Prompt/Purpose

In approximately 200 words, summarize one of the Readings of your choice from the first 4 Chapters (Introduction through chapter 4) of your text.

Original

Andrea Price

Humanities 2211

Mrs. Scheafer

September 27, 2007

Antigone, a Fall from Grace 

Sophocles’ Antigone opens with Antigone being arrested for defying King Creon’s decree and burying her traitorous brother, rather than leaving him for the vultures. The fight between Antigone and Creon is one of wills and morality. Antigone believes herself to be right in honoring the dead and burying her brother, as do the people and Creon’s own son, Haemon; who is also to wed Antigone. However, as ruler Creon believes his decrees to be the final word in any matter, and he holds onto this even as the prophet Teiresias foretells the fall of the House of Creon.

Sophocles discusses the role of pride in the fall of a person, through Creon; who in refusing to listen to the voice of reason or to the predictions of the prophet and condemns his own family and triggers the fall of a kingdom. Creon refuses to heed the warnings given by Teiresias and as the prophet’s predictions come to pass, the queen takes her own life and Creon races to Antigone’s prison, in an attempt to save his son. However, he is too late. Antigone had taken her life and Haemon, upon seeing this was so heartbroken, followed suit. And as the play closes Creon’s loved ones are dead and his kingdom is destined to fall as well, without an heir to the throne.

Within all of his plays Sophocles, as per Greek tradition, almost always has a moral to the story. Creon blinded by his pride loses his family and at the closing of the play, is lost within an abyss of despair from which he’ll never break free.

 268 Words

Works Cited

Fiero, Gloria K. The Humanistic Tradition. Vol. 1. Fifth ed. New York, NY: McGraw Hill, 2006. 83-92.