Antigone and Phaedrus: Essay Questions

1. Gender and age has been widely mentioned in this piece of writing by Sophocles to stress the position that wasgiven to women in the society, younger children too were not left out in this. According to Sophocles, “And now, what new decree is this they tell, our ruler has enjoined on all the state?”(Line 7, 8).

The King then, was bestowed extreme powers to rule and impose laws on people. But then, this dogmatic rule is neutralized by the portrayal of the woman to give direction. From the persuasion of Antigone in their conversation with Ismeme, she portrays audacity that is characterized by men.

In addition, when the decree is passed by the King, that those who challenge him should not be buried but to be left unburied. Antigone with her persuasive character invites Ismeme who has toned down to stomach the idea given by Antigone knows too well the repercussion of going against the grain when she says.”That whoso does the things that he forbids, what awaits him is death by stoning at the city walls” (Line 38 to 40).

The chorus by the elderly stresses the decrees that were passed by the King to instill fear into people meaning they too supported it according to Sophocles…. ‘He stood above our towers, circling with blood-stained spears…. He went before he filled his jaws with blood of men.’(Line 33-36).

2. Creon portrays a stern character and a loyal person who goes to extreme to defend the decrees passed by the King. He demands that before getting the real culprit, the guard was to be detained yet he only came to report as a duty… “ Prate about thinking; but unless ye show to me the doers, ye shall say ere long that evil gains still work their punishment”( Line 360-362).He is persuasive in a way that he handles the case in order to get to the bottom to whoever buried the corpse.

3. The laws of God dictated that respect to humankind was paramount, that with the laws in place, everyone was able to carry on with respect but the King had his own decrees to suit his type of rule. By giving a decree that individual who challenged his rule was not to be buried rather to be left to be devoured by the vultures which went contrary to the doctrines of religion. The play tries to link both the state laws and the laws of god by ways of punishment and ways through which they approved people thou they faulted on laws….according to Creon, “To desecrate their offerings and their hands, and all their wonted customs? Dost thou see the Gods approving men of evil? (Line 321-324).

4. Throughout the conversation, criticism has been emphasized by Phaedrus when says what other writers believe in for instance when he insists that some writers have left written instruction for arts who he sharply criticize and those who accept them thinking that with such they can easily yield results that are distinctive and to the point. Socrates says such characters are naïve and ignorant of Ammon’s Prophetic judgment. Needless to note is the fact that he uses one side of view to cast other writers as young in writing.

5. The argument is based on a fact that creative part of writing in not utilized in order to bring on board new skills due to passion. For the love of writing passion and dedication, young writers are expected to raise writing to a more respectable and more creative than what is seen presently. Socrates having been a writing teacher, questions whether a caring and a passionate farmer who love his seeds and who wants them to yield fruit is able to plant them in summer when there is dry spell. Or would he do this as amusement and in honor of the holiday. Socrates dares the distinction between artfully written speeches and those that are not from critics of Lysias type of writing.