Comparative essay for world literature Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Comparative for world literature - Essay Example The play is built upon an aura of tragedy where most of the characters including the ruler Creon justify their decisions according to the prevalent as well as divine law but suffer the consequences. Antigone is adamant in providing a decent burial to her brother against the royal edict and tries to convince her sister Ismene about her decision who is reluctant to go against the royal edict. But Antigone who is betrothed to the son of Creon is adamant and goes ahead with the burial of Polyneices which is later reported. This is followed by a chain of tragedies when Antigone is sentenced to be buried alive in a cave, resulting in her death and subsequent suicides by the son of Creon, Haemon and the Queen Eurydice who cannot bear the grief. Although Creon was warned of his wrong decisions by Teiresias, a prophet who proclaimed that the denial of burial to Polyneices and the imprisonment of Antigone were against the wishes of the gods, he sticks to his decisions only to relent later. Alt hough Creon has protected the royal order he suffers as a result and finally agrees that his actions which were against the wishes of gods had resulted in his dismal fate. The second play ‘Ghosts’ by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen was originally titled ‘Gengangere’ which meant ‘the ones who return’. It highlighted the moral turpitude of those times which results in tragic circumstances for an otherwise well established family in society with the main sufferer being Mrs. Helene Alving who has to bear the adversities in life due to her philandering husband Captain Alving silently while being forced to keep up an honorable image of the family to the outside world. She tries to shield her son from the evil influence of his father, but after all her penance she discovers at the fag end that the son too suffers from a disease inherited from his