LRJ #2

Bayley Taple
Peifer
10 IB Hr 4
24 November 2008

LRJ #2

Imagery

There are many strong images given ion Antigone. Teiresias describes the birds in his vision, "Tearing each other, dying In a whirlwind of wings clashing"(Fitts and Fitzgerald 15-16). In this example of imagery, it is easy to imagine bird of prey ripping each other apart, with feathers flying everywhere and their wings flapping all around. The choragos gives another image, "He gathered Antigone close in his arms again, choking, his blood bright red on her white cheek" (Fitts and Fitzgerald 73-74). In this example of imagery, Haimon's blood is splattered onto the corpse of Antigone. His struggle between life and death is seen; he is choking, while Antigone lies peacefully. The choragos describes Antigone soon after she is killed, "...Antigone lay on her couch of stone" (Fitts and Fitzgerald 45). This image reveals that Antigone was comfortable with the stance that she took that led her to death. Her comfort can be inferred by the connotation "couch".

Fatal Flaw

Haimon sates his opinion on Creon's decision to put Antigone to death, "I beg you, do not be unchangeable: Do not believe that you alone can be right" (Fitts and Fitzgerald 73-74). Creon is the tragic hero with the fatal flaw. His fatal flaw is that he does not consider other people's perspectives, and thinks he is the sole being with the answers. In his mind, he is never wrong; he is King.

Anagnorisis

Near the closing of Antigone, Creon admits that he was wrong, realizing the truth, "I alone am guilty" (Fitts and Fitzgerald 122). He was wrong to kill Antigone because, she was just giving her brother the honor he deserved. Also, his choice to kill her led to the deaths of his loved ones. Creon takes responsibility for these deaths, "I have been rash and foolish. I have killed my son and my wife" (Fitts and Fitzgerald 134-135). Here, he acknowledges that even though he did not provide the final blow to take the lives of Haimon and Eurydice, his actions led them both to suicide.

Peripeteia

When Creon knows the misfortune he caused, the circumstances are reversed. Instead of always thinking that he is right, he comes to know his doing that has caused others so much pain. "When Creon saw him the tears rushed to his eyes" (Fitts and Fitzgerald 64). Seeing Haimon dead brought Creon to face his actions; he cries. "Creon was happy once...And now it has all gone from him!" (Fitts and Fitzgerald 6-10). Again, this shows how his fortune has taken a turn; he was once a happy King, and now his family has perished.

Catharsis

Creon brings the finale of Antigone, "I look for comfort; my comfort lies here dead" (Fitts and Fitzgerald 136). Once he says this the audience is satisfied. Though Creon's fortune turned into a downward spiral, there were no other interactions for him to have with the other characters. The audience should feel no fear because everyone who was going to die is dead. Also the audience should not pity Creon any longer because he realized his wrongdoing.

Characterization of Women

Women are portrayed as strong characters in Antigone. At the beginning of the play when Antigone tells Ismene of her plan to give Polyneices a proper burial, Ismene tells her that they (women) cannot fight men. Despite Ismene's opinion of a a woman's place in Creon's kingdom, Antigone goes to battle. She says, "Creon is not strong enough to stand in my way" (Fitts and Fitzgerald 35). Antigone follows her instincts, buries Polyneices, takes the blame, and walks to her death. Her actions showed that she did not only have firm beliefs in what was right, but she actually followed them.

Works Cited

Sophocles. “Antigone.” Literature Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes: World Literature. Trans. Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2001. 814-826