The tragedy of Antigone Essay Example for Free

The tragedy of Antigone EssayThe tragedy of Antigone is the culmination of Sophocles line of troubles for the Oedipan line, beginning with the unmasking of the indexs tragic secret. The last tale of the doomed Theban family, however, was different from the other two stories here, the main base of operations was not the unfolding of tragedy as willed by fate, but a defiant challenge to mortal pride. Antigone faced Creon to challenge the dishonorable directence to her brother, and also to unmask the pride by which the Theban fagot defied the gods. Dantes Divine Comedy follows a comparable theme driven by the discouragement of wrath and pride, the poet-pilgrim is led by the spirit of Virgil through the recesses of his intelligence to see first-hand the ugliness of sin and pride that moves his despair. Through analysis of the two stories, it will be revealed that they share similar devices in narrative, and a common theme Mortal Pride blinds its owner, turns it against those he holds dear, and offends the Divine. The first recognizable similarity between the two stories lies in the role of the women in unmasking the folly of mortal pride.Antigone begins in the aftermath of a great battle and the decision of the Theban King, Creon, to disgrace the dead of the besieged and withhold the honor of proper burial. Antigone represented divine comment and retribution, in her defiance of the law forbidding the burial (Watling, 1959, p. 125). The purpose was two-fold one was to give redeem the lost honor of her brother, who was one of the doomed, and the other to dare the King to do his worst and in so doing, and thus expose the extent of his folly.The heroine of Dantes Divine Comedy is Beatrice, who, seeing the despair and error that Dante found himself in, sent for the ancient writer Virgil to guide him through Inferno into the gates of Paradise (Ciardi, 1960, pp. 28-30). This journey through the bowels of Inferno represents the souls examination of self, revea ling that at the center of the blackness of his despair was sin, and at the core of that was pride. Beatrice is fulfilling the same two-fold purpose that Antigone bore for herself she wished to redeem Dante, by exposing the folly of his own pride.The devices of both stories are also similar in their approach to curbing mortal pride initially there is the advice of Reason, and then the chastisement by the Divine. King Creon is approached by his son, Haemon, in the hopes in him seeing the error of his ways (Watling, 1959, pp. 143-147). His careful admonition of speaking for Creons benefit and that he could still admit to his mistake, is similar in Virgils sozzled but prosperous handling of Dante, as the latter is led through the depths of Hell and the scourges of Purgatory.Mortal pride, in both stories, has blinded too much the maven Creon would not heed to the warnings of his son, and would even trade barbs with the blind prophet Teiresias (Watling, 1959, p. 154). Similarly, throu ghout Dantes journey through the nightmarish landscape of the Inferno, he could see pain souls who are too blinded by their pride to realize the gravity of their sins and its consequences. One memorable scene is in Infernos Canto VII, where, in the dregs of a swamp, the souls who were wrathful in their lives continue to tear each apart even in Hell.There is also Vanni Fuccis defiant cry to theology in Canto XXV of Inferno, in the midst of his torment from vipers (Ciardi, 1960, pp. 75, 213). Even Dante himself, later in Purgatorios Canto XIII, admits of continuing lapse to pride, despite the horrors he had to face in Inferno (Ciardi, 1960, pp. 143-144). Mortal pride, however, eventually shrinks before the glare of Divine wrath, the second and more effective narrative device used to quelling the former. Teiresias, having been rebuffed in his gentle words of advice to Creon, reveals the extent of Heavens curse.His final barb at the King (Let us leave him to vent his anger on jr. ears /Or school his mind and tongue to a milder mood) exposes Creons fury for what it is nothing before the eyes of the Divine (Watling, 1959, pp. 154-155). Beatrice, in a similar office, released righteous fury upon a Dante that seemed to have gotten off easy in Hell and Purgatoryincidentally at the same time that Virgil finally leaves him. Dante, suddenly natural before Divine Wrath, swoons in grief and guilt (Ciardi, 1959, pp. 304-307, 310-313).Thus, the two stories share the same lesson Pride that is defiant before the Law of the Divine eventually is change against Righteous Wrath. Thus is Antigone the same with the Divine Comedy. Through the device of Reason (Haemon in the former, Virgil in the latter), the Divine sought to redeem the soul caught in the despair of pride. The act of pride is exposed for its absurdity, and the sinner shrinks before the realization of the extent of his error. Pride, that it may be scourged from its wielder, is then met with the punishment of the Divi ne. Creon faced it in the multiple tragedies of son, bugger off and would-be daughter-in-law.Dante, though, could not yet suffer this burden as he was still alive (though Beatrices denunciations would have sufficed), but he could at least see it from the Proud preparing themselves in Purgatorio, as was illustrated in Canto X (Ciardi, 1960, p. 115-117). The sins of Mortal Pride are not thrust upon Man by fate, but it is taken up by choice. It is a grotesque thing that blinds its possessor and thus in turn possesses him. Only by seeing clearly how small, insignifi posteriort, and foolish it is and how it hurts those held dear, can it be overthrown and the soul thus redeemed.