sophocles antigone and hiroshima characters

Agon

• people assembling, but means Conflict, struggle or contest

• central conflict bw 2/3 characters

• in Sophocles: antigone and creon

• Antigone values the gods, blood, family, traditions

• Creon values money, power (in his hands), power over women, and political influence

chorus

• the old theban citizens

• hesitantly agrees with Creon, but slowly inputs warnings to creon about his actions

• acts as a voice of reason throughout the play, along w narrating certain scenes

antigone

• is the play's tragic heroine

• is opposed to her sister Ismene

• refusing to "understand" the limits placed on her

• rises up alone against state power

• cares about the order of the gods, and about respecting familiy

• Against all prohibitions and without any just cause, she will bury her brother to the point of her own death

• daughter of oedipus and jocasta (also her grandma), fiance to antigone

Dike

• justice

• the justice of polynices drives the play

• justice in a correct burial, justice from the gods, justice for family, justice for the city of thebes, etc

eteocles

• has died defending the city, shall be buried with full honors by decree of creon

• sibling of ismene, antigone, polynices

Ekthros vs Philos

• Philos: love, kin, family

• Ekthros: enemy

• Creon views polynices as Ekthros, antigone views him as philos

Eurydice

• Wife of creon

• kills herself once she sees her child has killed himself

• Eurydice, has stabbed herself, her last words nothing more than a few curses directed at him.

Jocasta

• first married to his Laius, has oedipus

• oedipus kills Laius and marries his mom

• kills herself when she finds out

Haemon

• son of creon

• fiance of antigone

• first says he supports his father

• says he hears the people of thebes speak, would be upset if he killed antigone

• pleads for the life of his fiancée. His words don’t touch Creon, get into a heated dispute

• says he will never see his father again

• Creon sees him hanging off of antigone’s dead body, he tries to kill creon, then kills himself

ismene

• sister of antigone, polynices, and eteocles

• when asked about burying the body, ismene responds with “lots of nos”

• says she cannot disobey the crown as a woman

• is blamed for the crime initially but is spared, had no part in it

laius

• King of thebes and weas married to Jocasta

• killed at crossroads by his son unknowlingly

oedipus

• the king of Thebes who unwittingly killed his father and married his mother

• Laius, king of Thebes, was warned by an oracle that his son would slay him

• exiles himself and gauges eyes out after learning he married his mom

messenger

• who bears the news of death.

• In the prologue, he casts a menacing shadow: as the Chorus notes, he remains apart from the others in his premonition of Haemon's death

polynices

• the “traitor” who had gathered the Argive army to conquer Thebes, is to be left for the dogs to devour.

• killed in battle against brother Eteocles

• his justice (dike), through proper burial is the driving force of the plot in the play

creon

• his only interest is in political and social order

• Antigone, ismene, polynices, and eteocles’ uncle

• king of Thebes, takes throne after oedipus gouges his eyes out and dies

• cares most about keeping political power and control

• highly critical of antigone and anyone who opposes him, especially women

• end the play feeling extremely guilty for causing the death of so many people

Tiresias

• blind prophet

• He comes with an urgent proclamation for the king: the altars of Thebes and its hearths have all been tainted by the birds and dogs with the carrion taken from Polynices, “the sadly fallen son of Oedipus,” and so the gods refuse to accept his prayers and sacrifices anymore.

• creon refuses to accept or believe this claim

• declares that his son will have to die as a punishment for disobeying the gods

Mrs. Nakamura

• tailors widow with three children

• only character in charge of a family

• struggles with poverty as a result of the war

• after bomb, is passive to America (“cant be helped”)

• ordinary victim of extraordinary event

Dr. Sasaki

• red cross surgeon

• selfless

• keep emotional distance from chafacter

• doesn’t seek praise for helping thousands (robot like state in the hospital)

• helps injured for days without sleeping

Father Kleinsorge

• german jesuit

  • different perspective as a foreigner

• shows that the bomb was an equalizer for everyone

• distinct non-japanese view on events

• shows the community aspect of the bomb

Mrs. Sasaki

• 20 year old clerk

• injured and left unattended for weeks

• becomes crippled for life

• husband leaves her, she becomes a nun

• closest representation of the nameless wounded survivors (suffering in isolation)

Dr. Fuji

• private doctor

• wealthy

• mostly unaffected the bomb

• shows how wealth may have played a factor

Mr. Tanimoto

• most complex character

• pastor with american ties

• struggle with his american ties effort to help japanese

• is more suspect to suspicion than actual foreigner

Gaia

• earth

• gives birth by herself (to ouranos)

• has Kronos and rhea with Ouranos

ouranos

• sky

• shoves his kids back into earth (gaia)

• kronos gets sickle and cuts his dick off

• dick turns into aphrodite through foam in the ocean

Kronos

• son of ouranos and gaia

• has many olympians, including zeus (youngest)

• knew fate of his father, swallows all of his kids

• eventually pukes them up and zeus comes to power

rheia

• has kids with Kronos

• goes to Gaia, gives her a rock and she gives it to zeus

• dresses it up as a baby and feeds it to kronos

Zeus

• youngest child who feeds kronos the rock, who pukes up all the children

• comes to power, physical power 9thunder and lightening)

• the muses: children of zeus

• act as a form of propaganda when telling the story of hesiod, biased sources

Prometheus

• violent, fool

• stabbed by zeus, eaten by eagle

• heracles frees him

• tried to trick zeus by feeding him ox, zeus takes away fire from humanity

• he gives it back to humanity

pandora

• made to please father zeus

• pretty but evil

• embodiment of misogyny