and characterization. For example, Creon appears in both, although he is by far a more significant character in Antigone, a play centered on him and the title character, his daughter. In Oedipus the King, or Oedipus Rex, Creon is a secondary character that nevertheless receives the brunt of Oedipus' rage. As kings and powerful rules, both kings demonstrate similar personality traits and roles. Creon and Oedipus both fall pray to the tragic flaw of hubris that brings about their downfall in each play. However, in Antigone, Creon is able to redeem himself through a humble admission of his personality flaws. Oedipus, on the other hand, gouges out his own eyes after the realization of the truth hits him hard. In both Antigone and Oedipus the King, justice and crime form central themes. In Antigone, the relatively minor crime of burying Polynices' body is balanced against the relatively major crime of sentencing Antigone to death by buying her alive. Creon's intense and unrelenting authoritarianism makes him the unequivocal administrator of justice, a position he feels trumps even that of the gods. Antigone, on the other hand, represents a higher order of justice, one she feels is designated by the gods. For Antigone, to not bury her brother constitutes the much harsher crime than to disobey the arbitrary laws of the state. Her courage and fortitude cause her downfall but in no way detract from her dignity. Oedipus is a far different tragic hero than Antigone is. Oedipus the King is unusual in that the perpetrator of the crime is also the administrator of justice: Oedipus is responsible for bringing upon Thebes the plague that forces him to seek the truth that he had killed his own father and married his mother. In Oedipus the King, justice takes on a more sinister overtone than it does in Antigone, where justice and criminality are more cut-and-dry subjects.

Antigone and Oedipus the King share many elements in common, notably the influence and presence of the blind prophet Tiresias and the setting of Thebes, a city that is plagued and cursed in both plays. Moreover, both plays deal with issues of power, authority, criminality, and justice and address the tragic flaw of pride overruling a ruler's sense of good leadership. However, the crimes in the two plays are totally different. In Antigone, the title character's legal crime was acting against an edict delivered by the ruler of the land. Regardless of how she felt about the law banning the proper burial of her brother's body, Antigone technically should not have disobeyed Creon's orders. Rather, she could have confronted him and had he outright refused, simply left matters alone. Antigone instead chose to be stubborn and headstrong and buried the body of her brother. Moreover, she did so with the… READ MORE

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