Who is ismene in oedipus

Possibly Sophocles chose this unique entrance as a way of marking her as one of the members of the family, rather than just another passerby in Colonus. Both Ismene and Antigone represent filial duty in Oedipus at Colonus , but Ismene takes the less heroic role. Unlike Antigone, Ismene, it seems, has a nearly normal, stable life. She does not serve her father's needs or share his danger daily, as does Antigone. Although Ismene's devotion obviously exceeds her brothers' — even her father praises her to Polynices — it does not equal the sacrifice of Antigone.

Ismene is continually in her sister's shadow. In Antigone , Ismene's fear of challenging Creon and the laws of the state prevent her from sharing in her sister's bold plan and, ultimately, her fate.

But Creon never has our sympathy in the way Oedipus does, because he is bossy and bureaucratic, intent on asserting his own authority. Read an in-depth analysis of Creon. Son of Oedipus, and thus also his brother. Polynices appears only very briefly in Oedipus at Colonus. Polynices tries to point out the similarity between his own situation and that of Oedipus, but his words seem opportunistic rather than filial, a fact that Oedipus points out.

Tiresias, the blind soothsayer of Thebes, appears in both Oedipus the King and Antigone. In Oedipus the King, Tiresias tells Oedipus that he is the murderer he hunts, and Oedipus does not believe him.

In Antigone, Tiresias tells Creon that Creon himself is bringing disaster upon Thebes, and Creon does not believe him. Yet, both Oedipus and Creon claim to trust Tiresias deeply. The literal blindness of the soothsayer points to the metaphorical blindness of those who refuse to believe the truth about themselves when they hear it spoken.

Haemon is engaged to marry Antigone. Ismene fears helping Antigone bury Polynices but offers to die beside Antigone when Creon sentences her to die. Antigone, however, refuses to allow her sister to be martyred for something she did not have the courage to stand up for.

The king of Athens in Oedipus at Colonus. Creon then states that he has no mercy, and leads her to her doom. They then reflect upon how her brothers too, were of noble blood and how their deaths were so miserable. He tells Creon that his punishment for not giving a proper burial will be the life of his son.

Creon believes that the prophet is mocking him and disregards his warning. Such as Creon, he should wisely listen to the blind prophet because he has never been wrong before.

Creon is devastated and returns to the kingdom only to learn that his wife has also killed herself because of the loss of her son. The state that wisdom is a very powerful tool and should be used wisely otherwise the gods will punish you for your actions. Pages 60, Lines Sophocles, Antigone. Themes in Antigone. A major theme evident within this tragedy is pride.

As a result, it led to both of their self-destructions, as they killed each other in a battle for power. As a result, she goes against the very strict law that Creon placed within Thebes. By the time Creon finally realized that it was the gods who held the highest power, it was too late. Creon also states that his son is like a slave to Antigone and mocks his son for not respecting his power.

This causes Haemon to rush off, dejected, and later causes him to commit suicide. It is only after Creon is humbled, that he realizes the grave mistakes he has made. By this time, however, it is too late to fix anything and he has lost everything. Works Cited. Antigone Plot Summary Oedipus was banished from Thebes, when the prophecy of patricide and incest was proven true. Pages 60, Lines Sophocles, Antigone Themes in Antigone A major theme evident within this tragedy is pride.

Works Cited "Antigone. This article was actually quite helpful. It gave background of each character, including some of their etymologies. This site also gave certain pages numbers, where particular phrases or portions of the tragedy were pointed out as being important. The site also gave details about the plot summary and the setting of where the tragedy took place.

Wikimedia Foundation Inc. This article gave information regarding specific characters in the tragedy Antigone. Theban Plays. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company Inc. Antigone, was one of three Theban plays that were included within this novel.