Antigone Journal #3

I think Antigone and Creon will make decent characters to compare & contrast. To start off with, Antigone uses a lot of similes and metaphors when talking to Creon and sort of sarcastic tone. "The thing is catching! Who knows but that lots of people will catch the disease from me!" (44). Apart from this Antigone seems to be murmuring and thinking to herself a lot, because of the gestures. "[murmurs, lost in thought]. Happiness . . ." (41). Antigone is lost in thought thinking about what Creon is saying and taking into consideration what she thinks happiness is. Next Creon who is speaking in long turns is described as fierce, but still struggles to contain Antigone, "[grasps her by the arms]. Shut up! If you could see how ugly your are, shrieking those words." (43). Even though Creon is trying his hardest to control Antigone, in a physical and verbal manner, he still fails and ultimately has to send her to her death because it is her "fate". Another example of Creon failing at controlling Antigone, "Be quiet, I tell you!" (42). I think Anouilh sets up these two characters against each other just because there has to be conflict between the sympathetic character and the person who is trying to control everything and put it in order. This effects my understanding of the play because I now see that Antigone has power over Creon and Creon cannot do anything about it because either way he is complying to what she wants: to die. If Creon does not do this she goes back to making herself look like a fool in front of the whole kingdom and causing suspicion among the citizens. He cannot get satisfaction either way. I see this as Antigone's attempt to control Creon by intimidating him that she will not comply to his demands and neither will she agree with him. This sets up further characterization such as Antigone's stubborn-ness and how she sees her death inevitable that she won't change her mind.