The Chivalric Code, Antigone

Chivalric Code:
Honest, Loyalty, Chastity, and Courage

These are some of the characteristics of a chivalric person. To me Antigone has all of these traits.
Honesty: In the play Antigone, Antigone was very honest. When Creon asked her if she did bury her brother she was very honest and told everyone what she did. I don't think I would have been able to be that proud about telling what I did to everyone. Especially when it was against the law to do it. Which brings me on to the next characteristic.
Courage: Antigone was very courageous by telling everyone so boldly that she did bury her brother and she does not think that it was the wrong thing to do. At the very end of the story when she committed suicide. I think that is very courageous to hang yourself. I would never want to do it.
Loyalty: I think Antigone was very loyal towards the gods. That is one of the reasons why she buried her brother. the gods rule was to bury someone or else their spirit will roam around forever. I think she was very loyal towards her brother by burying him even if she knew that she was going to be sent to jail.
Chastity: I know that Antigone did show chastity because she is a very honest and true person. From the play it sounded like she only wanted to do what is right instead of doing anything else. She was a very clean and pure person.

Compare and Contrast, Sir Lancelot du Lake

The story "Sir Lancelot du Lake" and Steinbeck's version of Sir Lancelot are a little different.  In "Sir Lancelot du Lake",  Lancelot is presented as a very strong and powerful man that can basically do anything.  While in Steinbeck's version Lancelot is shown as a very humble and polite person. In Steinbeck's version it seems like Lancelot did not follow the chivalric code compared to him following the code in "Sir Lancelot du Lake".  Although Lancelot does not follow his chivalric code completely he still followed other attributes that are part of the chivalric code. One of the other chivalric attributes that Lancelot did show in both stories was courtesy toward people.  Sir Lancelot showed courtesy towards everyone in "Sir Lancelot du Lake", and he showed courtesy toward King Arthur and Guinevere in Steinbeck's version. In both stories Sir Lancelot followed the chivalric code, but he is shown as a humble person in one story and shown as a great courageous person in another.

The Role of Woman in Antigone

In the play Antigone, the main character, Antigone, shows how strong woman can be during the play.  One example is, when Antigone is arguing with her sister Ismene about burying their brother.   Another example is, when Antigone argues with King Creon about why she buried her brother Polyneices.  During these two situations Antigone shows how much women can do.

At the very beginning of the play Antigone and her sister Ismene argue about burying Polyneices.  Antigone wants to follow the god’s rule and bury her brother Polyneices or else he will roam around looking for his spirit.  When she tells her sister, Ismene, about burying her brother she disagrees and says they should listen to Creon and not bury Polyneices.  Antigone disagrees with her and follows her conscience and the god’s rule.  When Ismene decides not to bury her brother, Antigone says this to Ismene, “But I will bury him; and if I must die,/ I say that this crime is holy” ( Antigone Prolouge 55-56).  That’s what is amazing about Antigone, she won’t listen to anyone except herself.  She will always listen to her conscience and do what she thinks is right.

When Antigone is caught by the guards she is taken to King Creon.  King Creon tells Antigone she is stubborn and always breaks the law.  Antigone stands her ground and proudly says that she did bury her brother and she thought it was right.  A phrase that I like was, “I do.  I deny nothing.” (Antigone 1.2.52).  One reason why I like this phrase is because Antigone said it so proudly to King Creon.  That is what makes her a great example for women.  Antigone always believes in what she does and never backs down.  When King Creon was talking to Antigone she proudly said that she buried her brother. 

  Antigone is a great role model for all women.  She always stands up for what she believes is right.  When she was arguing with her sister Ismene she always wanted to do what was right.  Another example of Antigone’s courageousness is when she faced King Creon and proudly said that what she did was right.

Suicide in play Antigone

Basically half of the three of the main characters commited suicide in just two pages. Antigone is found dead in her stone tomb. Then Haemon dies because Antigone, his true love, died. Once Haemon's mother found out that her only son has died, and then she goes and commits suicide herself. I think all of these characters died because of Creon's stubborness.

Antigone is the first to die out of the three characters. I think Creon shouldn't have been so stubborn and maybe she would not have died. When I read how Antigone died it surprised me. The way Sophocles wrote how she died made me feel so sad. I like Sophocles' way of describing how people die compared to Shakespeare's way of describing how people die. It was very unexpected to me for Antigone to hang herself.

As soon as Haemon found out how Antigone died he killed himself. The way the messenger describes how Haemon died was sad. It was sad how Haemon cryed over Antigone's body. Then it was even more sad when he stabbed himself in the side. I almost started crying when the messenger described how he fell on Antigone's body and his blood stained her cheeks. Also when the messenger said, "And how he lies dead with the dead, and she is his/ At last, his bride in the house of the dead" (Antigone Exodus 75-76). I like these last two lines because even though Antigone and Haemon are dead, they will both meet in the after-life and marry eachother there.

When the messenger is done describing how Eurydice's son dies she goes and kills herself. When the Messenger tells Creon that her wife is dead I was surprised. I thought that the queen would mourn over her son and Creon would die, but it was the opposite. Once Eurydice left I thought that she was going to her home to cry. Then the Messenger comes again and has to tell Creon the bad news. I like how Sophocle's describes how Eurydice dies. How she died was pretty dramatic. It was especially dramatic when the Messenger says, "She stood before the altar, and her heart/ welcomed the knife her own hand guided" (Antigone Exodus 112-113). I really like the way Sophocle's describes people dying compared to Shakespeare's way.

I think it is Creon's fault for everyone's death. Since Creon was so stubborn and didn't bury Polynices, Antigone buried and got caught while in the act of burying him. She was sent to a stone tomb and because of her action she commited suicide. Haemon pleaded to his father to let her go. Creon was so stubborn towards his son, and said he will not let her go because of her "bad actions". Since Antigone was not set free and she commited suicide Haemon decided to commit suicide as well. Eurydice commited suicide because her son died. Creon's stubborness caused Antigone to die, which caused Haemon to die, which caused Eurydice to die.