Antigone Essay -- English Literature

Antigone Essay In any story or piece of literature, there will always be the main characters to fill the pages with incessant adventure. The characters whose names appear on almost every page and the characters whose actions the story revolves around. However, a story will also always have its minor characters. These are the characters that contribute heavily to the plot, yet aren't mentioned quite as often and are underestimated regarding their importance in the story. In the Greek masterpiece, Antigone, the author Sophocles construed a myriad of minor characters that contributed to the story in numerous ways. Ismene, one of Oedipus' daughters, was created to foil the main character, Antigone. Haemon, the son of Creon, took the role of adding controversy and showing his father revenge for all the trouble he caused Thebes. And finally, Tiresias, an elderly blind prophet, was constructed to diminish Creon's hubris. Firstly, Ismene's character was created primarily to foil that of Antigone's. When Antigone initially discussed her plans to contest the King's orders, Ismene was against it and tried to argue with her sister, hoping to dispel the plan from her mind. In lines 71-74, Ismene states during her argument, "think what a death we'll die, the worst of all if we violate the laws and override the fixed decree of the throne, it's power- we must be sensible." During the entire story the two characters have obvious opposing views and personalities. Ismene is discerned as rational, cautious, and dutiful, while Antigone is conveyed as intractable, brave, and disobedient. Another example of the discrepancy between the characters is the way that they are physically represented. Sophocles generated Ismene w... ...ty fits together like a puzzle. For example, without those blank sky pieces that fit at the top of a puzzle, it can never be completed. Same rule applies to any story, without the minor characters to reveal hidden information or to simple add drama, then a story can never be completed. In the Greek tragedy, Antigone, the author, Sophocles, presents the minor characters in his story with important functions and responsibilities. Ismene, Antigone's sister, had the purpose of foiling Antigone in order to create undeclared confliction between the characters. Haemon, Antigone's fiancÃÆ'Â ©e, was meant to bring justification to the string of deaths at the end of the story. And lastly, Tiresias, the respected prophet, was carefully produced as the character who pushed Creon's conscious over the edge and influenced him the most to withdraw his punishment for Antigone.