The
quote “There is no happiness where there is no wisdom; no wisdom but in
submission to the gods. Big words are
always punished, and proud men in old age learn to be wise.” –Sophocles is an
extremely powerful and meaningful excerpt from the play “Antigone”. This quote was established from the beginning
of the play. The play itself expresses
the quote immensely. Exploring one’s
voice, is the way to promote a change in one’s society. Through Antigone’s courageous actions, she
makes her voice heard.
“There is no happiness where there is not
wisdom…” can be seen as a segment that people need to have wisdom in order to find
happiness. For a person to be inevitably
happy, they must have knowledge on what will make them happy. For example, Antigone, the main protagonist
knew from the beginning that by burying her brother, death would be the
circumstance. She had accepted this
edict to make herself happy, and to also prove her loyalty to family. “It is not for him to keep me from my own.”
(Sophocles, 1131) Antigone says this to her sister to show that she has
accepted the consequences, from her awareness of the law in her kingdom. Antigone found contentment in making a stance
for her family, which she knew her family would be proud of her. Antigone did this even though she knew the
regulations of the city of Thebes. She
did not allow her uncle’s edict to control her thoughts, and actions. By knowing that she was going to make a
change through her actions, she did not regret what she had done for her brother.
“…no wisdom but in submission to the gods…”
can be interpreted as people in general do not have all the answers. Every person has to be open minded when it
comes to gaining wisdom from someone or something. When Antigone is conversing with her uncle
Creon, she states “Yes, it was not Zeus that made the proclamation; nor did
Justice, which lives with those below, enact such laws as that, for mankind, I
did not believe your proclamation had such power to enable one who will someday
die to override God’s ordinances, unwritten and secure. They
are not of today and yesterday; they live forever; none knows when first they
were. These are the laws whose penalties
I would not incur from the gods, through fear of any man’s temper.” (Sophocles,
1142) Antigone’s point of view at this point is through what she thinks the
gods would think / what their laws already proclaim. By her listening and thinking about what the
gods would allow/disapprove of, it is giving her opportunities to better
further her knowledge for her wisdom.
“Big words are always punished…” is very
significant when thinking about it.
First off, when people start to use “big words” (either words that are
hard to understand, or multiple words with a profound meaning), usually the
words are used to intimidate or threaten another party. When
Antigone and her sister Ismene are talking in the beginning of the play,
Antigone makes it clear to her sister her plan.
Her plan clearly had consequences which were unavoidable if caught. “if
you will talk like this I will loathe you, and you will be adjudged an enemy-
justly- by the dead’s decision. Let me
alone and my folly with me, to endure this terror. No suffering of mine will be enough to make
me die ignobly.” (Sophocles, 1132) this excerpt of the play shows that while
Antigone is aware that her plan has consequences, she is ready to challenge her
uncle. Challenging Creon is a risk that
she was willing to take. She was willing
to take the punishment for her actions that she “wrongfully” committed.
How does one attain wisdom? In the
quote “…and proud men in old age learn to be wise.” is yet another major part
of the quote. This part of the quote is
trying to demonstrate is that prideful people live their lives to maintain a
high view on themselves. They make
decisions that will have a great impact on their lives to come. The decisions that they choose will without a
doubt bring the person towards experiences which will one day make them
realize… that from the decisions created earlier in life did have a little
lesson along with it. This will
continuously add more and more wisdom into someone’s life. As time goes by, decisions made at a young
age, help the mind grow and also know how to handle similar situations later on
in life.
The
quote is important when it comes to the play Antigone by Sophocles because the reader can connect wisdom with
age. The conflicts throughout the play
dealt with a girls decision on how she was going to go against her uncle Creons
words. Antigone proves that by raising
her voice, and standing up for what she believed in, she could bring a change
to the city of Thebes. Wisdom is not
only attained by Antigone, but also her uncle Creon. Some wisdom that readers can take from the
quote and from “Antigone” is “actions speak louder than words”.
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