How The Choices Of The Characters Affected Each Other Essay, Research Paper

In everyday life, the outcome of your day

can be altered by the simplest or most complicating choices. Antigone’s

decision to bury her brother, Creon’s choice to sentence Antigone to death,

and again Antigone’s choice to end her life were important decisions that

other characters based their conclusions around. The choices of the characters

in Antigone change the outcome of the play and the lives or choices of

other characters.

The famous “first” decision of Antigone

was to bury her brother Polyneices against Creon’s order and Ismene’s opposition.

Three deaths including her own resulted from this controversial decision

that shaped the play. Was Antigone doing this to seem saintly or because

she felt it was her duty as a sister? “I will bury him myself. If I die

for doing that, good” (123). This answer lies within Antigone.

The action Creon took to solving his problem

of Antigone’s actions against his issue was to sentence her to a slow death

of starvation. “Away with her at once, and close her up in her rock-vaulted

tomb. Leave her and let her die” (150). Little did Creon know that this

would cost him his most valuable treasure, his family.

A long term solution to a short term problem

was a way to explain Antigone permanent decision to kill herself. “We saw

her hanging by the neck. The rope was of woven linen of her dress” (159).

Her choice lead to Haemon and his mother’s decision to also kill themselves

out of grief for one another. “. . .the poor, demented boy leaned on his

sword and thrust it deeply home in his side. . .” (159), “She is dead,

your wife, the mother of him that is dead – the death-wound fresh in her

heart” (159).

How a person uses his or her day determines

not only the fate of themselves but also the attitudes and actions of others.

The subtle and somewhat dramatic choices the characters of Antigone choose,

steer the play thought many twist and turns making it a memorable dramatic.