'Antigone is a thoroughly admirable character.' How far do you agree with this statement?
Throughout the play, Antigone is presented as an audacious and unorthodox female character, whose actions depict her independence and confidence. She dismisses the rules which she believes are false, and honourably battles against her uncle's rule to bring justice to her slaughtered brother; her original intentions suggest how important family relationships are to her. However, Antigone's reckless behaviour often causes inconsistency in her beliefs. Majorly, nearing the end of her life, she begins to regret all her deeds of which she had once glorified. Antigone's initial self-confidence and independence has been replaced with regret and…show more content… This includes Haemon, Creon's only son. Despite being 'betrothed' to Haemon, Antigone does not mention his name until she attempts to reason against Creon's death wish, whom she accuses of robbing '[his] own son of her.' To the audience, this information comes as sudden and a shock; it also makes her less likeable as a responsible woman and less admirable as a character, since women did not usually cause such disharmony about weddings. Also, the audience feels pity for Haemon, who ironically is one of the only characters in the play who is fully in support of Antigone's boldness. Some people may blame Haemon's broken marriage on
Antigone's reckless actions.
Finally, Antigone becomes increasingly more introverted and depressed as the play nears the end; instead of fighting for her brother's dignity, she becomes to dwell more in self-pity. She calls herself one of the 'most wretchedly' ones to reach the Underworld, suggesting lowered confidence. She begins to see her life from a different perspective and focuses on a more typical Grecian woman, instead of her bleak future of being killed before she has had 'her share in marriage and the raising of children.' This greatly contradicts her initial character, who focused more on completing the task of burying Polyneice's body, then
