Question

Antigone and Ismene heard with horror what Creon had decided. To Ismene, shocking as it was, overwhelming her with anguish for the pitiful dead body and the lonely, homeless soul, it seemed, nevertheless, that nothing could be done except to acquiesce. She and Antigone were utterly alone. All Thebes was exulting that the man who had brought war upon them should be thus terribly punished. "We are women," she told her sister. "We must obey. We have no strength to defy the State." "Choose your own part," Antigone said. "I go to bury the brother I love." "You are not strong enough," Ismene cried. "Why, then when my strength fails," Antigone answered, "I will give up." She left her sister; Ismene dared not follow her.

–“The Royal House of Thebes,”
Edith Hamilton

What archetype does Antigone represent?

What is the universal theme in this passage?

How does Antigone’s archetype reveal the theme?

Answer 1

Antigone represents the archetype of the rebel or the defiant individual, while the universal theme in this passage is the conflict between personal conscience and societal expectations.

Step-by-step explanation:

The archetype that Antigone represents is the rebel or the defiant individual. She goes against the laws set by Creon when she decides to bury her brother, despite the consequences. The universal theme in this passage is the conflict between personal conscience and societal expectations. Antigone's archetype reveals this theme by refusing to obey the State and following her own beliefs and values.