nicholas hu rr5

Nicholas Hu

Reading Response 5

Question 1

In literature, the word agency means, ”the freedom and capacity to live or act in a defined world.” And so, when you look at the character of Antigone, to what extent does she have agency in the play? In what ways have you seen her act on her own ability to live and survive in the particular world?

           

            Agency is to have a choice in a world that goes by guidelines and laws. We see Antigone having agency in the beginning of the play, where she tries to persuade her sister to help bury the brother. The king had decided that any mourning and honoring of the dead brother would be deemed illegal and led to death. Antigone doesn’t want to abide the laws and wants to go against it, thus showing agency. Her sister, Ismene, doesn’t want to go against the king and his laws and live her life in peace. Ismene does not show any signs of agency here, but does later in the story.

            Another example of Antigone showing agency is when she finds her brother’s grave defiled by the Sentry and his group. She immediately tried to repair the grave right in front of the Sentry. The Sentry is pretty much an upholder of the law, and Antigone was defying it. She also didn’t deny any of her actions. Everything she did was of her own choice, and those choices went against the laws.

            The extent of agency Antigone has is pretty much to the fullest extent. She would do anything to get what she wants. In lines 613-614, she says “Take heart; you are alive, but my life died long ago, to serve the dead.” Antigone is pretty much saying she’ll do anything in her power as long as she’s alive to honor her brother. This is also the scene where Ismene shows signs of agency.

            The question says that agency means “the freedom and capacity to live or act in a defined world.” In Antigone’s case, I don’t think it’s limited to only living. Even after death her ideas and morals probably were still around.

            Going back to how I said I thought Antigone has agency to the fullest extent, I think I was wrong. Her agency only goes up to disobeying the laws and the king. She disobeyed Creon because she wanted to follow God’s law of everyone having the right to a proper burial and such. Creon was the one who decided that Polyneices didn’t deserve a proper burial and that was God’s judgement. Antigone is faithful to God, not the king. Her extent of agency only reaches past the laws of the king.

            There's not much else to write about her showing agency. We don't even learn about what happens to her at the end. I think she gets thrown into a dungeon? Her agency did spread though, to the son of the king. He began to question his father's actions after what had happened.