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Exiled russian oligarch’s 257’ superyacht amaryllis seen towed through palm beach.

The Amaryllis being towed past the former mansion of Henry Flagler, built in 1902

By John Jannarone and Alan Hatfield

The 257’ superyacht Amaryllis apparently owned by exiled Russian oligarch Andrey Borodin was towed past Palm Beach, FL on Friday morning, according to a visual account by CorpGov .

The yacht, whose owner is frequently cited as Mr. Borodin by enthusiast publications, moved slowly through the Lake Worth lagoon where bridges were raised for its passage. A towboat with flashing lights about 150 feet ahead pulled the Amaryllis , built by German shipyard Abeking & Rasmussen in 2011.

While CorpGov could not officially confirm Mr. Borodin as the owner of the vessel, his wife, socialite Tatiana Korsakova, has posted dozens of Instagram photos and videos aboard the Amaryllis. A yacht broker interviewed by CorpGov confirmed that Ms. Korsakova is indeed aboard the Amaryllis in the photos and videos.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tatiana Korsakova (@tati_vk)

The sighting comes as billions of dollars in Russian-owned yachts have been seized around the world as a result of international sanctions. CNN has published an extensive list of seized vessels, which were taken in harbor cities including Mallorca, Spain and London.

However, it is unclear if the Amaryllis was being seized or voluntarily towed. Very large yachts often choose to be towed because bridges are required to raise for them, according to the yacht broker.

The former Bank of Moscow chief was granted political asylum in the UK in February 2013 after fleeing what he alleged to be politically-motivated fraud and embezzlement charges. Mr. Borodin would go on to be tried and convicted in abstentia in Russian Court in 2018, but not before managing to enlist a number of prominent American lawmakers to lobby Washington for a U.S. visa. Despite Russian extradition requests to the UK government, Borodin’s controversial attempts to make large donations to the NHS, and the uncovering of an assassination plot against his life, the fugitive banker remains overseas, having been granted access to his Swiss bank accounts and having made several notable London real estate purchases during his time in exile.

Mr. Borodin is widely listed as a billionaire, but his total wealth remains difficult to confirm accurately, with the governments of Switzerland and the Bahamas having been asked to help the Russian government in its legal case. In 2012, Borodin purchased the UK’s then-most expensive home, an 80-hectare 18th-century estate in Oxfordshire, for upwards of $217 million. In 2017 he was granted access to personal Swiss accounts holding a reported $378 million. The Amaryllis was purchased for a reported $120 million.

Mr. Borodin did not immediately respond to an emailed query from CorpGov , while the FBI declined to comment. An emailed query to The Department of Homeland Security was not returned.

www.CorpGov.com

[email protected]

Twitter: CorpGovernor

How did the superyacht carrying tech tycoon Mike Lynch sink off Sicily?

Lynch’s was among five bodies retrieved by divers on Wednesday after the Bayesian sank, according to reports.

Five bodies were retrieved on Wednesday, and a sixth on Friday , by divers searching for those missing from the superyacht which sank off the Sicilian coast in the Mediterranean. The bodies found include British tech tycoon Mike Lynch , the UK’s Telegraph reported. The bodies have not been formally identified by the authorities yet.

It is understood that they were retrieved from inside the sunken yacht, which is reported to be lying on its side on the sea bed at a depth of 50 metres

Keep reading

One dead, six missing after luxury superyacht capsizes off sicily coast, luxury yacht sinks off sicilian coast, uk extradites autonomy co-founder mike lynch to us, how serious are the wildfires near athens, greece.

This brings the total death toll to seven; one person, reported to be the chef from the yacht, was confirmed dead on Monday.

The yacht capsized on Monday at about 5am (03:00 GMT) after it was hit by stormy weather caused by a “waterspout” – or mini tornado – according to Italian authorities.

The cruise had reportedly been undertaken to celebrate the acquittal of Lynch in a fraud trial in the United States in June.

His co-defendant in the trial, Steve Chamberlain, who was also acquitted in June, was killed after being hit by a car on Saturday.

Here’s what is known so far about the yacht, those on board and who died or were still missing after it sank.

Who was on the superyacht which sank?

According to the Italian coastguard, the 56-metre-long (184 feet) British-flagged yacht, called the Bayesian, was carrying 22 people, including 10 crew members.

One person has been confirmed dead after rescuers located a body on Monday at a depth of about 50 metres (164 feet), the AFP news agency reported. Officials have not yet given the name of the deceased but Italian media reported that he was the yacht’s chef.

AFP reported on Tuesday that divers had spotted a second body inside the sunk boat, quoting a source close to the search operation. Authorities have not confirmed it yet, though.

While not all the names of the six missing passengers were not made public officially, they were understood to include:

• Mike Lynch, 59, a British-Irish technology businessman who co-founded British tech company Autonomy in 1996 and was once likened to Microsoft founder Bill Gates; he earned a PhD from Cambridge University
• Hannah Lynch, 18, Mike’s daughter, who had just completed her final school exams and was due to begin a degree in English at the University of Oxford this September
• Jonathan Bloomer, the 70-year-old British chairman of Morgan Stanley bank and the Hiscox insurance company, was confirmed as missing by Hiscox CEO Aki Hussain
• Judy Bloomer, Jonathan’s wife, was also confirmed as missing by Hussain
• Chris Morvillo, from British international law firm Clifford Chance, was confirmed to be missing by Salvatore Cocina, head of the Civil Protection in Sicily

Fifteen people, including Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, were rescued. Among others rescued were Charlotte Golunski, 36, a board director at Luminance, a software startup founded by Lynch; her husband, James; and their one-year-old daughter, Sophie. Golunski is understood to have kept her daughter alive by holding her above her head while she was in the water.

All those rescued are in stable condition, although eight of them have been hospitalised, according to Italian news agency Adnkronos.

What do we know about the Bayesian?

Italian shipbuilder Perini Navi constructed the superyacht in 2008 and refitted it in 2020, according to the company’s website.

The yacht’s owner is listed as Revtom Limited, a firm solely owned by Lynch’s wife, Bacares, according to company documents seen by the Reuters news agency.

It was formerly called Salute but was renamed Bayesian after Lynch’s PhD thesis and his software that earned him a fortune. Both of these were based on the statistical Bayesian theory, championed by mathematician Thomas Bayes.

Where was the Bayesian last seen and where was it going?

The Bayesian was last located on Sunday evening in the Tyrrhenian Sea, east of the harbour at Porticello, according to ship tracking websites Vessel Finder and Marine Traffic.

Porticello is a port city located near the Sicilian capital, Palermo.

The yacht had departed on August 14 from the Sicilian port of Milazzo. Its destination was reported to be the Italian city of Bagheria by the tracking websites.

Did a waterspout cause the yacht to sink?

Italian authorities reported that the stormy conditions that caused the yacht to sink were triggered by a waterspout.

A waterspout is a rotating column of whirling air and water mist – sometimes referred to as a mini tornado – according to the website of the US National Ocean Service.

The website adds that a tornadic waterspout is a tornado that forms over water or moves from land to water. They are similar to land tornadoes and can occur during thunderstorms.

Who is Stephen Chamberlain and how is he connected to this case?

Chamberlain, 52, was Lynch’s co-defendant in a fraud trial in San Francisco, which saw both men acquitted in June.

Chamberlain died in a hospital from injuries sustained when he was hit by a car while out running in Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom, on Saturday. His death was confirmed by his lawyer Gary Lincenberg in a statement on Monday.

The fraud case related to Hewlett Packard’s $11bn acquisition of Autonomy, the firm Lynch grew into the UK’s leading tech company before it spectacularly unravelled after being bought by HP in 2011.

Lynch was extradited to the US in May 2023 and he spent more than a year under house arrest before his acquittal. Chamberlain was the former vice president of finance at Autonomy.

The yacht trip was supposedly a celebration of Lynch’s acquittal.

How did the rescue operation unfold?

Specialist divers began a search anew for the six missing people on Tuesday. Three divers, equipped with oxygen cylinders, descended beneath the surface to examine the wreck.

They initially faced difficulty accessing the yacht’s chambers because they were constricted by furniture.

An investigation into the wreck has been opened by prosecutors in the nearby Sicilian town of Termini Imerese.

What have survivors and witnesses said about the incident?

“It was terrible. The boat was hit by really strong wind and shortly after it went down,” survivor Golunski told the ANSA news agency.

She added that she had lost hold of her one-year-old daughter in the water for “two seconds”, but then managed to grab her and hold her up over the waves until a lifeboat inflated and they were both pulled to safety. She reported that people were screaming.

Karsten Borner, a captain of a nearby yacht who witnessed the sinking, said he had turned on the engine of his ship to prevent collision with the Bayesian. “We managed to keep the ship in position and after the storm was over, we noticed that the ship behind us was gone,” he told reporters.

Bloomer’s wife, Judy, is a trustee of the Eve Appeal, a UK-based gynaecological cancer research charity. Athena Lamnisos, the CEO of the Eve Appeal, was quoted by the BBC saying she was “deeply shocked to hear the news that our very dear friend and her husband Jonathan, are among those missing”.

thesis statement for antigone

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Books — Antigone

Essays on Antigone

Antigone, a classic Greek tragedy by Sophocles, explores themes of loyalty, justice, and civil disobedience. This powerful play provides a rich ground for literary analysis and critical essays, making it a popular choice for students and scholars. Here are some well-organized Antigone essay topics to consider. Whether examining the complex character dynamics, the moral and ethical conflicts, or the significant use of symbolism, each topic offers a unique perspective on the play’s timeless relevance. Delving into these topics can deepen understanding of Sophocles' intentions and the play's impact on both ancient and modern audiences.

Top 10 Antigone Argumentative Essay Topics in 2024

• The Clash Between Divine Law and Human Law: Analyze how the conflict between divine law and human law drives the plot of "Antigone" and discuss its relevance to modern legal and ethical dilemmas.
• Antigone as a Feminist Icon: Argue whether Antigone can be considered a feminist character in the context of ancient Greek society and modern feminist theory.
• The Role of Civil Disobedience: Discuss the portrayal of civil disobedience in "Antigone" and its implications for contemporary social and political movements.
• Creon’s Leadership and Its Consequences: Evaluate Creon’s leadership style, its impact on Thebes, and how it serves as a cautionary tale for modern leaders.
• The Concept of Tragic Heroism: Compare Antigone and Creon as tragic heroes, analyzing their flaws, motivations, and ultimate fates.
• The Intersection of Fate and Free Will: Examine how fate and free will interact in "Antigone" and the extent to which the characters control their destinies.
• The Role of the Chorus: Discuss the function of the Chorus in "Antigone" and its influence on the audience’s perception of the play’s events.
• The Theme of Loyalty and Betrayal: Analyze how loyalty and betrayal shape the relationships and decisions of characters in "Antigone."
• The Impact of Gender Roles: Argue how "Antigone" challenges or reinforces traditional gender roles in ancient Greek society.
• Justice vs. Revenge: Debate whether Antigone’s actions are driven by a sense of justice or a desire for revenge, and how this distinction affects the play’s moral message.

List of Interesting Antigone Essay Topics

Character analysis.

• Antigone's character and her motivations
• Creon's leadership style and its consequences
• Ismene's role and her development throughout the play
• The transformation of Haemon
• Antigone and Creon: A Study of Foil Characters in Sophocles' Tragedy
• The significance of Tiresias as a character
• The theme of civil disobedience in "Antigone"
• Exploring the theme of loyalty and betrayal
• Justice vs. revenge in "Antigone"
• The conflict between divine law and human law
• The role of fate and free will in the play

Symbolism and Motifs

• The significance of burial rituals in "Antigone"
• The use of light and darkness as symbols
• The Complexities of Morality and Duty in Sophocles' Antigone
• The motif of stubbornness and its impact on the characters
• The portrayal of gender roles and their subversion

Social and Political Commentary

• The political implications of Creon's rule
• The role of women in Greek society as depicted in "Antigone"
• The impact of Antigone's actions on Theban society
• The critique of absolute power in "Antigone"

Literary Techniques

• The use of dramatic irony in "Antigone"
• The role of the Chorus and its contributions to the narrative
• The structure of the tragedy and its effect on the audience
• The use of dialogue and monologue to reveal character

Comparative Analysis

• Comparing Antigone to other tragic heroines in Greek literature
• The similarities and differences between Creon and other tragic leaders
• Analyzing the themes of "Antigone" in the context of modern society

As you explore these Antigone essay topics, remember to approach them with curiosity and creativity. Your unique perspective and insights will make your essay stand out. Don't be afraid to think outside the box and delve deep into the themes and characters of Antigone.

Hook Examples for "Antigone" Essays

Introduce the character of Antigone as the tragic heroine of the play. Discuss her noble qualities, her determination to uphold her beliefs, and the tragic consequences of her actions.

Explore the central conflict in "Antigone" between divine law and human law. Discuss how Antigone's defiance of King Creon's decree highlights the clash between moral duty and political authority.

Focus on the character of Creon as a symbol of political power and pride. Discuss how his decisions and hubris lead to tragedy within the play and explore the lessons it conveys.

Analyze "Antigone" from a feminist perspective, highlighting the role of gender and the defiance of traditional gender roles in the play. Discuss how Antigone's actions challenge societal norms.

Examine the role of the Chorus in "Antigone" as a moral compass and commentator on the events of the play. Discuss how the Chorus adds depth to the themes and characters.

Explore the character of Ismene, Antigone's sister, and her role in the tragedy. Discuss her internal conflict and her ultimate fate as a foil to Antigone.

Provide historical and cultural context for "Antigone" by discussing ancient Greek beliefs and values, including the significance of burial rituals and the influence of Greek tragedy.

Highlight the enduring themes of "Antigone," such as the consequences of moral choices, the conflict between individual and state, and the nature of justice. Discuss how these themes resonate with audiences today.

Discuss the relevance of "Antigone" in contemporary society, drawing parallels to issues of civil disobedience, government authority, and individual conscience. Emphasize the enduring impact of the play's themes.

End your essay by summarizing the lessons and insights that "Antigone" offers to readers and audiences. Reflect on the enduring importance of this classic Greek tragedy.

Antigone Thesis Statements to Get Started

• The Clash Between Divine Law and Human Law

In Sophocles' 'Antigone,' the central conflict between divine law and human law highlights the complexities of moral decision-making and underscores the enduring struggle between personal conscience and societal obligations.

• Antigone as a Feminist Icon

Antigone's defiance of Creon's authority and her unwavering commitment to familial duty in Sophocles' 'Antigone' positions her as an early feminist icon challenging the patriarchal structures of ancient Greek society.

• The Role of Civil Disobedience

Sophocles' 'Antigone' presents civil disobedience as a powerful form of resistance against unjust laws, advocating for the primacy of individual moral duty over state-imposed edicts.

• Creon’s Leadership and Its Consequences

Creon's rigid and authoritarian leadership in 'Antigone' serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of absolute power and the importance of humility and flexibility in governance.

• The Concept of Tragic Heroism

Both Antigone and Creon embody elements of the tragic hero in Sophocles' 'Antigone,' with their respective flaws and noble intentions leading to their inevitable downfalls, thereby illustrating the complex nature of human suffering and fate.

• The Intersection of Fate and Free Will

Sophocles' 'Antigone' explores the tension between fate and free will, suggesting that while characters may have control over their actions, they are ultimately bound by the inescapable decrees of destiny.

Creon's Catharsis in Sophocles' Antigone

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The Poor Decision of Antigone to Bury: an Analysis

The moral obligations of antigone society to families and elders, an analysis of power, authority and truth in antigone, a play by sophocles, modern feminism vs antigone feminism, let us write you an essay from scratch.

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Pride Comes before a Fall: Creon's Tragedy in Antigone

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How Egos Compete in Antigone

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First performed in 441 BCE, by Sophocles

Play, Tragedy

Antigone, Ismene, Creon, Eurydice, Haemon, Tiresias

Antigone, the daughter of Oedipus, defies King Creon's edict that her brother Polynices, who was deemed a traitor, should not be given a proper burial. She believes that divine law mandates his burial and takes it upon herself to ensure he is buried. This act of defiance leads to a tragic chain of events, culminating in the deaths of Antigone, Haemon, and Eurydice. The play explores the consequences of pride and the clash between individual moral duty and state laws.

"Antigone" was written during a time of political tension in Athens, reflecting the conflicts and debates about democracy, power, and individual rights in the city-state. The play remains relevant due to its exploration of universal themes and its powerful commentary on the human condition and societal norms.

• Conflict between individual rights and state power.
• The role of gender and the position of women in society.
• Fate versus free will.
• The nature of justice.
• Loyalty to family versus loyalty to the state.
• Dramatic irony: the audience knows that Antigone's defiance will lead to her downfall, while the characters remain unaware of their impending fate.
• Symbolism: the burial of Polyneices
• Imagery: vivid descriptions of suffering, death, and familial bonds.
• Dramatic dialogue and monologues.

Sophocles' tragedy "Antigone" has profoundly influenced literature, theater, and society. Its exploration of moral dilemmas highlights the clash between individual conscience and societal norms, emphasizing the importance of standing up for one's beliefs. This theme resonates with audiences, inspiring discussions on civil disobedience, justice, and authority. "Antigone" has impacted dramatic techniques with Sophocles' use of dialogue, monologues, and dramatic irony, shaping the tragedy genre. The play's complex characters and their inner struggles have influenced character development in theater and literature. Moreover, "Antigone" has inspired political and social movements. Its themes of rebellion against oppressive regimes and the pursuit of justice serve as rallying cries for activists. The play's examination of power dynamics and loyalty remains relevant in discussions of human rights, democracy, and social justice, making it an excellent subject for an Antigone essay.

• According to accounts, Sophocles is said to have passed away while reciting a part of his play Antigone.
• In 1944, the French playwright and screenwriter Jean Anouilh released a play titled Antigone, which garnered significant attention despite being staged in Paris under German occupation.
• Sigmund Freud, the influential figure in psychoanalysis, chose to name his daughter Anna Antigone.

Sophocles' "Antigone" is a timeless Greek tragedy, making it a significant topic for essays. The play explores themes like moral dilemmas, justice, and the clash between personal convictions and societal norms. Its multidimensional characters and literary techniques offer rich material for analysis. For those seeking inspiration, numerous Antigone essay examples highlight its enduring relevance and profound insights into human nature and ethics.

1. Murnaghan, S. (1986). Antigone 904-920 and the Institution of Marriage. The American Journal of Philology, 107(2), 192-207. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/294602) 2. Honig, B. (2009). Antigone's laments, Creon's grief: Mourning, membership, and the politics of exception. Political Theory, 37(1), 5-43. (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0090591708326645) 3. Rouse, W. H. D. (1911). The two burials in Antigone. The Classical Review, 25(2), 40-42. (https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/classical-review/article/abs/two-burials-in-antigone/5F435DF66023E724D84BE90BCA655AAA) 4. Meltzer, F. (2011). Theories of desire: Antigone again. Critical Inquiry, 37(2), 169-186. (https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/657289?journalCode=ci) 5. de Fátima Silva, M. (2017). Antigone. In Brill's Companion to the Reception of Sophocles (pp. 391-474). Brill. (https://brill.com/display/book/edcoll/9789004300941/B9789004300941_007.xml) 6. Davis, C. (1995). The Abject: Kristeva and the Antigone. Paroles gelées, 13(1). (https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8qt465qh#main) 7. Margon, J. S. (1970). The Death of Antigone. California Studies in Classical Antiquity, 3, 177-183. (https://online.ucpress.edu/ca/article-abstract/doi/10.2307/25010605/33738/The-Death-of-Antigone?redirectedFrom=PDF) 8. Marini, F. (1992). The uses of literature in the exploration of public administration ethics: The example of Antigone. Public Administration Review, 420-426. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/976801) 9. Benardete, S. (2014). Sacred Transgressions: A Reading of Sophocles' Antigone. (https://philpapers.org/rec/BENSTA-7)

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Five thesis statement why Antigone is a tragic hero in the play Antigone?

This is for my essay

I can't formulate five in this but here are a few for you:

Antigone has a few tragic flaws going for her, or rather against her. Her loyalty to the gods and her brother's memory means that she will have to be disloyal to King Creon.

Antigone is also pretty stubborn. That is kind of a good trait in a heroic sort of way but unfortunately her stubbornness gets herself in trouble but also risks other characters as well like Ismene and Haemon.

Antigone's modus operandi seems to be a reverence for all things dead, like Polynices, rather than herself or the people alive that she cares about.

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Literary Theory and Criticism

Home › Drama Criticism › Analysis of Sophocles’ Antigone

Analysis of Sophocles’ Antigone

By NASRULLAH MAMBROL on July 29, 2020 • ( 0 )

Within this single drama—in great part, a harsh critique of Athenian society and the Greek city-state in general—Sophocles tells of the eternal struggle between the state and the individual, human and natural law, and the enormous gulf between what we attempt here on earth and what fate has in store for us all. In this magnificent dramatic work, almost incidentally so, we find nearly every reason why we are now what we are.

—Victor D. Hanson and John Heath, Who Killed Homer? The Demise of Classical Education and the Recovery of Greek Wisdom

With Antigone Sophocles forcibly demonstrates that the power of tragedy derives not from the conflict between right and wrong but from the confrontation between right and right. As the play opens the succession battle between the sons of Oedipus—Polynices and Eteocles—over control of Thebes has resulted in both of their deaths. Their uncle Creon, who has now assumed the throne, asserts his authority to end a destructive civil war and decrees that only Eteocles, the city’s defender, should receive honorable burial. Polynices, who has led a foreign army against Thebes, is branded a traitor. His corpse is to be left on the battlefield “to be chewed up by birds and dogs and violated,” with death the penalty for anyone who attempts to bury him and supply the rites necessary for the dead to reach the underworld. Antigone, Polynices’ sister, is determined to defy Creon’s order, setting in motion a tragic collision between opposed laws and duties: between natural and divine commands that dictate the burial of the dead and the secular edicts of a ruler determined to restore civic order, between family allegiance and private conscience and public duty and the rule of law that restricts personal liberty for the common good. Like the proverbial immovable object meeting an irresistible force, Antigone arranges the impact of seemingly irreconcilable conceptions of rights and responsibilities, producing one of drama’s enduring illuminations of human nature and the human condition.

Antigone is one of Sophocles’ greatest achievements and one of the most influential dramas ever staged. “Between 1790 and 1905,” critic George Steiner reports, “it was widely held by European poets, philosophers, [and] scholars that Sophocles’ Antigone was not only the fi nest of Greek tragedies, but a work of art nearer to perfection than any other produced by the human spirit.” Its theme of the opposition between the individual and authority has resonated through the centuries, with numerous playwrights, most notably Jean Anouilh, Bertolt Brecht, and Athol Fugard grafting contemporary concerns and values onto the moral and political dramatic framework that Sophocles established. The play has elicited paradoxical responses reflecting changing cultural and moral imperatives. Antigone, who has been described as “the first heroine of Western drama,” has been interpreted both as a heroic martyr to conscience and as a willfully stubborn fanatic who causes her own death and that of two other innocent people, forsaking her duty to the living on behalf of the dead. Creon has similarly divided critics between censure and sympathy. Despite the play’s title, some have suggested that the tragedy is Creon’s, not Antigone’s, and it is his abuse of authority and his violations of personal, family, and divine obligations that center the drama’s tragedy. The brilliance of Sophocles’ play rests in the complexity of motive and the competing absolute claims that the drama displays. As novelist George Eliot observed,

It is a very superficial criticism which interprets the character of Creon as that of hypocritical tyrant, and regards Antigone as a blameless victim. Coarse contrasts like this are not the materials handled by great dramatists. The exquisite art of Sophocles is shown in the touches by which he makes us feel that Creon, as well as Antigone, is contending for what he believes to be the right, while both are also conscious that, in following out one principle, they are laying themselves open to just blame for transgressing another.

Eliot would call the play’s focus the “antagonism of valid principles,” demonstrating a point of universal significance that “Wherever the strength of a man’s intellect, or moral sense, or affection brings him into opposition with the rules which society has sanctioned, there is renewed conflict between Antigone and Creon; such a man must not only dare to be right, he must also dare to be wrong—to shake faith, to wound friendship, perhaps, to hem in his own powers.” Sophocles’ Antigone is less a play about the pathetic end of a victim of tyranny or the corruption of authority than about the inevitable cost and con-sequence between competing imperatives that define the human condition. From opposite and opposed positions, both Antigone and Creon ultimately meet at the shared suffering each has caused. They have destroyed each other and themselves by who they are and what they believe. They are both right and wrong in a world that lacks moral certainty and simple choices. The Chorus summarizes what Antigone will vividly enact: “The powerful words of the proud are paid in full with mighty blows of fate, and at long last those blows will teach us wisdom.”

As the play opens Antigone declares her intention to her sister Ismene to defy Creon’s impious and inhumane order and enlists her sister’s aid to bury their brother. Ismene responds that as women they must not oppose the will of men or the authority of the city and invite death. Ismene’s timidity and deference underscores Antigone’s courage and defiance. Antigone asserts a greater allegiance to blood kinship and divine law declaring that the burial is a “holy crime,” justified even by death. Ismene responds by calling her sister “a lover of the impossible,” an accurate description of the tragic hero, who, according to scholar Bernard Knox, is Sophocles’ most important contribution to drama: “Sophocles presents us for the first time with what we recognize as a ‘tragic hero’: one who, unsupported by the gods and in the face of human opposition, makes a decision which springs from the deepest layer of his individual nature, his physis , and then blindly, ferociously, heroically maintains that decision even to the point of self-destruction.” Antigone exactly conforms to Knox’s description, choosing her conception of duty over sensible self-preservation and gender-prescribed submission to male authority, turning on her sister and all who oppose her. Certain in her decision and self-sufficient, Antigone rejects both her sister’s practical advice and kinship. Ironically Antigone denies to her sister, when Ismene resists her will, the same blood kinship that claims Antigone’s supreme allegiance in burying her brother. For Antigone the demands of the dead overpower duty to the living, and she does not hesitate in claiming both to know and act for the divine will. As critic Gilbert Norwood observes, “It is Antigone’s splendid though perverse valor which creates the drama.”

Before the apprehended Antigone, who has been taken in the act of scattering dust on her brother’s corpse, lamenting, and pouring libations, is brought before Creon and the dramatic crux of the play, the Chorus of The-ban elders delivers what has been called the fi nest song in all Greek tragedy, the so-called Ode to Man, that begins “Wonders are many, and none is more wonderful than man.” This magnificent celebration of human power over nature and resourcefulness in reason and invention ends with a stark recognition of humanity’s ultimate helplessness—“Only against Death shall he call for aid in vain.” Death will test the resolve and principles of both Antigone and Creon, while, as critic Edouard Schuré asserts, “It brings before us the most extraordinary psychological evolution that has ever been represented on stage.”

When Antigone is brought in judgment before Creon, obstinacy meets its match. Both stand on principle, but both reveal the human source of their actions. Creon betrays himself as a paranoid autocrat; Antigone as an individual whose powerful hatred outstrips her capacity for love. She defiantly and proudly admits that she is guilty of disobeying Creon’s decree and that he has no power to override divine law. Nor does Antigone concede any mitigation of her personal obligation in the competing claims of a niece, a sister, or a citizen. Creon is maddened by what he perceives to be Antigone’s insolence in justifying her crime by diminishing his authority, provoking him to ignore all moderating claims of family, natural, or divine extenuation. When Ismene is brought in as a co-conspirator, she accepts her share of guilt in solidarity with her sister, but again Antigone spurns her, calling her “a friend who loves in words,” denying Ismene’s selfless act of loyalty and sympathy with a cold dismissal and self-sufficiency, stating, “Never share my dying, / don’t lay claim to what you never touched.” However, Ismene raises the ante for both Antigone and Creon by asking her uncle whether by condemning Antigone he will kill his own son’s betrothed. Creon remains adamant, and his judgment on Antigone and Ismene, along with his subsequent argument with his son, Haemon, reveals that Creon’s principles are self-centered, contradictory, and compromised by his own pride, fears, and anxieties. Antigone’s challenge to his authority, coming from a woman, is demeaning. If she goes free in defiance of his authority, Creon declares, “I am not the man, she is.” To the urging of Haemon that Creon should show mercy, tempering his judgment to the will of Theban opinion that sympathizes with Antigone, Creon asserts that he cares nothing for the will of the town, whose welfare Creon’s original edict against Polynices was meant to serve. Creon, moreover, resents being schooled in expediency by his son. Inflamed by his son’s advocacy on behalf of Antigone, Creon brands Haemon a “woman’s slave,” and after vacillating between stoning Antigone and executing her and her sister in front of Haemon, Creon rules that Antigone alone is to perish by being buried alive. Having begun the drama with a decree that a dead man should remain unburied, Creon reverses himself, ironically, by ordering the premature burial of a living woman.

Antigone, being led to her entombment, is shown stripped of her former confidence and defiance, searching for the justification that can steel her acceptance of the fate that her actions have caused. Contemplating her living descent into the underworld and the death that awaits her, Antigone regrets dying without marriage and children. Gone is her reliance on divine and natural law to justify her act as she equivocates to find the emotional source to sustain her. A husband and children could be replaced, she rationalizes, but since her mother and father are dead, no brother can ever replace Polynices. Antigone’s tortured logic here, so different from the former woman of principle, has been rejected by some editors as spurious. Others have judged this emotionally wrought speech essential for humanizing Antigone, revealing her capacity to suffer and her painful search for some consolation.

The drama concludes with the emphasis shifted back to Creon and the consequences of his judgment. The blind prophet Teiresias comes to warn Creon that Polynices’ unburied body has offended the gods and that Creon is responsible for the sickness that has descended on Thebes. Creon has kept from Hades one who belongs there and is sending to Hades another who does not. The gods confirm the rightness of Antigone’s action, but justice evades the working out of the drama’s climax. The release of Antigone comes too late; she has hung herself. Haemon commits suicide, and Eurydice, Creon’s wife, kills herself after cursing Creon for the death of their son. Having denied the obligation of family, Creon loses his own. Creon’s rule, marked by ignoring or transgressing cosmic and family law, is shown as ultimately inadequate and destructive. Creon is made to realize that he has been rash and foolish, that “Whatever I have touched has come to nothing.” Both Creon and Antigone have been pushed to terrifying ends in which what truly matters to both are made starkly clear. Antigone’s moral imperatives have been affirmed but also their immense cost in suffering has been exposed. Antigone explores a fundamental rift between public and private worlds. The central opposition in the play between Antigone and Creon, between duty to self and duty to state, dramatizes critical antimonies in the human condition. Sophocles’ genius is his resistance of easy and consoling simplifications to resolve the oppositions. Both sides are ultimately tested; both reveal the potential for greatness and destruction.

24 lectures on Greek Tragedy by Dr. Elizabeth Vandiver.

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English Composition 2

Essay questions for sophocles's antigone.

A thesis statement can be regarded as an answer to a question, so coming up with a one-sentence response to one of the questions below could give you a good thesis statement for an essay on Sophocles's Antigone .

• In what ways is Creon responsible for his own downfall?
• Does Creon suffer from excessive pride?
• How would you characterize Creon as a ruler?
• Is Creon deserving of sympathy?
• How might we interpret Creon's character psychologically? What personal characteristics lead to the decisions that he makes?
• What personal characteristics lead Antigone to defy Creon in burying her brother?
• How should we regard the character Antigone? As prideful and reckless? As heroic? As an innocent victim of tyranny? As a martyr? As a masocist? As an idealist?
• In what significant ways are Creon and Antigone similar?
• In what ways is Ismene important to the play?
• In what ways is Haemon important to the play?
• How are women portrayed in the play?
• What does the play say about the place of women in society?
• What does the play Antigone say about absolute power?
• What does the play say about obligations to family and obligations to authority?
• What does the play say about human laws and religious laws?

These are only some of the questions we could ask about the play. Can you think of other questions?

Copyright Randy Rambo , 2022.

Ask LitCharts AI: The answer to your questions

Blindness vs. Sight

In Oedipus Rex , Oedipus mocks the blindness of the seer Tiresias , who responds by telling Oedipus that he (Oedipus) is blind to the corruption in his own life, and soon will be literally blind, too. Issues of blindness and sight aren't quite as obvious in Antigone , but the same basic tension is there. Tiresias gives the current king, Creon , a warning, and the king is unable to see the wisdom of…

Natural Law

Creon , as head of state and lawgiver in Thebes, believes in obedience to man-made laws. But in defying Creon's command that no one bury Polynices, Antigone appeals to a different set of guidelines—what is often called "natural law." Whether its source is in nature or in divine order, natural law states that there are standards for right and wrong that are more fundamental and universal than the laws of any particular society.

Antigone believes…

Citizenship vs. Family Loyalty

The concept of citizenship and the duties that citizens owe to the state were subjects of huge importance and debate in fifth-century B.C.E. Athens, where Sophocles lived and where Antigone was first performed. Antigone and Creon represent the extreme opposite political views regarding where a citizen of a city should place his or her loyalties.

In the play, Creon has a strict definition of citizenship that calls for the state to come first: "…whoever places…

Civil Disobedience

Creon says that the laws enacted by the leader of the city "must be obeyed, large and small, / right and wrong." In other words, Creon is arguing that the law is the basis for justice, so there can be no such thing as an unjust law. Antigone , on the other hand, believes that there are unjust laws, and that she has a moral duty to disobey a law that contradicts what she thinks…

Fate vs. Free Will

The ancient Greeks believed that their gods could see the future, and that certain people could access this information. Independent prophets called "seers" saw visions of things to come. Oracles, priests who resided at the temples of gods—such as the oracle to Apollo at Delphi—were also believed to be able to interpret the gods' visions and give prophecies to people who sought to know the future. Oracles were an accepted part of Greek life—famous leaders…

“The Antigone” by Sophocles: Characters and Plot Research Paper

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

Introduction

Characters and the plot of the antigone, character of ismene, character of creon, sophocles years of life, the antigone, works cited.

Antigone by Sophocles is a classic Ancient Greek play. It is well-known all over the world for the morality and brevity of the main character. Moreover, the play discovers a causative-consecutive line of tragic events that make it rich in content. The author provides the majority of emotional and logical features in characters using their dialogues or monologues. In this respect, one should not underestimate the role of the chorus. This instrumentation was used by Sophocles in all his plays to make conversation between characters as well as the tragedy of the moment more impressive. The play is performed in the tradition of classic Greek tragedy. Characters and the plot of The Antigone are highlighted in the play for resolving the problem of morale and pride in human beings and the counter-reaction of gods in response.

Looking at the elaboration of actions in the play, it is significant to work out the problem of the development and change in a character. In this respect, one should keep an eye on two characters: Creon and Ismene. These two are identified in the play, as unstable and despaired people. In the case of Ismene, she betrayed her sister Antigone by being afraid of the death penalty. Her involvement in actions that were in defiance of Creon’s edict is shaped with great fear for burying their brothers: “I do them no dishonor, but I find myself too weak to war against the state” (Sophocles 12). When Antigone was pledged Ismene refused to be for her sister. One sees her, as a weak character without family identification and duties. She placed duty to the polis higher than the duty to her family (Markos 146). This parameter makes her actions immoral and going apart from Greek family tradition.

Another feature defining Ismene is her disgrace of sacred duty to bury the bodies of Eteocles and Polynices. In this respect, Antigone emerges, as “the still small voice”. She persuades Ismene to follow her pieces of advice even under the threat of death. Looking at such weighty arguments, one sees that the entire nature of morale is more represented in Antigone. Sophocles wants to show her tries to make Ismene do what is right. That starting moment in the play illustrates what both sisters felt. However, it also predicts the end of the play and its tragic outcomes. Antigone attempts to break Ismene’s desire to follow the cruel edict of Creon down. The main heroine is shown in the play, as one who speaks with passion and moral supremacy (Pedrick and Oberhelman 92). To lay more emphasis on Antigone’s courage and decisiveness, it is better to estimate the words of her toward Ismene, namely: “Fear not for me. Thine own fate guide me aright” (Sophocles 12). Such words represent a challenge for both sisters that was passed only by Antigone.

Creon is another character in whom a reader can see a change. However, it is apparent solely in the final scene of the play. Analyzing his command to assess the highest punishment to Eteocles and Polynices, he wanted to make his power and his position in the city of Thebes firm. The thing is that such firmness was built on a shaky basis. The will of gods was neglected due to Creon’s pride and hypocrisy. Initially, he was sure that such aggressive methods will destroy any defiant person. Creon admits his righteousness in ruling using the rhetoric question: “And will my subjects tell me how to rule” (Sophocles 45)? Unfortunately to Creon, Antigone was that woman who valued family more than polis.

Thus, one can describe Creon, as the embodiment of polis, power, and law, and Antigone is supposed to kinship and persistence in moral aspects (Markell 66). Even with immoral actions by Creon Sophocles provides a gorgeous message in actions by Antigone. Such relation of people to gods is indicated in all Ancient Greek plays. Though Creon stays firm in his will to punish Antigone, he does not even recognize the price of losses, as a result. He repeats the eternal mistake of human beings by acting without realizing the moral or rational grounds of this or that action. Creon follows the wrong way of opposition to gods and the good fate of his own. His conviction in the righteousness of his actions is, without any doubt, unsound. He leads his whole life toward decline.

The genius of Sophocles lies in the definition of is total ruination of a person’s life. Ignoring the family values of one person, Creon lost their own family’s well-being. The play distinctively depicts this tragic moment of Creon’s confession and his inner change, as a result: “Ah me! The fault is mine” (Sophocles 74). This scene characterizes Creon, as a man caught by personal fallacies and ignorance of sacred features for a man, such as family.

Creon is a tragic character, for the ominous but fair payback appeared in his life. A man should study the mistakes he/she does. It is even better not to be trapped in disasters by some distinct examples from the experiences of other people. The educational nature of the play is implied in the fact that at last Creon has understood his error. In the final scene, a viewer notices the sorrows of Creon. Here the tragedy is evaluated because he desires death more than relief. Creon presupposes it, as a form of some relief: “That nevermore I look upon the light” (Sophocles 74)… This punishment of Creon is directed to everyone who seeks wisdom.

Thus, Ismene and Creon are characters who are going through the process of change. Ismene is depicted, as the only ally to her sister. However, she demonstrates faint-heartedness at the moment when Creon summons both Ismene and Antigone to tell about their crime. Creon, driven by his persuasion in the righteousness of his edicts, ignores the family values and morality of tradition and the will of gods. On the one hand, Ismene stayed unchanged toward personal fears. On the other hand, Creon smarted for his pride and cruelty using his son’s and wife’s suicides. The story teaches about following the duty to secure moral values more than the duties of the polis.

Sophocles (497/6 BC- 406/5 BC) is an outstanding Ancient Greek playwright (Sophocles 5). He along with Aeschylus and Euripides contributed greatly to the heritage of Greek drama that is extant to contemporary observers. The most attractive plays of Sophocles are Oedipus and Antigone. These plays counterbalanced the achievements of previous playwrights in the mastership of drama and tragedy, in particular.

Sophocles made the instrumentation in his plays more expressive and distinct from other authors due to a reduction of chorus roles to a limited extent. On the other hand, he improved the role of characters and their fates to some higher extent. Additionally, he involved the third and, later on, the fourth actor in his plays (Sophocles 6). As distinct from Aeschylus, Sophocles did not create trilogies describing one theme in a complex of each play. His plays, such as The Antigone or Oedipus are complete in themselves (Sophocles 6). The success of his earliest plays, The Antigone , was obvious to every Greek who settled Attica and Athens as well. It was dated to the late third century BC, but contemporary researchers in ancient literature cannot define a distinct date. It is thought that the play had been written around 441-440 BC (Sophocles, Fainlight and Littman 5).

Furthermore, this play had made Sophocles the winner at the Festival of Dionysus. It is known that by Aristophanes of Byzantium’s appointment of Sophocles, as a general in the Samian War 441/440 BC, Sophocles overcame Aeschylus who was the winner for many years (Sophocles, Fainlight and Littman 6). He also overcame Euripides who had won this prize a year before.

Describing the civil war between Eteocles and Polyneices in common features, Sophocles directs his thoughts toward rigor of law and significance of morale. These two features imposed into the main theme of the play that resonated with viewers such great success of Sophocles (Sophocles, Fainlight and Littman 8). Since the moment of his victory at the Festival of Dionysus Sophocles became persona grata in Athens in terms of art and social issues. Up to his death, Sophocles never gave up personal participation in the artistic and social affairs of Greece.

Markell Patchen. Bound by recognition. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2003.

Markos, Louis. From Achilles to Christ: Why Christians Should Read the Pagan Classics . Westmont, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2007.

Pedrick, Victoria and Oberhelman, Steven M. The soul of tragedy: essays on Athenian drama. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2005.

Sophocles. Antigone. Translated by Plumptre E. H. New York: Digireads.com Publishing, 2005.

Sophocles, Fainlight, Ruth and Littman, Robert J. The Theban Plays: Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone. Translated by Fainlight, Ruth and Littman, Robert J. Baltimore, MD: JHU Press, 2009.

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IvyPanda. (2022, September 5). “The Antigone” by Sophocles: Characters and Plot. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-antigone-by-sophocles-characters-and-plot/

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IvyPanda . "“The Antigone” by Sophocles: Characters and Plot." September 5, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-antigone-by-sophocles-characters-and-plot/.

Antigone - Essay Samples And Topic Ideas For Free

Antigone is a tragedy by Sophocles written in or before 441 BC, centering on the themes of loyalty, honor, and the consequences of defying the state’s law. Essays on Antigone could explore the character analysis, thematic explorations, its relevance in the context of political dissent, and the ethical dilemmas presented in the narrative. We have collected a large number of free essay examples about Antigone you can find at Papersowl. You can use our samples for inspiration to write your own essay, research paper, or just to explore a new topic for yourself.

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Clashing Beliefs of Antigone and Creon In Sophocles’ tragedy Antigone, each character had a striking personality and powerful beliefs. The two main characters of the tragedy are Antigone and Creon. Both had strong and different ideas about what was wrong and what was right, leading to much conflict between them throughout the tragedy. The heroine, Antigone, had some of the strongest beliefs of them all. Antigone was willing to sacrifice her own life and well-being to honor her fallen brother, […]

Decoding the Authorship of Antigone: a Deep Dive into Sophocles’ Legacy

Have you ever wondered about the genius behind the timeless Greek tragedy "Antigone"? Sure, if you ask anyone familiar with Greek literature, they’ll probably throw the name Sophocles at you. But let’s be real: the story of who penned "Antigone" is more than just a straightforward credit to Sophocles. It’s a journey through the heart of ancient Greek drama, packed with layers of history and a bit of scholarly detective work. Sophocles, this guy was not just anybody. Born around […]

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How To Write an Essay About Antigone

Understanding the play 'antigone'.

Before diving into writing an essay about "Antigone," it is crucial to have a thorough understanding of the play. "Antigone" is a tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright Sophocles, and it deals with themes such as individual vs. state, family loyalty, and moral integrity. Familiarize yourself with the plot, characters, and the historical and cultural context in which Sophocles wrote. Understanding the play’s background, including the mythological story of Oedipus and its impact on Antigone’s life, is essential. This foundational knowledge will provide a solid base for your essay.

Choosing a Focus and Developing a Thesis

Once you have a comprehensive understanding of the play, the next step is to choose a specific focus for your essay. This could be an analysis of a particular theme, character, or a specific aspect of Sophocles' writing style. Develop a clear thesis statement that will guide the direction of your essay. Your thesis should be arguable and not merely a statement of fact. For example, you might argue how Antigone represents the conflict between personal conviction and state law. This thesis will shape your analysis and give your essay a clear direction.

Gathering Evidence from the Text

After establishing your thesis, gather evidence from the text to support your arguments. This involves close reading of "Antigone" to find quotes, dialogues, and instances in the play that align with your thesis. For instance, if you're discussing Antigone’s defiance as a form of civil disobedience, find parts of the dialogue that showcase her reasoning and moral stance. This step is critical because solid evidence from the text will strengthen your arguments and give credibility to your essay.

Analyzing and Interpreting the Text

The next part of your essay should be devoted to analyzing and interpreting the evidence you have gathered. Discuss how your selected quotes and examples support your thesis. This section should not just summarize the play but offer a deeper insight into the themes, characters, and stylistic elements of Sophocles' writing. For example, explore how Sophocles uses dramatic irony or how the character of Creon contrasts with Antigone. Your analysis should be thoughtful and demonstrate a deeper understanding of the text.

Concluding Your Essay

Conclude your essay by summarizing the main points of your analysis and restating your thesis in the light of the evidence and discussion provided. Your conclusion should tie all the elements of your essay together and reinforce your overall argument. It could also provide a broader comment on the significance of the play in contemporary times or its relevance in the context of Greek tragedy. A strong conclusion will leave the reader with a lasting impression of your insights into the play.

Final Touches: Review and Edit

After completing your essay, it's important to review and edit your work. Check for clarity, coherence, grammar, and spelling errors. Ensure that your essay flows logically and that your arguments are well-supported with evidence from the text. It might also be helpful to get feedback from others, perhaps classmates or a teacher, who can provide a fresh perspective. A well-polished essay will communicate your ideas more effectively and demonstrate your understanding and analysis of "Antigone."

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The following thesis statement once upon a time served me well: A major theme of Antigone is the conflict between religious law and man-made law. Antigone believes in the supremacy of religious ...

Our topics base contains the most diverse topics of Antigone to write about in essays. Choose perfect titles and start to write your paper.

Possible thesis statements for why Antigone is more justified in her reasoning than Creon might sound like the following:

Antigone explores a fundamental rift between public and private worlds. The central opposition in the play between Antigone and Creon, between duty to self and duty to state, dramatizes critical antimonies in the human condition. Sophocles' genius is his resistance of easy and consoling simplifications to resolve the oppositions.

Antigone is a classic example of Greek tragedy. Traditionally, a tragedy describes how a hero is ruined by their tragic flaw. Both Antigone and Creon are considered tragic heroes. Sophocles uses ...

Antigone Reflection and Analysis Essay. Exclusively available on IvyPanda®. Antigone is a story that narrates the differences between practicality and idealism, civic duty and family loyalty, and actions and their respective consequences. It is mainly based on those complex decisions which are based on loyalty and those complicated relationships.

an still evaluate the thesis statement in this way.) The potential for a nuanced thesis exists; Antigone is most critics' definition of a tragic hero and Creon is a les. obvious (and thus potentially more nuanced) choice.For example, a more nuanced thesis statement might read as follows: While the tragic Antigone nearly fits the classic ...

A play written by Sophocles circa 445 B.C., Antigone, depicts the tragedy of a young woman who stands firm against an obstinate new ruling force-her uncle Creon, in what was right by her family and her gods in antithesis to that which was better for her country. The altercation involves the burial of her brother, Polyneices after staging a coup ...

A thesis statement can be regarded as an answer to a question, so coming up with a one-sentence response to one of the questions below could give you a good thesis statement for an essay on Sophocles's Antigone.

Need help on themes in Sophocles's Antigone? Check out our thorough thematic analysis. From the creators of SparkNotes.

Antigone is a complex play, one that defies ready interpretation. It is a study of human actions, with complex emotions. Each character represents a moral ideal, a moral argument, and the play ...

Thesis Statement For Antigone. 1041 Words5 Pages. INTRODUCTION: Open your argument to the audience and give them reason to listen on. I. Hook (Opening Statement): Get your audience's attention! Consider a quote from the story. Are there any circumstances in which the law should be ignored?

Introduction. Antigone by Sophocles is a classic Ancient Greek play. It is well-known all over the world for the morality and brevity of the main character. Moreover, the play discovers a causative-consecutive line of tragic events that make it rich in content. The author provides the majority of emotional and logical features in characters ...

Essay Example: Sophocles, one of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose plays have survived, created the main character, Antigone, as a civil disobedience. The play embellishes the opposing conflicts between Antigone who stands for the values of family, and Creon who stands for the values

Get an answer for 'What is a potential thesis statement about the theme of choices and consequences in Antigone?' and find homework help for other Antigone questions at eNotes

Your thesis should be arguable and not merely a statement of fact. For example, you might argue how Antigone represents the conflict between personal conviction and state law.

When the play in question is Sophocles's Antigone, criticism can be especially helpful concerning the preconceived notions a reader may have concerning the work. The play is an ancient tragedy and ...

What is known about the sinking of a luxury yacht off the coast of Sicily and those aboard

P ORTICELLO, Sicily (AP) — Specialist cave divers working in 12-minute underwater shifts were searching Tuesday for six missing passengers and crew, including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, believed to be in the submerged wreck of a luxury yacht that was slammed by a powerful storm and swiftly sank off Sicily.

The sleek yacht, named the Bayesian, was carrying a crew of 10 people and 12 passengers when it suddenly sank near the Mediterranean island that is part of Italy at about 4 a.m. on Monday. One body has been recovered and 15 people survived.

Fire rescue officials have said the six believed to remain in the sailboat's hull will be considered missing until they are located in the wreckage.

Here's what we know so far about the sinking and those who were on board.

What happened?

Italian civil protection officials believe a sudden and fierce storm that battered the coast of Sicily in the early hours of Monday whipped up a waterspout in the exact spot where the 56-meter (184-foot) British-flagged Bayesian was moored.

Karsten Borner, the captain of another yacht moored nearby, said he saw the Bayesian during the storm but when the wild weather passed it was gone and he saw only a red flare lighting the night sky, the Italian news agency ANSA and the Giornale di Sicilia newspaper reported.

Borner and one of his crew boarded their tender and found a lifeboat carrying 15 people, some of them injured. They took them aboard their yacht and alerted the coast guard.

Rescue authorities said the wreck was resting at a depth of 50 meters (163 feet) about a half mile offshore of the picturesque fishing village of Porticello.

Who was on board?

Among the missing is 59-year-old tech tycoon Mike Lynch , sometimes described as the British Bill Gates. Lynch was acquitted in June of all charges in a U.S. fraud trial linked to the $11 billion sale of his software company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard in 2011.

Lynch still faced a potentially huge bill stemming from a civil case in London that HP mostly won during 2022. Damages haven’t been determined in that case, but HP is seeking $4 billion. Lynch made more than $800 million from the Autonomy sale.

A Cambridge-educated mathematician, Lynch made his name running Autonomy, which made a search engine that could pore through emails and other internal business documents to help companies find vital information more quickly.

Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter Hannah was reportedly among the missing. His wife, Angela Bacares, and 14 other people survived.

Among others still missing Tuesday, according to the civil protection agency, were one of Lynch’s U.S. lawyers, Christopher Morvillo of Clifford Chance, and Morvillo’s wife, Neda. Morvillo was regarded as an elite defense lawyer and was also a federal prosecutor in New York after 9/11.

Also missing was Jonathan Bloomer, the non-executive chairman of Morgan Stanley International, and his wife, Judy. He is the former head of the Autonomy audit committee and testified for the defense at Lynch’s trial.

Bloomer was also chair of the Hiscox Group, an insurer that does business on the Lloyd’s of London market.

“We are deeply shocked and saddened by this tragic event,” Hiscox CEO Aki Hussain said in a statement.

Among the survivors was Charlotte Golunski, who said she momentarily lost hold of her 1-year-old daughter Sofia in the water, but then managed to grab her and hold her up over the waves until a lifeboat inflated and they were both pulled to safety, ANSA reported. The father, identified by ANSA as James Emslie, also survived.

The Dutch foreign ministry said a Dutch man survived. The ministry, citing privacy, did not release his identity.

One body was recovered on Monday, identified as the on-board chef.

What is the Bayesian?

The Bayesian was a luxury yacht built in 2008 by the Italian firm Perini Nav. It was known for its single 75-meter (246-feet) aluminum mast — one of the world’s tallest. Online charter sites listed it for rent for up to 195,000 euros (about $215,000) a week.

Its registered owner is listed as Revtom Ltd., based on the Isle of Man, according to online maritime database Equasis. Lynch’s wife is listed as Revtom’s sole owner, according to corporate registration documents from the Isle of Man.

The yacht's name is an apparent reference to “Bayesian inference,” one of the two main approaches to statistical machine learning and the one that was used by Autonomy.

What is a waterspout?

Waterspouts are tornadoes that form over water and can happen when a storm moves across warm water.

According to the U.S. National Ocean Service, there are two types of waterspouts — fair-weather and tornadic.

Tornadic waterspouts “have the same characteristics as a land tornado. They are associated with severe thunderstorms, and are often accompanied by high winds and seas, large hail, and frequent dangerous lightning,” the service says on its website.

While scientists haven’t attributed the specific event to climate change, average monthly surface temperatures have been at record highs for months . Hotter air can hold more moisture, making heavier storms more likely.

Sicily has been baking under intense heat this summer , and the United Nations’ panel of climate change experts notes the Mediterranean Sea is particularly vulnerable to climate change, with warming rates roughly 20% higher than the global average.

How rare is it for a huge sailboat like this to capsize?

Experts say it is extraordinarily rare for a luxury sailboat of this size to capsize due to weather events.

“This just doesn’t happen. You know, boats sink because things like keels fall off, or they run aground and breach the hull ... whereas just from a weather angle, a boat that big being pushed over on its side is absolutely extraordinary,” said Skip Novak, a lifelong sailor who has taken part in multiple round the world yacht races and written books about sailing.

Novak said he believed that strong gusts likely pushed the yacht over 90 degrees to its side, and the vessel did not recover because of the weight of the huge mast and because it was anchored. He suggested that internal doors were likely not closed, and water quickly poured in to sink the vessel.

“When you’re at anchor, even if it’s blowing with a storm in the Mediterranean, you rarely shut the whole boat down because nobody expects something like this to happen," Novak told The Associated Press. “So if the boat wasn’t completely watertight at the deck, you’d have flooding going in. It would take a couple minutes and that would be it."

What happens next?

As the search for the missing continues, authorities already have begun trying to piece together exactly what happened.

Prosecutors from the Sicilian town of Termini Imerese have opened an investigation, as is normal in such events even when no suspects are identified. To date, they have not commented publicly.

The British Marine Accident Investigation Branch said four of its inspectors were being deployed to Palermo.

Corder reported from The Hague, Netherlands. Associated Press writer Sylvia Hui in London contributed to this report.

Watch CBS News

Luxury yacht sinks off Sicily, leaving U.K. tech magnate Mike Lynch, 2 Americans among those missing

By Anna Matranga

Updated on: August 20, 2024 / 7:47 PM EDT / CBS News

Rome  — Six people, including two U.S. nationals, a British technology entrepreneur and one of his daughters, were still missing Tuesday after a large luxury sailing yacht sank off the coast of the southern Italian island of Sicily during a violent storm. The 184-foot Bayesian had been anchored about half a mile off the port of Porticello, near Palermo, with 22 people on board — 10 crew members and 12 passengers.

The vessel sank at about 5 a.m. local time (11 p.m. Eastern, Sunday) after being hit by a possible waterspout spawned by the storm. Italian media said the winds snapped the boat's single mast, unbalancing the vessel and causing it to capsize.

Fifteen of those on board managed to escape the yacht and were rescued by a Dutch-flagged vessel that was anchored in the immediate vicinity. They were brought ashore by Italian Coast Guard and firefighters.

One body — an unidentified male — was recovered, but six people remained missing, including British software magnate Mike Lynch, once described as Britain's Bill Gates. 

Lynch was acquitted in June of fraud charges in the U.S. that could have landed him with a decades-long prison sentence. In an unusual twist, Lynch's co-defendant in that fraud case, who was also acquitted, died Saturday after being hit by a car while out jogging in England.

Lynch's teenage daughter Hannah was also among those missing, along with Lynch's American lawyer Chris Morvillo, a former assistant district attorney in New York, and his wife Neda. British banker Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley International, was also still missing Tuesday.

Among the survivors was a 1-year-old British girl who was being treated at a nearby hospital along with her parents. They were doing well, according to Italian media.

"For two seconds I lost my child to the sea, then I immediately was able to grab her again in the fury of the waves," the girl's mother, identified only as Charlotte, was quoted as saying by Italy's ANSA news agency. "I held on to her tightly in the stormy sea. Many were screaming. Luckily the life raft opened up and 11 of us managed to get aboard."

"It was terrible," she told ANSA. "In just a few minutes the boat was hit by a very strong wind, and sunk soon thereafter."

Karsten Borner, the captain of the Dutch vessel that came to the rescue, told ANSA he had been anchored near the Bayesian.

"When the storm was over we noticed that the ship behind us was gone, and then we saw a red flare, so my first mate and I went to the position and we found this life raft drifting, and in the life raft was also a little baby and the wife of the owner."

Recovery efforts were back underway Tuesday, with speedboats, helicopters and divers continuing to search for the missing — as well as for answers, as to how a state-of-the-art superyacht could disappear in a flash. 

According to Italian media, Fire Brigade divers reached the boat and saw bodies trapped inside some of the cabins, but they had been unable to recover any of the victims from inside the vessel by Tuesday, due to obstructions. The Bayesian appeared to have sunk in an area with a depth of about 160 feet.

Witnesses said the boat sank quickly. 

"I was at home when the tornado hit," fisherman Pietro Asciutto told a local news outlet. "I immediately closed all the windows. Then I saw the boat, it had only one mast, it was very large. I suddenly saw it sink... The boat was still floating, then suddenly it disappeared. I saw it sink with my own eyes."

The director-general of Sicily's civil protection agency, Salvatore Cocina, confirmed to CBS News partner BBC News  that three of the six people still missing Monday were British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, whose company Autonomy Corporation PLC was acquired in 2011 by HP ; one of his daughters, Hannah Lynch, who is believed to be 18; and the boat's chef, Ricardo Thomas.

CBS News has seen corporate documentation showing a company called Revtom, solely owned by Lynch's wife Angela Bacares, who was among those rescued from the accident, as the owner of the yacht that capsized off Sicily. 

While the yacht was a privately owned pleasure boat, the waters around the island have claimed many lives over the last decade.

Dozens of migrants have died attempting to reach Sicily and smaller Italian islands in the region. Sicily sits only about 100 miles from the east coast of Tunisia in north Africa, and the Mediterranean crossing has been a frequent site of both nautical rescues and disasters as smugglers routinely send small boats overloaded with desperate people into the sea.

Alex Sundby , Joanne Stocker and Chris Livesay contributed to this report.

• Boat Accident

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