Antigone, Everyman, And Hamlet
Antigone, Everyman, & Hamlet, each character from their own respective plays set out to accomplish a goal. Each of their goals differ greatly from each other and yet they all share a core theme; the inevitability of death. Each character, Antigone, Everyman, and Hamlet relate to and view death differently and as their stories unfold, the way they each perceive and accept death is challenged and changes. To expand on the inevitability of the deaths of Antigone, Everyman, and Hamlet, each character and show must be analyzed individually. Although each of them share the same theme, each of their philosophies and stance on death.
ANTIGONE
Antigone’s play begins with death, as do Everyman’s play and Hamlet’s play. The play begins with Antigone and her sister Ismene discussing the recent and unfortunate deaths of their brothers Eteocles and Polynices. During this discussion, Antigone recounts to Ismene Creon’s orders. These orders specifically forbid the burial and mourning of any traitors to the state of Thebes. Due to these orders, Antigone and Ismene are forbidden to give their brother, Polynices, a proper burial and are even forbidden to mourn his death. Antigone takes offense to this new law, statating that Creon has no right to keep her away from her own brother. She expresses to Ismene her distress at her brother’s corpse not being given the proper burial that the dead deserve. Antigone also takes offense to Creon’s new law because she feels as though she is being personally attacked because at this time the Greeks believed, according to an ancient literary sources, that it was a necessity to have proper burial and that
“Relatives of the deceased, primarily women, conducted the elaborate burial rituals.” (Department of Greek and Roman Art. “Death, Burial, and the Afterlife in Ancient Greece.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000-.http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/dbag/hd_dhab.htm 2003)
Antigone, despite her sister’s best efforts, sets forth her goal to bury her brother, believing that “...nothing could happen to [her]/ so bad that it would cloud [her] noble death.’ Antigone feels that her self imposed task is worth going against Creon’s new law and worth dying for because her death will bring her glory in the eyes of the Gods, despite her death being a punishment. It is at this moment here that Antigone seals her fate and prepares for her inevitable death.
Throughout her play, Antigone is fierce and unmoving in her acceptance of death and she understands the inevitability of it. She knew from the start of her play that she was going to die. Through this knowledge of the death penalty that Antigone possesses, she does not fear her own death and does not regret her own death. Antigone’s resolve overshadows any human’s fear of death (A prominent theme, the fear of death) and makes her stand out from the other characters in her play. It is only when Antigone is being led to her tomb that she begins to waiver her stance and philosophy regarding the inevitability of death. Antigone’s original philosophies and views falter and she suddenly becomes full of sorrow. Sorrow at the prospect of dying unwed, childless, and alone. She allows herself to be consumed with sorrow and yet she still also wants to prove so badly that Creon is wrong. So in an act of self pride and unwillingness to talk with Creon, Antigone takes her own life and facing death head on, although she started to waiver in her views of her own death.
Her story or play is one that concerns itself immensely with the theme of death and what it means to die. In the character Antigone and other characters in the play we can see them each struggle with alternating fear and acceptance of death as the play unfolds. Just like any other tragedie written in this time, Antigone ends with a somber ending leaving almost all the characters dead leaving Creon to ponder on what the consequences of his new law made and the deaths that it caused. Sophocles leaves the audience or reader thoughtful and almost a little uneasy because he reminds us that our own death is inevitable and undeniable, just as Antigone’s was.
EVERYMAN
Just like Antigone, Everyman concerns itself greatly with the inevitability of death and how we die. So much so that Death not only plays an important role spiritually but also physically as well. The character Death, although only appearing briefly to deliver a message to Everyman, death remains the primary theme of Everyman’s story. Death in Everyman is simply a part of being human, something we all must face.
Death states at the beginning of the play that death is a weapon that punishes “Everyman that liveth beastly/ out of God’s laws.” This is what leads to Everyman’s fear of death because he has lived “out of God’s laws” and will therefore face punishment in the form of eternal damnation. The philosophy of death in Everyman isn’t seen as the end, rather as a gateway to the afterlife whether that be an afterlife where you suffer from eternal punishment or an afterlife where you exist in eternal bliss. To highlight this philosophy, the writer has Death play the part of a messenger for both Heaven and Hell. In the philosophy of Everyman’s world, the righteous don’t need to fear death, just as Antigone believed that she’d get a noble death for burying her brother and that she’d have a blissful afterlife, the righteous by following God’s law with also have a prosperous afterlife. Death is only feared by those who live out of God’s law and sin. This is why Antigone accepts her fate. She knows that she will have a good afterlife.
This is what makes her different from Everyman. For in the beginning of Everyman’s story, he fears and despairs death. He doesn’t want to face his own death although he is well aware that he cannot avoid it. It is not until after Everyman re-examines his own life and morals, noting how he sinfully privileged material goods and pleasures over good deeds and Christianity, that he purges himself of his sins and gives up all his material goods and wants and desires with the help of good deeds, knowledge, and confession. It is only after all of this that Everyman accepts and embraces the inevitability of his own death. This view of religion and Everyman’s philosophy of death is what makes his story stand out from Antigone’s. For although they both share a core theme, both tackle death and religion in different ways. Antigone worships multiple gods, whereas Everyman’s religion and philosophies come from the ideas and beliefs of Christianity.
Everyman also does not also hit the same chords as Antigone. At the ending of Antigone we are left to ponder on the thought of death and may even feel a little uneasy. Whereas Everyman ends with him willingly crawling into his own grave, leaving the audience thoughtful and hopeful.
HAMLET
Just like Antigone and Everyman, Hamlet begins in the same fashion with death. However death in Hamlet makes itself known more as an unwelcome guest or a distant cousin who won’t leave after Thanksgiving where Antigone and Everyman’s stories deal with death in vastly different ways. As early as the first scene death rears its head up with the ominous ghost of Hamlet’s father and lingers until the bloodbath that is the final scene in the play. The more profound ideologies and philosophy and outlook into death is even seen in most of the characters in the play, seen most primarily through the morbid fascination of death that Hamlet develops and manifests throughout the play.
Hamlet’s fascination with death causes him to contemplate death and the physicality involved with death. It is this relationship that Hamlet has with death that makes him different from Antigone and Everyman. Hamlet uses death as almost a means to see through the world, whether he does this willingly or unwillingly I am not sure. Beginning in the first act of the play Hamlet is torn and plagued by grief over the death of his father. Due to this grief, Hamlet sees the world through a shattered lens. He sees the world only for its evil and destruction. This view of the world even has Hamlet contemplate his own suicide, fortuntely Hamlet veers away from the thought of taking his own life after contemplating the conscequenses of suicide would be in the afterlife, such as eternal damnation. Here we can see some similarities between Hamlet and Everyman for both seem to follow somewhat the same philosophies and ideas on religion (Christianity).
As the play unfolds, Hamlet’s fascination with death starts to expand and becomes even more morbid when he starts contemplating the implications that death causes on the deceased, noting the physical transformation between life and death while facing Yorick’s skull. Hamlet notes how “That skull had a tongue once in it and could sing once.” Here Hamlet’s philosophy of death takes fruition, he realizes that death is impartial, inevitable, and unalterable. Hamlet, with this idea and philosophy, comes to accept death and sees that it is futile to fear death and that trying to avoid death is a waste of time. He believes that whatever happens will happen, death or life. Hamlet doesn’t fear death or long for death, he is contempt. Even when Hamlet finally dies, in his final moments he is not scared to die, he knows that this is part of the human cycle and that it is his time. Hamlet leaves the audience or reader thoughtful and insightful with a new perspective on death and its implications.
All three of these characters; Antigone, Everyman, & Hamlet each started their shows with death lingering around them and affecting each of their philosophies, thoughts, views, and outlook on life and death. Through each one of their journeys, they all struggled with alternating views and fear of death, each having their ideologies challenged, and finally each coming to terms with the inevitability of their own deaths and finally meeting their own demise. Each of their stories offer some idea into death and leave people pondering about death. From my own idea of death after reading these plays and writing this essay I can say this much; When your life ends, there is nothing to fear because there is no you anymore. Death is not something to fear, it is not the opposite of life, rather a part of life and a part of being human.
p>Antigone’s play begins with death, as do Everyman’s play and Hamlet’s play. The play begins with Antigone and her sister Ismene discussing the recent and unfortunate deaths of their brothers Eteocles and Polynices. During this discussion, Antigone recounts to Ismene Creon’s orders. These orders specifically forbid the burial and mourning of any traitors to the state of Thebes. Due to these orders, Antigone and Ismene are forbidden to give their brother, Polynices, a proper burial and are even forbidden to mourn his death. Antigone takes offense to this new law, statating that Creon has no right to keep her away from her own brother. She expresses to Ismene her distress at her brother’s corpse not being given the proper burial that the dead deserve. Antigone also takes offense to Creon’s new law because she feels as though she is being personally attacked because at this time the Greeks believed, according to an ancient literary sources, that it was a necessity to have proper burial and that
“Relatives of the deceased, primarily women, conducted the elaborate burial rituals.” (Department of Greek and Roman Art. “Death, Burial, and the Afterlife in Ancient Greece.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000-.http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/dbag/hd_dhab.htm 2003)
Antigone, despite her sister’s best efforts, sets forth her goal to bury her brother, believing that “...nothing could happen to [her]/ so bad that it would cloud [her] noble death.’ Antigone feels that her self imposed task is worth going against Creon’s new law and worth dying for because her death will bring her glory in the eyes of the Gods, despite her death being a punishment. It is at this moment here that Antigone seals her fate and prepares for her inevitable death.
Throughout her play, Antigone is fierce and unmoving in her acceptance of death and she understands the inevitability of it. She knew from the start of her play that she was going to die. Through this knowledge of the death penalty that Antigone possesses, she does not fear her own death and does not regret her own death. Antigone’s resolve overshadows any human’s fear of death (A prominent theme, the fear of death) and makes her stand out from the other characters in her play. It is only when Antigone is being led to her tomb that she begins to waiver her stance and philosophy regarding the inevitability of death. Antigone’s original philosophies and views falter and she suddenly becomes full of sorrow. Sorrow at the prospect of dying unwed, childless, and alone. She allows herself to be consumed with sorrow and yet she still also wants to prove so badly that Creon is wrong. So in an act of self pride and unwillingness to talk with Creon, Antigone takes her own life and facing death head on, although she started to waiver in her views of her own death.
Her story or play is one that concerns itself immensely with the theme of death and what it means to die. In the character Antigone and other characters in the play we can see them each struggle with alternating fear and acceptance of death as the play unfolds. Just like any other tragedie written in this time, Antigone ends with a somber ending leaving almost all the characters dead leaving Creon to ponder on what the consequences of his new law made and the deaths that it caused. Sophocles leaves the audience or reader thoughtful and almost a little uneasy because he reminds us that our own death is inevitable and undeniable, just as Antigone’s was.
EVERYMAN
Just like Antigone, Everyman concerns itself greatly with the inevitability of death and how we die. So much so that Death not only plays an important role spiritually but also physically as well. The character Death, although only appearing briefly to deliver a message to Everyman, death remains the primary theme of Everyman’s story. Death in Everyman is simply a part of being human, something we all must face.
Death states at the beginning of the play that death is a weapon that punishes “Everyman that liveth beastly/ out of God’s laws.” This is what leads to Everyman’s fear of death because he has lived “out of God’s laws” and will therefore face punishment in the form of eternal damnation. The philosophy of death in Everyman isn’t seen as the end, rather as a gateway to the afterlife whether that be an afterlife where you suffer from eternal punishment or an afterlife where you exist in eternal bliss. To highlight this philosophy, the writer has Death play the part of a messenger for both Heaven and Hell. In the philosophy of Everyman’s world, the righteous don’t need to fear death, just as Antigone believed that she’d get a noble death for burying her brother and that she’d have a blissful afterlife, the righteous by following God’s law with also have a prosperous afterlife. Death is only feared by those who live out of God’s law and sin. This is why Antigone accepts her fate. She knows that she will have a good afterlife.
This is what makes her different from Everyman. For in the beginning of Everyman’s story, he fears and despairs death. He doesn’t want to face his own death although he is well aware that he cannot avoid it. It is not until after Everyman re-examines his own life and morals, noting how he sinfully privileged material goods and pleasures over good deeds and Christianity, that he purges himself of his sins and gives up all his material goods and wants and desires with the help of good deeds, knowledge, and confession. It is only after all of this that Everyman accepts and embraces the inevitability of his own death. This view of religion and Everyman’s philosophy of death is what makes his story stand out from Antigone’s. For although they both share a core theme, both tackle death and religion in different ways. Antigone worships multiple gods, whereas Everyman’s religion and philosophies come from the ideas and beliefs of Christianity.
Everyman also does not also hit the same chords as Antigone. At the ending of Antigone we are left to ponder on the thought of death and may even feel a little uneasy. Whereas Everyman ends with him willingly crawling into his own grave, leaving the audience thoughtful and hopeful.
HAMLET
Just like Antigone and Everyman, Hamlet begins in the same fashion with death. However death in Hamlet makes itself known more as an unwelcome guest or a distant cousin who won’t leave after Thanksgiving where Antigone and Everyman’s stories deal with death in vastly different ways. As early as the first scene death rears its head up with the ominous ghost of Hamlet’s father and lingers until the bloodbath that is the final scene in the play. The more profound ideologies and philosophy and outlook into death is even seen in most of the characters in the play, seen most primarily through the morbid fascination of death that Hamlet develops and manifests throughout the play.
Hamlet’s fascination with death causes him to contemplate death and the physicality involved with death. It is this relationship that Hamlet has with death that makes him different from Antigone and Everyman. Hamlet uses death as almost a means to see through the world, whether he does this willingly or unwillingly I am not sure. Beginning in the first act of the play Hamlet is torn and plagued by grief over the death of his father. Due to this grief, Hamlet sees the world through a shattered lens. He sees the world only for its evil and destruction. This view of the world even has Hamlet contemplate his own suicide, fortuntely Hamlet veers away from the thought of taking his own life after contemplating the conscequenses of suicide would be in the afterlife, such as eternal damnation. Here we can see some similarities between Hamlet and Everyman for both seem to follow somewhat the same philosophies and ideas on religion (Christianity).
As the play unfolds, Hamlet’s fascination with death starts to expand and becomes even more morbid when he starts contemplating the implications that death causes on the deceased, noting the physical transformation between life and death while facing Yorick’s skull. Hamlet notes how “That skull had a tongue once in it and could sing once.” Here Hamlet’s philosophy of death takes fruition, he realizes that death is impartial, inevitable, and unalterable. Hamlet, with this idea and philosophy, comes to accept death and sees that it is futile to fear death and that trying to avoid death is a waste of time. He believes that whatever happens will happen, death or life. Hamlet doesn’t fear death or long for death, he is contempt. Even when Hamlet finally dies, in his final moments he is not scared to die, he knows that this is part of the human cycle and that it is his time. Hamlet leaves the audience or reader thoughtful and insightful with a new perspective on death and its implications.
All three of these characters; Antigone, Everyman, & Hamlet each started their shows with death lingering around them and affecting each of their philosophies, thoughts, views, and outlook on life and death. Through each one of their journeys, they all struggled with alternating views and fear of death, each having their ideologies challenged, and finally each coming to terms with the inevitability of their own deaths and finally meeting their own demise. Each of their stories offer some idea into death and leave people pondering about death. From my own idea of death after reading these plays and writing this essay I can say this much; When your life ends, there is nothing to fear because there is no you anymore. Death is not something to fear, it is not the opposite of life, rather a part of life and a part of being human.
