In the most well known and the least read pieces of literature, narratives all have one key idea in common: the good guy and the bad guy. Whether the piece is about superheros, elves, or robots, the idea of these two opposing characters continues, the most common type of foil. A foil is two characters that contrast each other on many regards. The antagonist, or bad guy, often is a foil to the protagonist, or the good guy. In Sophocles’ Antigone, the antagonist, Creon is a foil to the protagonist, Antigone. Creon is also considered a flat character due to the fact we do not know much about said character. Antigone would be considered a round character because we know much about her ideals, personality, and defining traits. The contrast between these two characters is great, (and two masks will be used to compare them). Antigone is the perfect example of a protagonist, yet the opposite of ordinary in Roman society for she is loyal, headstrong, yet loving. On her mask there are two drawings, a rose surrounded by dust and a laurel crown. The laurel crown was often used to represent the gods in ancient roman times, and in this context it represents the fact that Antigone holds the laws of the gods above the laws of man. In Antigone she states that, “Your edict, was strong/ But all your strength is weakness itself against/ The immortal unrecorded laws of God.” This means although Creon’s laws are strong, the god’s laws are above everything, which proves the fact that she holds god’s laws higher than anything else. The second drawing, a wilting rose surrounded by dust represents Antigone …show more content…
Creon is hot tempered, egotistical, unchangeable, and only follows the laws on man. On the other hand, Antigone is headstrong, loyal, loving, and follows the laws of the gods. These opposing traits make Creon and Antigone both foils as well as the antagonist and
The utilization of a foil in a novel or play is a very substantial tool for writers. A foil serves as a reflection of a character’s actions. It is useful in developing character traits and discovering traits for that character in an interesting and plot advancing way. Characters like Haemon acts as this foil to bring out Creon’s particular qualities. Tensions, including the contrasts of law and justice and the conflict of loyalty within families are present themes in Antigone, written by Sophocles, that express many great examples of foils.
What does the statement “foil characters” mean? Foil is a character who contrast with another character in order to highlight particular qualities of the other character, in the odyssey there are a lot of foil characters and the reason for that is there are and there are many actions that the characters have done which proves that statement The odyssey is homer’s epic of Odysseus ten years of struggle to return home after the Trojan War. Throughout the journey, we readers have met a lot of foil characters from gods and goddesses to humans or even creatures such as the cyclops.
A Tragic Hero: Creon In Sophocles’ play, Antigone, horrific events describe the makings of a tragic hero. Antigone contrasts with Creon when they are on the other side of the argument of whether Polyneices should be buried. In Antigone, royal sons kill each other but only one gets a burial because he was the king. This lead to Antigone trying to bury her brother in which she is sentenced to death.
In Sophocles' play "Antigone," Creon, the King of Thebes, is depicted as having a dual nature. On one hand, he is a strong and just leader who is determined to maintain order and stability in his kingdom. He is a man of conviction, who firmly believes in the laws of the state and the need to uphold them, even in the face of opposition. He is a leader who is not afraid to take decisive action, and his determination to enforce the laws of the state is evident in his decision to punish Antigone for her actions.
This is explaining how she does not care if she dies she will die with her brother and by his side. She will die with pride and she will feel at peace knowing her brother's soul was set free and he is resting in peace. This is shown when antigone said ¨ Creon is not enough to stand in my way¨(sophocles pg3). Antigone is using emotional manipulation to get in creon's head by saying he is nothing saying he won't stop her from burning her brother because she wants him to die in peace and to be buried with respect. This gets to creon because he sees that nothing he says to antigone will stop her not even
In this quote, Creon is stating that whether she (Antigone) likes it or not, she is going into that tomb and
Creon and Antigone both show how pride leads to Destruction; Creon’s pride blinds him to the lack of proper justice he commits against Antigone, Creon has a lot of pride that he would allow Antigone to kill herself before he admit he is wrong, Antigone’s pride has no choice but to be killed because of her
Some say that opposites attract; in some cases they do and in some they do not. A foil is a character who is opposite of another character in order to highlight certain characteristics in both characters. An example of foils in a play that Shakespeare wrote, Romeo and Juliet, including rambunctious Tybalt and the tranquil Benvolio. Another example is the obnoxious funny Mercutio and the lovey dovey Romeo. Romeo and Juliet was a Shakespearean play written 1595 by William Shakespeare.
Antigone representing feminist views, can only mean Creon represents masculinity. He needs to be in control to be secure in his masculinity, he can not let a woman over power him which was a driving force in his decision to lock her in a cave. Once Creon finally regains control, Antigone does something that makes him not only weaker to her but weaker to the city as a whole. He does not have control anymore, not even over how she dies, and that makes him feel weaker. Becoming king was Creon finding control and orderly balance, Antigone was a disruption in
The play Antigone explores the conflict between two main characters, Antigone and Creon. Antigone, the daughter of Oedipus, is a young woman who is willing to resist the law of the land to honor her deceased brother. On the other hand, Creon, the king of Thebes, is a proud and stubborn ruler who is determined to uphold the law and punish those who violate it. In the opening scene, Antigone is shown as a determined young woman who is willing to withstand the orders of the king and bury her brother.
Antigone is loyal to the gods and not to Creon. Antigone states, “Creon is not strong enough to stand in my way. ’’(P.32). What she means is that nobody can block her or stand in her way from doing what she has to do for her brother.
In the Greek tragic drama, Antigone, by Sophocles Ismene is a foil of her sister. There are many characteristics that exhibit this, such as, Ismene’s lack of courage, how she chooses to follow civil laws over the laws of the gods, and finally, how Ismene cannot stand up for herself. There are many instances in the play where these traits are are exhibited. One way that Ismene is a foil of Antigone is because she lacks courage.
In this quote, she is trying to harn Creon that although he thinks very highly of himself, he will never be able to anything to disrupt the gods and their unwritten laws (being that all men deserve burial). Additionally, the word choice and tone used by the characters also differs. When Creon talks he makes it clear that he thinks of himself quite highly and is convinced that he is above everyone else because of his excessive pride and noble stature. This leads to a tone in his speech that is very obnoxious and off-putting. To the contrary, Antigone regards herself quite low and stands for
Creon is the protagonist in Antigone, because his motivation throughout Antigone is the stability and wellbeing of Thebes. Moreover, Antigone is the antagonist in Antigone, because her motivation is selfish and deceiving. In Antigone the setting is Thebes post the death of both airs to the throne. Eteocles dies defending his country from his brother Polynieces which died attempting to reclaim his right to the throne. The conflict throughout Antigone is Antigone’s responsibility to bury her brother Polynices and the law created by Creon, the new king of Thebes, which states that “No one shall bury him, no one mourn for him.”
Jaanvi Shah Mr. Eyre English 9 March, 2015 Literary Analysis of Antigone John Foster says, “pride comes before fall.” As the action of the Sophocles 's Antigone unfolds, it is clear that the protagonist Creon has all the six characteristics of a tragic hero. Teiresias interactions with Creon help to demonstrate three of those typical traits: Creon’s noble stature, his tragic flaw of having pride and arrogance, and his free choice that makes his downfall his own fault. Creon, the King of Thebes, accords with Aristotle’s theory of a tragic hero beginning as powerful distinguished and important person.