The Prologue Of Antigone - 899 Words

This passage is an excerpt from the prologue of ‘Antigone’, an Ancient Greek tragedy by Sophocles. In this scene, Antigone is trying to convince her sister, Ismene, to help her bury their brother, Polynices. It is significant to the rest of the play as gives explanation to future events and establishes the characters of Antigone and Ismene and their roles in the overall plot. Additionally, the excerpt gives a strong idea of the setting. In the scene, the audience can infer ideas about past events, political climate, place, and time. The passage also reveals central themes in the play such as: mortality, gender, law and power, and loyalty. It gives the audience a hint to the values and choices the characters struggle with as they have to†¦show more content†¦Ismene also has high regard for her family however lacks will and confidence to do the same as Antigone. She is afraid of breaking the law and believes she is â€Å"not strong enough†. Ismene is also s ubmissive to the patriarchy and its rulers that govern her country, she says to Antigone: â€Å"we are women; it is not for us to fight against men; our rulers are stronger than we†. In comparison to Antigone, we can see that Ismene is not as steadfast in her beliefs or morality. In the passage, we can clearly see Sophocles exploration of said ideas and themes through his characters. Throughout the play, the sisters’ key traits and nature remain mostly stagnant nevertheless, they do change in some aspects, notably their courage and regret. Later in the play, it is illustrated that Antigone has capacity for lamentation and humility. Although she seems unapologetic and â€Å"shall be content to lie beside a brother whom [she] love[s]† in this excerpt, before she is entombed, she grieves for the life she did not get a chance to live. Subsequent to Antigone being caught for her crime, Ismene takes unwonted action. Ismene decides to pretend that she also buried Polyn ices so that she can also be punished. This decision illustrates that Ismene can be brave and fortitudinous, contradicting the impression of her in this passage. The famous philosopher, Aristotle, identified that a tragic hero is necessary to the structure of aShow MoreRelatedThe Conflict Between Antigone And Creon836 Words   |  4 PagesIn Sophocles’ tragedy, Antigone, Sophocles follows Aristotle’s definition of tragedy which is constructed in six parts: plot, character, diction, thought, spectacle, and song. Although these six parts are used to produce a successful tragedy, thought is especially important in Antigone because it encapsulates the plot of the play. The thought, or the theme, is revealed in the dialogue from the Prologue to the Second Episode. 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