to what extent does she have agency in the pay?
Antigone's determination to accomplish her fate of honor her brother as god's requirement, without think on the state's laws play the main role. That show Antigone's agency even though her free choice drive her to death. The main character act in a way to prove, a strong disagreement, fearless, and brave behavior agains the government. Antigone self commitment with her fate can be seen as the clash of the people versus state, law versus divine, and woman versus men. In other word, Antigone's agency can be interpret as a revolutionary person because she faces and argues against Creon. Tell him that the people in the town is in her side but their fear of the dictatorship cease them to express their thought but she is the voice for those who are voiceless.
Moreover, Antigone's disillusion with the new king's decision on her brothers, because creon decided that, one can be buried with all state honor but not the other. Creon's deed driver Antigone to a commitment of honor him and make the ritual to the god's Zeus. Antigone basically has to work hidden, try to recruit her sister to get some help and fail, show sister's rivalry but she never stop even though she knows that breaks state's laws has a consequence of being execution. Her rebel spirt and the decided to find justice for her brother keep her consistent in her fate, something that brought to her a heroic character for people in the town and make the king look like a cruel ruler. Also, Antigone's deep expanded the possibilities of human action, reconceived the role of women in society, and delineated a new type of character, one who sets her individual conscience and belief in divine principle above and against the power and authority of the state.
This greeks tragedy, I just can see Antigone's agency as a hero that have a self-engagement with her fate and that encourage people fight against the unfairness that the state want to impose. On the other hand, we see Ismene, chorus and Teiresias try to change king's decision but his pride and arrogant stop him to see the consequence that drive his family to has the same destiny. Suicide. In real life, we can see in the history of the old kingdom in Europa in 18th and 19th century how they was falling one after one because of one bad decision and just compare Napoleon and Antigone, both have fate, fearless to face the state's injustice, both were rebel and disobey the laws with their eyes open all along the way which mean they have clear vision of what they have to do.
We noticed that "loyalty" is a big word that prove her fate and deed. Family devotion especially is a big thing. She sacrifices her own life in the name of it because her parents has died and she not going to has more brother. Her determination is so strong that her character becomes symbolic of family loyalty. When we see her face King Creon, that action suggest that we owe more loyalty to the government or our families! Also in the way to understand her fate, we have to see another big thing that show Antigone's fierce loyalty to the gods. Their divine laws are what she holds most sacred. She couldn't give a flip about laws of man, as represented by Creon. When these two characters collide, the clash isn't just symbolic of government vs. family; it's also symbolic of man vs. the gods.
No comments:
Post a Comment