Antigone’s Transference Of Emotions Antigone’s Transference Of Emotions Essay, Research Paper Antigone’s Transference of Emotions Antigone is moved to bury her brother’s rotting corpse because of a great shift in her self, due to her father’s death, at the end of Oedipus at Colon nus. Until Oedipus’ death, Antigone’s self had totally been invested in his well-being and survival to the utmost of his capabilities, and restraints of his fate. Antigone was more responsible for her father’s well-being, than her own well-being, and because of this, her self becomes intermingled with Oedipus’s o much, that she is not capable of determining where his self ends, and hers begins. What occurs when Oedipus dies, is a transference of Antigone’s strong emotions and sense of responsibility for him, to the others that she is close to. It happens to work out that the one that needs her support the most, at this time is her brother, Polyneices. This works as a perfect outlet for Antigone’s emotions because of her already strong sense of familial attachment that has grown out of their peculiar relationships to one another.
Antigone’s character is one dependant on strong attachment to her family, and extreme devotion to them, with very little care about her own self and being. Antigone goes against Creon, not to benefit herself, but to show due reverence to the gods and to protect her brother’s honor. Her standing up against Creon also has to do with his lack of respect for her and her family. Creon exiled Oedipus, and forced Antigone and Ismene to leave his side when he was in his greatest pain and agony, after he recognized his true roots and gouged out his eyes. Antigone harbors hostile emotions toward Creon due to these conditions, and past occurrences. She also has not grieved for her father yet, and then her two brothers are killed by each other.
The Essay on Oedipus and Creon: Leaders of Thebes
In the plays Oedipus the King and Antigone Sophocles portrays two characters, Oedipus and Creon, as rulers of Thebes. After the murder of Laius, former King of Thebes, Oedipus became leader when he successfully solved the riddle of the Sphinx. Some time later, Creon became King of Thebes as the result of his nephews deaths. “Oedipus is a good ruler in spite of his defects. Creon is a bad ...
Antigone’s strength is very apparent in Antigone, but her weaknesses are also rather evident. Her unobtrusive nature has been characteristic of her until now, in her battle of wills with Creon. She is blinded by the desire to defend her brother’s honor so much that she cannot anticipate the pain her incorruptible will of defense will cause Ismene. She is blinded by her voyage to regain Polyneices respectability, and simultaneously to destroy Creon’s respectability Overall though, she has to put the emotions she has had for her father all these years somewhere, and her defense of Polyneices, is the ideal place for all of her emotions to go.
The psychological term for such a shift in one’s emotional self, is called a transference of emotions. This is how Antigone’s actions can be precisely explained in relation to events occurring in her past. Justifiably so, Antigone was correct.
