Antigone by Aristotle - 1684 Words

Antigone Life has a way of becoming complicated. Problems between friends, foes, and even family members develop everyday for people of all walks of life. It is part of human nature to disagree, cause conflict and fight for what we believe in even if that means stepping on someone else’s toes along the way. Aristotle had thoughts on complication dating back to 335 B.C when he wrote Poetics- the earliest surviving work of dramatic theory. In it he analyzed tragedies and theorized that every tragedy falls into two parts- complication and unraveling or denouncement. Sophocles stated, â€Å"By complication I mean all that extends from the beginning of the action to the part which marks the turning-point to good or bad fortune. The Unraveling is†¦show more content†¦His son Creon calls him out on his poor judgment when he yells, â€Å"You have not respect at all if you trample on the rights of the gods† (161). Creon believes his laws are the correct way of ruling, which ultimately leads to his downfall. If he had taken a moment to be more open-minded he may have realized that he could not triumph over the gods and that eventually this complication would unravel for the worse. Antigone’s complications begin to unravel as she becomes more open-minded towards the end of the play. Although she never states that she was in the wrong for going against the king’s wishes, she does begin to show remorse as her death is fast approaching. The fear of her impending death is what made her realize that there is a chance that she could have been in the wrong for burying Polyneices. As she is about to be locked in her stone tomb she cries, â€Å"Very well: if this is the pleasure of the gods, once I suffer I will know that I was wrong† (164). This is the first time we see Antigone waver from her strong headed ideals and intense loyalty that led her to going against the king’s decree. We see her situation continue to unravel as sh e loses composure and begins feeling sorry for herself when she states, â€Å"Now he has taken me by force, he is driving me down unmarried. I’ve had no man, no wedding celebration, shared nothing with a husband, never raised a child†(164). This is a side of Antigone that has notShow MoreRelatedComparing Aristotle s The Play Antigone 1066 Words   |  5 PagesAristotle believed that â€Å"good literature† was composed of 6 different elements. These elements include plot, character, thought, diction, melody, and spectacle. Of these 6 elements he believed plot was the most important followed by character. Aristotle defined plot as the story or action of the play. He defined character as all of the qualities readers associate with different individuals in the play. He said that thought was the process in which characters come to decisions. It’s essentiallyRead MoreComparing Aristotle s Tragedy And Antigone 921 Words   |  4 Pages Aristotle wro te his Poetics, or â€Å"makings†, in 350 B.C. It was a reaction to Plato’s Republic, which was his version of Utopia. Aristotle’s Poetics described what he thought were major characteristics of a tragedy and tragic hero. In Sophocles’ tragedy Antigone, Antigone’s two brothers Eteocles and and Polynices have been killed in battle. Creon has ruled that Polynices not be given a proper burial because he thinks he is a traitor. Antigone disobeys his wishes and buries him, so Creon ordersRead MoreAristotle and Nicomachean Ethics1382 Words   |  6 PagesAristotle provides the teleological approach of how to live well in his collection of lectures, Nicomachean Ethics. In Book II of Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle presents his definition of virtue in which it is a kind of mean (N.E. 129). According to Aristotle, moral virtue is a means to an end, happiness. 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