Antigone

Antigone

Humanities in the
Western Tradition
  Antigone      
After reading Sophocles’ tragedy “Antigone”, I feel that it relates to all of themes of the Humanities in the Western Tradition.   There are instances where Sophocles hints at the Nature of Reality, the Nature of Humans, the Role of Gender, The Role of Religion, and the Role of the Fine Arts throughout the entire play.
The Nature of Reality is expressed in a few scenes in this play.   I feel that the entire discussion between Antigone and Ismene in the beginning shows this.   Antigone knows what the repercussions will be for her when she makes her mind up to give her brother, Polyneices, a proper burial.   Her reality is also expressed by Ismene to her, that her actions will cause her death.   But Antigone also knows that by her actions, she will please her family in the afterlife, no matter what happens to her while in her human form.   Also, throughout the entire play, Haimon, and Koryphaios continually try to persuade Kreon to forgive Antigone for her actions because it was out of love that she went against his wishes to bury her own blood.   They constantly tell him what his repercussions will be from the citizens if he condemns her to death.   That is what his reality could become.   Kreon finds his true reality at the very end of the play, when he finds Antigone hanged herself, Haimon, with much anger at him, falls on his own blade, and Eurydice takes her own life over the deaths that were brought upon by Kreon.   He sees that he is no better than criminals that suffer for their wrong doing.
As for the Nature of Humans, they follow along the same lines in the opening of the play.   Antigone is willing to give up her body so that her soul is set free.   She forces Kreon to be the evil one to her good actions in the face of Haimon, the Chorus, Teiresias, Eurydice, and the Messenger.   She knows that Kreon will end up the bad guy in the entire situation, and that she will be a free soul.   Kreon show the...