The ode to man final revision PDF

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Nick Pavelec The Ode to Man in Antigone Antigone itself is a play of conflicts. The play constantly contrasts free will vs. destiny; living vs. dead; and divine vs. human. These contrasts can be seen in Antigone vs. Creon, as they battle over what to do with Polynices’s dead body. All of these contrasts and more can be seen in the Ode to Man Choral Passage. The passage discusses the contradictions about nature vs. culture; free will vs. destiny; and nomos vs. Physis, by discussing the complex nature of man’s greatness. The passage discusses nature vs. culture by demonstrating man’s ability to take over nature. The imagery of the passage makes constant reference to nature, from “dim grey sea, riding the blast of the south wind” (line 335-336) to, “ he has cast his nets about the race of lighthearted birds and the ribs of wild beasts and the swarms bred in the depths of the sea” (lines 341-344). The contrast here is that man and nature do not interact naturally, man overtakes nature and puts himself above it. Due to this conquering of nature, man feels as though he can conquer everything; Yet as stated later in the passage, he has power over everything except the fact that “death alone he will not escape” (line 362). This contradiction reverses the previous parts of the poem, showing that in the end nature and death will inevitable win. This contradiction plays into the theme of the play in which Creon believes that he can control everything, while Antigone represents the idea that they are helpless to nature. This passage allows the audience to realize this innate contradiction of man and nature and thus helps the theme of the play to continue to develop.

The passage displays free will vs. destiny when it recognizes that mankind itself has made remarkable strides, but cannot escape inevitable death. Numerous times, the passage discusses how man himself has the free will to conquer nature around him, “his inventions master the beast of field, and crag—the shaggy-maned horse and weariless mountain bull bow beneath his yoke.”( Line 350). Man himself has the free will in order to bend nature to his every whim. However, this is later contradicted with the fact that man himself is destined to die, “ he’s ready for anything-nothing finds him unread. Death alone he will not escape” (line 359362). This shows the conflict between destiny and free will. While man may believe that he can take on the world and is ready for anything, this is contradicted by the fact that he is doomed to die regardless of everything else around him. This is at the heart of the play, the passage is playing on the miasma that is inherited by the house of linus, and the idea that one cannot outrun destiny. Along with this the audience learns that Antigone does not fear death, as she comprehends its’ inevitability. Antigone dives into nomos vs physis by establishing man’s overreach. The section begins with the lines “non is more wonderful, more terrible than man” (lines 333). This idea is continued in the ideas of good and evil, “he presses on now to evil, now too good. Allowing the laws of the land and the worn justice of the gods their place in the scheme of things” (lines 366369). Finally stating that “he who’s daring mocks him to evil has no city at all” (lines 370-371). The good and evil section of the passage directly attacks Creon. Creon himself has evolved into a tyrant, taking out anger on others and not thinking about the morality of Perinucleus’s burial. Due to this, the passage is stating that man himself is overstepping morality laws. One example is instead of allowing a proper burial, they focus on the states laws which may in and of themselves defy morality. This idea is compounded by Antigone being brought to Creon for the

proper burial in the next scene. The audience learns from this passage that Creon’s commitment to upholding state laws will eventually lead to his downfall and the death of those whom he loves. Antigone’s look into the morality of man is a prime example of how the passage displays the larger themes of the play to the audience. The Ode to Man’s several contradictions help the audience understand the themes of the play. Throughout the play, Creon and Antigone contradict each other. This idea is incredibly well represented in the Ode to Man, as at the end of the day regardless of how much Creon thinks he can control everything around him, he is simply a bystander to destiny and death....