Notes

brother:Because he's a proud and harsh king, Creon will most likely punish Antigone for breaking the law that forbade her from burying her brother. However, because Creon values his family's royal blood line, I predict that she will not be put to death. Instead, she will be imprisoned.

antigone: The conflict between familial loyalty and civil obedience is resolved when each of the characters ultimately chooses family over obedience to Creon. Haemon chooses Antigone when he tries to stab his father and then take his own life. Eurydice chooses her son over Creon when she takes her own life. The resolution reveals a powerful theme: Loyalty to family is more important that civil obedience. The theme sheds light on the value the ancient Greeks placed on familial relationships.

chance: The ancient Greek people believed that tragedy was a result of a person’s weakness and fate. Creon’s tragedy is a direct result of his tragic flaw of pride and the punishment for his mistakes by the gods.

tragedy: According to Aristotle, the tragedy is different from the narrative because it is acted out on stage with multiple characters. In addition, he believes the goal of the playwright is to create pity and fear in the audience. Through resolution of the conflicts, Aristotle believed that the audience would be purged of the intense emotions.

people: The ancient Greek people valued the ability of the human mind to achieve great feats. Those who used their “inventive skills” for good would find happiness and success. The ancient Greek culture recognized that these same “skills” could also be used for “evil,” and that was not acceptable.

culture: According to Aristotle, the tragedy has a distinct beginning, middle, and end. The plot events are unified through causal relationships. This structure stems from the ancient Greek belief that nothing happens by chance.