Like Father, Like Daughter
In Sophocles' The Three Theban Plays, the characters Antigone and Oedipus are similar in many ways because they both show pride in the same way, ignore reality, and are stubborn. Antigone was the daughter of King Oedipus of Thebes and Jocasta, so it's easy to see how many of Oedipuss characteristics are reflected in Antigones actions; like father, and daughter.
Both Antigone and Oedipus show pride in a noble sense. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus is the just ruler of Thebes and his citizens love and trust him for saving their city from the sphinx. The play begins with a horrible play striking the city. There is a crowd gathered at the palace to get Oedipus to do something about the plague. Because he cares for the people, the king pledges to do as much as it takes, showing Oedipuss noble character. His short speech to the crowd starts with, My children, I pity you,(II.69-70) and continues with, Your pain strikes each of you alone, each in the confines of himself, no other. But my spirit grieves for the city, for myself and all of you. (73-76). Oedipus calls the citizens his children to show that he acts like a father to them. This means that he's treating the worried people as his children: dear to him and important in his everyday life. Oedipus tries to use the power that he has to protect the city against the cause of the curse, even though he does not yet know that he's the cause. As in the quote above, he talks about the pain felt by each of the citizens as personal, but also says he's cried worrying about all of his subjects.
Antigone is a young girl during this story. She is the protagonist in Antigone, which takes place a few years later when Creon is the new ruler of Thebes. After two of Antigones brothers kill each other in battle, Creon decrees that the brother whom he did not favor shall not be given a proper burial and anyone who attempts will be killed. When talking to her sister Ismene, Antigone explains her reasoning for wanting to bury her brother by saying, I will bury him myself. And even if I die in the act, that death will be a glory. I will lie with the one I love and loved by him -- and outrage sacred to the gods. Do as you like, dishonor the laws the gods hold in honor. Ismene responds with, Id do them no dishonor . . . but defy the city? I have no strength for that. Antigone says, You have your excuses. I am on my way, I will raise a mound for him, for my dear brother (I.85-95). It is clear in this quote that Antigone holds the laws of the gods higher than the laws of the city. She is proud that what she is doing is what is right according to her tradition and how she supports the gods and the laws of heaven. Because religion is very important to Antigone, she holds it closer to her heart than the laws set by Creon. This means that she will proudly do whatever she needs to bury her brother, even if the penalty for going against the king is death.
Secondly, both Antigone and Oedi...
