Antigone Essay -- English Literature

Antigone EssayIn any story or piece of literature, there will always be the main quotations to fill the pages with unending adventure. The characterswhose names appear on almost every page and the characters whoseactions the story revolves around. However, a story will also alwayshave its electric shaver characters. These be the characters that contributeheavily to the plot, yet arent mentioned quite as often and areunderestimated regarding their importance in the story. In the Greekmasterpiece, Antigone, the author Sophocles construed a myriad ofminor characters that contributed to the story in numerous ways.Ismene, one of Oedipus daughters, was created to foil the maincharacter, Antigone. Haemon, the son of Creon, took the role of addingcontroversy and showing his father revenge for all the trouble hecaused Thebes. And finally, Tiresias, an elderly blind prophet, wasconstructed to diminish Creons hubris.Firstly, Ismenes character was created primarily to foil that ofAntigones. W hen Antigone initially discussed her plans to contest theKings orders, Ismene was against it and tried to argue with hersister, hoping to dispel the plan from her mind. In lines 71-74,Ismene states during her argument, think what a death well die, theworst of all if we violate the laws and override the fixed decree ofthe throne, its power- we must be sensible. During the entire storythe two characters have obvious opponent views and personalities.Ismene is discerned as rational, cautious, and dutiful, while Antigoneis conveyed as intractable, brave, and disobedient.Another example of the discrepancy between the characters is the waythat they are physically represented. Sophocles generated Ismene w... ...ty fits together like a puzzle. For example, without thoseblank chuck pieces that fit at the top of a puzzle, it can never becompleted. Same rule applies to any story, without the minorcharacters to reveal hidden information or to simple add drama, then astory can never be complete d. In the Greek tragedy, Antigone, theauthor, Sophocles, presents the minor characters in his story withimportant functions and responsibilities. Ismene, Antigones sister,had the mathematical function of foiling Antigone in order to create undeclaredconfliction between the characters. Haemon, Antigones fiance, wasmeant to bring justification to the string of deaths at the end of thestory. And lastly, Tiresias, the respected prophet, was carefullyproduced as the character who pushed Creons conscious over the edgeand influenced him the most to withdraw his punishment for Antigone.