Today I would like to discuss a little about Creon,
He starts out toward the good side, more good than bad, but by the end he has been corrupted by his power. He begins good mainly because he is doing what he believes is best for the city of Thebes. I'm really not sure as to whether he was truly against Polynices or if it was a more political move to strengthen his power because he is concerned about protecting Thebes from wolves in sheep's clothing, because Polynices was one of their won but he was also a traitor. When Creon makes the decision that no one is to give burial rights to Polynices, he also makes the distinction that in the event someone breaks his law that the punishment is death. In Creon's opinion whoever helps with Polynices burial or whoever defies his law is doing so due to a reward of money; this for some reason almost makes be think he is paranoid. Well aware of the law Antigone proceeds with burying her brother. Upon Creon finding out and Antigon being brought to him for punishment, Creon is furious that she broke his law but he will not waver in the punishment because he will not seem week in the eyes of his people. As he orders his men to punish her by taking her out far from the city to leave her with hardly any rations to die, he is approaches by a seer. The seer tells him of his faults in dealing with Antigone and with Polynices, and the outcome of what he has done. Which is that Creon's first born son will die and that the gods no longer hear Thebes' prayers. They know this because the alters will not light because the birds have caught diseases form the body of Polynices lying open in the fields. At this point Creon brings up that he believes the seer may be influenced by money to tell him these things, the seer of coarse has not received any money for this information. Creon lashes out at the seer at which point he leaves, Creon consults with is leaders, which decide that he should undo all the acts of punishment that he has done. Although nothing they do will help now because Antigone has taken her own life and Haemon has found her and taken his life as well. Creon has officially ruined his family and himself.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
ENGL 2200: Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh's grief...
Well when we're talking about Gilgamesh's response to the death of Enkidu he handles it normally, I would think. His brother had just died, and not only died from the earth but died into dust, into nothingness. However, when he seeks the gods for everlasting life among them, he shows a selfish side. He is angry about the death of Enkidu at frist and for a long time, and I guarantee it is an underlying factor throughout his grief but to me he seems self-absorbed in that he doesn't want to die and become nothingness. He talks with numerous gods about how to attain immortality, and his question starts out with how his brother Enkidu died, that the worms fastened on to him, but what gets me is that Gilgamest is only concerned with himself attaining immortality, he doesn't plead with them on Enkidu's behalf, to resurrect him or to give his friend life among the gods. His journey finally takes him to Urshanabi, the only mortal the gods have ever givien eternal life. Gilgamesh asks Urshanabi how he recieced favor in the eyes of the gods in order to live forever and Urshanabi tells him the story, but doesn't give Gilgamesh any hope of recieving his wish. Urshanabi also tells him of a plant that lives in the ocean, a plant that will restore the youth into an old man. Upon hearing this Gilgamesh swims into the warters and finds the plant and brings it to the surface. Now this is where he redeems himself a bit, he is generous with the plant, one of his first thoughts was to take the plant back to Uruk and let the older men have the opportunity to eat of the plant and restore thier youth. All in all, Gilgamesh responds normallly to the death of Enkidu, his motives for everlasting live are selfish but in the end he does try to hlep out the people of Uruk witht the plant that restores youth into the elderly.
Well when we're talking about Gilgamesh's response to the death of Enkidu he handles it normally, I would think. His brother had just died, and not only died from the earth but died into dust, into nothingness. However, when he seeks the gods for everlasting life among them, he shows a selfish side. He is angry about the death of Enkidu at frist and for a long time, and I guarantee it is an underlying factor throughout his grief but to me he seems self-absorbed in that he doesn't want to die and become nothingness. He talks with numerous gods about how to attain immortality, and his question starts out with how his brother Enkidu died, that the worms fastened on to him, but what gets me is that Gilgamest is only concerned with himself attaining immortality, he doesn't plead with them on Enkidu's behalf, to resurrect him or to give his friend life among the gods. His journey finally takes him to Urshanabi, the only mortal the gods have ever givien eternal life. Gilgamesh asks Urshanabi how he recieced favor in the eyes of the gods in order to live forever and Urshanabi tells him the story, but doesn't give Gilgamesh any hope of recieving his wish. Urshanabi also tells him of a plant that lives in the ocean, a plant that will restore the youth into an old man. Upon hearing this Gilgamesh swims into the warters and finds the plant and brings it to the surface. Now this is where he redeems himself a bit, he is generous with the plant, one of his first thoughts was to take the plant back to Uruk and let the older men have the opportunity to eat of the plant and restore thier youth. All in all, Gilgamesh responds normallly to the death of Enkidu, his motives for everlasting live are selfish but in the end he does try to hlep out the people of Uruk witht the plant that restores youth into the elderly.