Skip to main content

How can I analyze a quote from a drama, such as the following passage from Sophocles's Antigone:Antigone: " So be what you want. I'll still...

In analyzing a quote like this one, you will want to comment on its face value meaning by providing a paraphrase or literal explanation; comment on any interesting use of words, literary devices, or syntax; and discuss the connotation, or deeper meaning, especially focusing on its relation to any themes in the story or to how it reflects the development of the character who speaks the line. 


In this passage, Antigone is telling her sister,...

In analyzing a quote like this one, you will want to comment on its face value meaning by providing a paraphrase or literal explanation; comment on any interesting use of words, literary devices, or syntax; and discuss the connotation, or deeper meaning, especially focusing on its relation to any themes in the story or to how it reflects the development of the character who speaks the line. 


In this passage, Antigone is telling her sister, Ismene, that she plans to bury their brother with or without Ismene's help. She knows such an action will bring upon her Creon's death sentence, and she is willing to accept that for two reasons: first, because she loves her brother, and second, because she believes her action would be "innocent" despite being a "crime." Since she will be dead longer than she will be alive, she believes her duty to the dead is greater than to the living.


The most notable thing about the wording of this quote is the apparent contradiction of being innocent despite having committed a crime. In addition, her comment about being dead longer than she will be alive is ironic. It applies to everyone, obviously, but very few people choose to live their lives based on that obvious truth.


The deeper meaning of this passage is that it clearly introduces the major conflict of the play from Antigone's point of view. It pits man's law (Creon's) against the law of the gods (the gods of the afterlife who require proper burial customs). It also clearly establishes Antigone's character as a person who, unlike Ismene, is willing to fight for what she believes is right despite great personal risk. 


Having analyzed a quote for its literal meaning, its literary value, and its deeper meaning, especially in terms of the larger themes of the work, you will arrive at a better understanding not just of the particular passage you are evaluating but also of the author's skill and of the work as a whole. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is the meaning of "juggling fiends" in Macbeth?

Macbeth is beginning to realize that the three witches have been deceiving him since he first encountered them. Like jugglers, they have kept changing their forecasts in order create confusion. This is particularly apparent when the Second Apparition they raise in Act IV,   Scene 1 tells him that no man of woman born can overcome him in hand-to-hand battle--and then Macbeth finds himself confronted by the one man he has been avoiding out of a... Macbeth is beginning to realize that the three witches have been deceiving him since he first encountered them. Like jugglers, they have kept changing their forecasts in order create confusion. This is particularly apparent when the Second Apparition they raise in Act IV,   Scene 1 tells him that no man of woman born can overcome him in hand-to-hand battle--and then Macbeth finds himself confronted by the one man he has been avoiding out of a sense of guilt, and that man tells him: Despair thy charm. And let the angel whom thou still hast serve...
Post a Comment
Read more

What are some external and internal conflicts that Montag has in Fahrenheit 451?

 Montag, the protagonist of Fahrenheit 451, faces both external and internal conflicts throughout the novel. Some examples of these conflicts are: External Conflicts: Conflict with the society: Montag lives in a society that prohibits books and critical thinking. He faces opposition from the government and the people who enforce this law. Montag struggles to come to terms with the fact that his society is based on censorship and control. Conflict with his wife: Montag's wife, Mildred, is completely absorbed in the shallow and meaningless entertainment provided by the government. Montag's growing dissatisfaction with his marriage adds to his external conflict. Conflict with the fire captain: Montag's superior, Captain Beatty, is the personification of the oppressive regime that Montag is fighting against. Montag's struggle against Beatty represents his external conflict with the government. Internal Conflicts: Conflict with his own beliefs: Montag, at the beginning of th...
Post a Comment
Read more

In A People's History of the United States, why does Howard Zinn feel that Wilson made a flimsy argument for entering World War I?

"War is the health of the state," the radical writer Randolph Bourne said, in the midst of the First World War. Indeed, as the nations of Europe went to war in 1914, the governments flourished, patriotism bloomed, class struggle was stilled, and young men died in frightful numbers on the battlefields-often for a hundred yards of land, a line of trenches. -- Chapter 14, Page 350, A People's History of the United States Howard Zinn outlines his arguments for why World War I was fought in the opening paragraph of Chapter 14 (referenced above). The nationalism that was created by the Great War benefited the elite political and financial leadership of the various countries involved. Socialism, which was gaining momentum in Europe, as was class struggle, took a backseat to mobilizing for war. Zinn believes that World War I was fought for the gain of the industrial capitalists of Europe in a competition for capital and resources. He states that humanity itself was punished by t...
Post a Comment
Read more