The characters of Ismene and Antigone appear as rivals and foils. Ismene is reasonable, timid, obedient, full-figured, and beautiful. For Antigone, it is clear that no mortal's rule has a hold on her like the rules and laws of the afterlife. He truly demonstrates his obedience while saying, "I am your son sir; by your wise decisions my life is ruled, and them I shall always obey"(Sophocles 143). Antigone (an-TIG-oh-nee): The daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta; she wants to bury her brother Polynices, even through Creon says it’s against the law.. Ismene (iz-ME-nee): Antigone’s sister; she’d like to help her sister, but she thinks it’s too dangerous.. Creon (KREE-on): Jocasta’s brother (and thus Antigone and Ismene’s uncle). Creon's symbol is a cat because cats are usually power mad, evil, but also have good qualities too. By describing Antigone as a”mother bird crying bitterly. But she must do it, because, as the Chorus says, "when your name is Antigone, there is only one part you can play." Throughout the story of Antigone, there is a struggle to balance the expectations of the gods and the decree by the Creon. (472).Antigone is determined to bury her brother the proper way, even if that means going against Creon’s orders. His decree ordered a punishment of death by stoning if any one buried Polynices’. Creon is powerfully built, but a weary and wrinkled man suffering the burdens of rule. (471) over her “young ones stolen. Anouilh's heroine acts out a symbolic struggle to remain pure in a corrupt world—symbolic because her actual goal, burying Polynices, is of questionable value.After all, God is absent from the play, and her brother was a lout. “We closed our eyes enduring the plague sent by the gods. There is also rivalry in terms of physical aspects, such as femininity. Characters. The reason for this is because like a dog, Haemon is very obedient. Antigone is recalcitrant (goes against authority, defies hegemony), impulsive, and moody. In the first moments of the play, Antigone is opposed to her radiant sister Ismene. The tomb that Creon orders to be built for Antigone is an important symbol of just how much he's perverted the natural order of things. Antigone study guide contains a biography of Sophocles, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. With Antigone, the motif strengthens her character. There is also rivalry in terms of physical aspects, such as femininity. Antigone. Ismene is reasonable, timid, obedient, full-figured, and beautiful.Antigone is recalcitrant (goes against authority, defies hegemony), impulsive, and moody. A predominant motif is that of suicide. The characters of Ismene and Antigone appear as rivals and foils. One important symbol in Sophocles’ Antigone is the stone tomb to which Creon condemns her. Ismene is a beautiful girl, a woman that men want. The first symbol that represents the personality of Haemon is a dog. Suicide. Ismene is a beautiful girl, a woman that men want. Unlike her beautiful and docile sister, Antigone is scrawny, sallow, withdrawn, and recalcitrant brat. The loss of Eurydice and Haemon through suicide. When at long last we were quit of it, why, then we saw the girl”(2084). Creon - Antigone's uncle. Characters in Antigone. Antigone Symbol Ismene Creon Antigone's symbol is a hammer because in the play, Antigone went against the law and never denied anything she did, even if the punishment was death. Symbolic Archetypes in Antigone Supernatural Intervention: Many times the Gods seem to act in favor of Antigone. Antigone follows the rules of the gods, and buries her brother. 1. She is”a mother bird that comes back to a stripped nest. Haemon Symbolism in Antigone. Antigone - The play's tragic heroine. To bury her brother the proper way, even if that means going against Creon s. 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