Antigone: Word Choice

• During Creon and Antigone's argument Anouilh repeats many words and ideas. Choose a word or idea and discuss how Anouilh uses the term.
  
• Sometimes Anouilh uses ambiguous terms, identify how the terms affect your interpretation of characters and their motivations.

One word that Anouilh uses constantly during Creon and Antigone's argument is happiness. Both Antigone and Creon argue about what true happiness is. "Life flows like water, and young people let it run away through your fingers" (Anouilh 41). Creon believes that life is what gives people happiness, and that people should live life fore happiness, even if you may have to sacrifice some of your wants to get happiness. However, Antigone's idea of happiness is extremely different. "I spit on your happiness! I spit on your idea of life- that life that must go on, come what may" (Anouilh 42). Antigone does not necessarily believe that one has to be living to be happy. She believes that people should be happy to sacrifice themselves for a cause that they believe in, that they should not be afraid to lose their lives for something so important to them. Antigone does not believe in sacrificing her wants and beliefs for anything.

Anouilh makes terms such as happiness ambiguous because each character has a different interpretation of what it means to them. Because of this, the reader is allowed more insight into the personality and beliefs of each character. It also allows the reader more insight into Anouilh's interpretation of who each character is. For example, using the quote from Antigone from above, the reader is able to see that Anouilh thinks that she will not sacrifice her beliefs and wants for anything.