Antigone the Game of Fate

Antigone's Fate / Antigone: The Game Of Fate

The play Antigone, composed by Sophocles, informs us that fate cannot be controlled by anyone. Fate is an essential part of many tragedies. As for the characters in Antigone, their fates end up being unavoidable, whether it is due to the reason that they refused to accept it until it was very late, or they accepted the fate and permitted it to come to pass. The character's lives possess set conclusions, and there exits some clues on what these conclusions shall be, and when they shall happen. The characters are frequently capable of knowing their fate and reacting to it. At certain periods, characters accept their fate since it is vital to them, or they trust that it is unavoidable (Stegar, 1). A vital theme of Antigone is the conflict amidst fate and a person's action. Whereas free decisions, like the choice of Antigone to disobey Creon's orders, are important, fate is actually accountable for most of the very overwhelming and vital occurrences of the trilogy. Through raising the fate's significance, Sophocles implies that characters cannot be completely accountable for their undertakings. It gets challenging, for instance, to blame Oedipus for marrying mother, provided his ignorance (Shmoop, 3).

Thesis Statement

The main character's fate in the play "Antigone" by Sophocles shows the risks of extreme pride. The forces of the gods or fate, bears grave and weighty impacts on the lives of human beings. Various tragic results might certainly arise from the will of the gods, and not simply a human weakness or fault (Sophocles, 275-550).

Antigone's Fate

Fate can be described as an individual's destiny, or the predetermined results of the will of the gods, or the outcome of a certain action. The play drives the dispute whether fate is much stronger in comparison to an individual's free will, or not. Man appears to be restricted by his/her fate and mortality, or predetermined future. The function of tragedy is to illustrate how humans bring down fate upon themselves. More than one option normally exists, and the tragic hero makes the wrong decision, just as in Creon's case. However, Antigone is entrapped in a legacy of fate, which plagues all the members of the family of Oedipus. Her fate appears to be more arranged and less her fault, although she causes it upon herself through revolting against Creon. In as much as she possesses a free will, she exercises it against the law of the king and this bears some consequences. Creon, nonetheless, appears to suffer through his own stubbornness and decisions. After Teiresias highlights to him the fate that awaits him if he continues, he surrender's mentioning that "one cannot fight / Against Necessity" (Novelguide, 6-7).

In the play "Antigone," events commence with the discussion regarding burying the body of Polynieces. Antigone, together with Ismene, discusses the consequences of this action that has been made illegal. The discussion outlines the fate of Antigone as she chooses to bury her brother and faces the repercussions. She is completely aware of her fate and accepts it. According to her, following her set fate arranged by the gods is more essential than following a set of laws by the king. She informs her sister, who chooses to obey the law, that she ought to set her own fate. Antigone follows her fate all through the play. She buries her brother and is arrested by guards; she is presented to Creon and admits her faults. The acceptance of her destiny is seen when she faces a punishment of death; she mentions that her fate triggers no tears. Antigone accepts that what she believes is inevitable through committing suicide with her fiance. This realization and acceptance of fate is an essential segment of Antigone, in addition to several other tragedies. There were, however, several other characters in the play, apart from Antigone, with destinies to live up to. For instance, Creon is ordained to be alone following his choice that resulted to the deaths of nearly everyone around him. He initially overlooks the outcomes of his actions and tries to correct his faults. However, it is already very late. By the time he eventually chooses to accept that this is his destiny, and tries to evade it by forfeiting it, Haemon and Antigone have already ended their lives. Creon's unwillingness to listen to others regarding his destiny all through the play led to it turning into his reality (Stegar, 2).

Evidence 1

Antigone feels quite empowered to influence her own fate. She tells her sister Ismene not to fear for her, but instead concentrate and worry about herself. Antigone chooses to bury her own brother and defy Creon's orders. However, Ismene on the other hand, does not feel the same. Ismene does not feel empowered to influence her own destiny (Shmoop Editorial Team, 82-85). In addition, she fears for her own sister; she says "My poor, fond sister, how I fear for thee."

Evidence 2

Here, Ismene feels sad for her sister Antigone. She does not see the meaning of life without the presence of her sister. She says, "What would life profit me bereft thee?" She wishes to know if there is any way that she could help out her sister. Ismene views Antigone's choice of death as one that mocks her. She is even wondering if her sister finds pleasure from such mockery. In this same evidence, Antigone not only chooses her destiny (death), but also her sister's, Ismene (life). She says, "Yea, for thou chosed'st life, and I to die." She illustrates that after all, free will exists (Shmoop Editorial Team, 544-566).

Conclusion