"But high and mighty words and ways are flogged to humbleness, till age, beaten to its knees, at last is wise"(Sophocles 252).
This message from the chorus speaks volumes about what power can do to make you unwise. People with power, who are high and mighty, never learn to mend their ways until it is too late. Also, they become wise to how they should have been, however, at this point the time to change has long since passed. In the case of Creon, he held his own judgement with high regard until at the very end of the play, he seems to the see the light. However, at this point it is too late because he has already caused the death of his prospective daughter in law, son , and wife. He is wise to how he should have been, in the end, once his chances to mend things are dead. This is also a sort of lesson to live by because it shows us how we should not ever become too clouded by success to listen to advice, and never too stubborn in our ways to hear the opinions of others. Both Oedipus the King and Antigone both ended with strong choral messages that give life lessons about how we should live our lives.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Antigone Quote 3
"If yield we must, then let it be to men, And never have it said we were worsted by a woman"(Sophocles 221).
Creon's true colors shine through with this statement. He is fully presenting just how he feels about women. Maybe it is not Antigone's cause that he minds, so much as the simple fact that she is a woman. This brings a new dimension to their dilemma. It becomes more than a matter of abiding by laws and listening, it becomes a matter of disliking her and her ideas because she is a girl. Maybe Creon would be more receptive of her thoughts and causes if she were not a woman. This is a terrible sentiment for Creon to be passing on to his son Haemon, yet he is directing the awful value right to him.
Creon's true colors shine through with this statement. He is fully presenting just how he feels about women. Maybe it is not Antigone's cause that he minds, so much as the simple fact that she is a woman. This brings a new dimension to their dilemma. It becomes more than a matter of abiding by laws and listening, it becomes a matter of disliking her and her ideas because she is a girl. Maybe Creon would be more receptive of her thoughts and causes if she were not a woman. This is a terrible sentiment for Creon to be passing on to his son Haemon, yet he is directing the awful value right to him.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Antigone Quote 2
"And if you judge me a fool, perhaps it is because a fool is judge"(Sophocles 211).
When Antigone is stating this, she has been confronted, by a less than genial Creon who feels as though his laws are being undermined. He refuses to see the good that Antigone is attempting to accomplish, yet by this same token, Antigone is stubbornly refusing to back down. This quote exemplifies the way in which depending on your point of view, you may judge a person or situation differently. Antigone is saying how she may be a fool in Creon's mind, but in the same way, he must understand that he is a fool in hers. This quote is a reminder of the adage regarding not judging a person until you walk a mile in their shoes. If both characters could take a minute to listen to each other and see from another vantage point, much of this tragedy could be avoided.
When Antigone is stating this, she has been confronted, by a less than genial Creon who feels as though his laws are being undermined. He refuses to see the good that Antigone is attempting to accomplish, yet by this same token, Antigone is stubbornly refusing to back down. This quote exemplifies the way in which depending on your point of view, you may judge a person or situation differently. Antigone is saying how she may be a fool in Creon's mind, but in the same way, he must understand that he is a fool in hers. This quote is a reminder of the adage regarding not judging a person until you walk a mile in their shoes. If both characters could take a minute to listen to each other and see from another vantage point, much of this tragedy could be avoided.
Antigone Quote 1
"Ah, Money! Money is a currency that's rank. Money topples cities to the ground, seduces men away from happy homes, corrupts the honest heart to shifty ways, makes men crooked connoisseurs of vice"(Sophocles 203).
What Creon is saying here regards to the way in which money, power, fame, and things of that sort have a way of consuming the human mind. When a prize like one of those is dangled in front of a person's eyes, it can lure them away from their best intentions. It may give them a warped sense of what is important. This shows how he feels that possibly the views of the people around him have been changed by the thought of money and bribery. Creon feels as though people are making accusations towards him because they have money on the mind. The sentry in particular may have an ulterior motive in Creon's ever paranoid mind. In these thoughts and blatant disregard for advice, Creon is directly mimicking Oedipus.
What Creon is saying here regards to the way in which money, power, fame, and things of that sort have a way of consuming the human mind. When a prize like one of those is dangled in front of a person's eyes, it can lure them away from their best intentions. It may give them a warped sense of what is important. This shows how he feels that possibly the views of the people around him have been changed by the thought of money and bribery. Creon feels as though people are making accusations towards him because they have money on the mind. The sentry in particular may have an ulterior motive in Creon's ever paranoid mind. In these thoughts and blatant disregard for advice, Creon is directly mimicking Oedipus.
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