Reflection on Antigone by Sophocles

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Antigone reflection
Katey Smerek

I enjoyed reading Antigone. The play started with us learning that Eteodes and Polyneices have killed each other in battle and that Creon the new King of Thebes has issued a decree stating that Polyneices was a traitor to the throne and therefore his body must not be buried and will be left for the birds and animals to devour. Antigone who is both the niece of Creon and the sister to Eteodes and Polyneices refuses to stand by and allow her brother’s body to be defiled.
I was inspired by the strength of the female lead of the play Antigone. At the start of the play she informed her sister Ismene of her plan to bury their brother’s body and although her sister refused to participate she carried out the plan. Antigone was portrayed as a strong, independent woman, who refused to back down no matter what the outcome of her decision. Even after she had succeeded in her plan to bury Polyneices and was captured by Creon’s guards, she stood her ground in the face of death. The only time Antigone shows weakness is when she realizes that she will die soon and not be able to be a bride or a mother. I really found her inspirational because of her strength, determination, and overwhelming desire to do what was right for her family. I heard a quote one time but I don’t remember who said it and I think it fits perfectly for the way Antigone lived her life, “Never have regrets, because at one point everything you did was exactly what you wanted.”
As much as I loved the character of Antigone, I disliked the character of Creon. Both of these characters were strong and determined in their beliefs however Creon’s determination was not pure and innocent but rather self serving. I know that it is odd to be inspired by one character for their strength and will but to be disappointed and angered by another for theirs. Creon’s determination and

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