Monday, September 23, 2013

What are Antigone's positive traits and what are her negative traits?

Antigone's positive traits are her loyalty and independence.  Though her brother is considered a traitor by their Uncle Creon, the reigning king, and though Creon's decree is that he is not to be buried, Antigone still displays her family loyalty when she goes against her uncle's decree and buries him. Burial upon death was extremely important to the Ancient Greek Culture because they believed a soul could not rest until the body was buried.  Her independence is also shown here, as well as courageousness, in that she does what she thinks is right, even though her own sister Ismene tells her she is crazy for her actions, and even though she knows she will surely face death for her actions.

Her negative trait would have to be her stubbornness.  Perhaps if Antigone had considered a different way of getting her brother's body buried without having gone against her uncle, she could have lived and made bigger changes in the kingdom.  She did not agree with her uncle's rule, believing that he was more concerned with the city instead of his own family and cared more about how the people of the city viewed him.  If she had remained alive then perhaps she could have accomplished more.  Instead, her stubborness caused her to act before thinking and eventually to commit suicide.  

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