Conflict - Lit Flashcards
what does the play center around?
the play centers around Antigone’s desire to bury her brother even though it goes against the command of Creon. This not only causes a rift between the two, but also causes a rift between Antigone and her sister ismene.
What shows this?
Her first conversation with her sister comprises of an argument between the two where they argued over the death of their brother. Antigone wants a proper burial as per the religion of the time, where someone would rather follow the orders of the king.
What does this show?
Their conflicting personalities creates tension between the two. Antigone is more traditional in her mentality. She is most comfortable not straying away from that where ismene is not, she does not care about religion as much as her sister and would rather live her life by the rules of a more corporeal superior. It also suggests that Antigone is more family orientated than ismene who enjoys her status more as she would rather not upset the man with the power to take that away.
How does ismene try to help Antigone?
However, later in the play, ismene tries to help her sister in order to share some of the punishment and attempt to save Antigones life. Ismene seeks to take some of the blame as she does not want to live if Antigone is not there. She also speaks up against Creon, advocating for Antigone and suggesting he is wrong in his actions.
What does this show?
The conflict between the sisters has subsided as Antigone is faced with death and ismene wants to finally help her sister contrasting with her position at the beginning. As she gets over the conflict with her sister, ismenes character shifts as she stands up for her sister and seizes to be the timid woman she once was.
What does ismene and Antigone do before Antigone dies?
Before Antigone dies, she and ismene are able to patch things up and resolve their underlying issues. Unlike Antigone relationship with creon.
who has the main conflict within the play?
Creon and Antigone have the main conflict of the play. at one point within the play, creon dismisses the gods completely, declaring that he does not answer to them. Antigone is outraged as she follows the gods laws religiously and takes their powers seriously.
what does this create?
this obviously creates a lot of tension between the two as essentially he is dismissing the entire basis of how she lives her life, she is infuriated by Creon’s ignorance and eventually goes ahead with the burial ceremony anyway, further angering creon. in a way, both characters are similar as they are both stubborn in their beliefs and completely unwilling to back down, even if it results in death.
does creon regret his actions
however, by the end of the play, creon ultimately regrets his actions against Antigone. after antigone commits suicide, the rest of Creons family follow in her footsteps, as per the prophecy stated by tiresius earlier. it is here, left alone with no family and a kingdom that hates him, that creon eventually regrets his actions and accepts full responsibility.
what does this show?
this is where the conflict with Antigone ends with Creon, he accepts his wrongdoingd and acknowledges the error of his ways. Although he never made amends with her before she died, closure is still gained through his acceptance.
how does conflict factor within Antigone?
Conflict within Antigone is abundant and is the driving force behind the events of the play. only when faced with dire consequences such as the death of a loved one or your kingdom hating you are any of the characters within the play able to make amends.
who does Oedipus have conflict with?
within the play, Oedipus has many conflicts with many people, especially Tiresius.
how is this shown?
after spending much of the play obsessing over who killed Laius, Oedipus eventually calls in a prophet, Tiresius. However, Tiresius refuses to tell oedipus who killed laius, as it was oedipus who unknowingly committed the crime. outraged by this, oedipus throws a lot of abuse at tiresius, who responds by telling him the whole truth out of spite.
what does this show us?
the bombshell dropped by Tiresius is arguably a teaching moment for oedipus as he realises that on multiple occasions, his temper has led to dire consequences for him. the conflict he had with tiresius had led oedipus’ whole world being torn down as he realises the truth about who he is and what he’s done; he does not take this very well.
what dies this conflict result in?
this conflict with Tiresias results in a catastrophic moment in Oedipus’ life ans leads to the suicide of his wide and his own self mutilation. the scene following this reveal is one of great tragedy as Jocasta his wife and mother commits suicide out of disgust of her actions and Oedipus drives her pins into his eyes in an attempt to not have to face what he’s done.
