Late at night, two waiters have to stay at work until the last customer leaves. They discuss his recent suicide attempt and the reasons why he does not want to go home. These two sentences suffice for a summary of the short story. The full text of A Clean, Well-Lighted...
The play may seem as a simple story about an average family. A husband thinks he’s a good family member, while his wife takes care of three children and is supposed to be charming and dependent. However, everything turns upside down when the truth is revealed. If you want to...
Expecting other people to be caring, we often forget to be caring ourselves. The only possibility to make this world a better place is to make yourself a better person. This “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” study guide by Custom-Writing.org explains why Flannery O’Connor chose such a murderous...
Antigone by Sophocles is a tragedy based on Greek mythology. The new king of Thebes, Creon, decides not to bury Polynices, a warrior who died fighting with his brother over the throne. Meanwhile, Antigone cannot accept the fact that her brother’s funeral is violated and buries him herself. In this...
Welcome to Faulkner’s Barn Burning study guide! Here, you will find relevant information regarding this iconic short story. You will learn about the plot, genre, characters, as well as themes and symbols of Barn Burning by Faulkner. All of that will allow you to understand the story’s meaning on a...
Beowulf is the most ancient text in Old English that has been preserved till nowadays. Scientists still wrestle over many questions related to the manuscript. Did a single author write it? Why was the next unnamed? What is its literary value? This Beowulf Study Guide prepared by Custom-Writing.org experts answers...
Imagine that since childhood you have been told that you live in the best of all houses. The world around you is the best of all possible ones. But suddenly, the miracle dissipates, and you find yourself in the street without any means for existence. You will doubt the optimistic...
Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales is an outstanding piece of literature that consists of fascinating stories about Pilgrims’ adventures. The book hides a lot of secrets behind its plot and famous prologue. Do you want to explore them? Take a look at our Canterbury Tales study guide! You will discover the...
Is the American dream attainable? What makes someone a successful person? How does your image of yourself shape your life? Arthur Miller’s play is a tragic but true-to-life illustration of these philosophical questions without definitive answers. This Death of a Salesman Study Guide will help you understand the author’s intention...
Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist, creates a human-like creature in the course of a scientific experiment. But the beast murders his family and runs away. Science, religion, moral values, and persistence: which qualities make up a real human being? This Frankenstein Study Guide answers all your questions about the novel....
Shakespeare’s play is a tale of tragedy and revenge, and this Hamlet study guide will focus on this. In the present articles, we will discuss the literary piece, its plot, themes, and symbols. Additionally, you will get to know more about Shakespeare’s writing style and Hamlet’s genre. Hamlet Key Facts...
Night by Elie Wiesel is a tragic story of a Jewish teenager that won’t let any reader stay indifferent. The novel is based on real-life events experienced by the author. Thus, Elie Wiesel’s Night is autobiographical, yet how much of the story is fiction remains unclear. It’s known as a...
Othello by William Shakespeare is an outstanding piece of literature. Written in the 17th century, it still attracts readers from all around the globe. Othello, the Moor of Venice is performed in the theaters even today. This tragic story touches the viewers of different ages and nationalities. Othello is a...
What happens when marriage is the only option to get settled in life? How do pride and prejudice complicate our lives? Jane Austen answers these questions in her famous novel. There, Victorian England culture and society are shown through the characters with different backgrounds and personalities. Pride & Prejudice Study...
Welcome to the Sir Gawain and the Green Knight study guide! Here, you will find all the essential information about the poem’s plot and genre. You will also learn about Sir Gawain and the Green Knight story’s characters, themes, and symbols. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Key Facts Full...
Imagine that things you have always enjoyed no longer brighten your existence. You feel alien among your friends and relatives, and nobody seems to understand you. Your mental state is getting worse every day, and you no longer find the reason to live. This is what happened to Esther, the...
F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby as a satire of society. Why did the novel appear in the given historical period? Why are there no positive characters in the book? What does it take to fulfill the American dream? The Great Gatsby Study Guide answers these and many other...
The most ancient text preserved to our days raises more questions than there are answers. When was The Iliad written? What was the purpose of the epic poem? What is the subject of The Iliad? The Iliad Study Guide prepared by Custom-Writing.org experts explores the depths of the historical context...
On a warm sunny day, all the villagers gathered to kill their randomly chosen neighbor. They had repeated this ritual for many ages. What forced them to be so cold-hearted and narrow-minded? Why did the first readers of the short story get insulted with the plot? What does Shirley Jackson...
Welcome to The Metamorphosis study guide! Here, we’ll explore the genre in which the novella is written. You will also learn about Kafka’s influences and the historical background of the novella. Find out some useful information about The Metamorphosis setting, the plot, the main themes, and symbols. The Metamorphosis Key...
The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant is a short story, which focuses on the differences between appearance and reality. Here, we’ll talk more about the story, plot, the central conflict, characters, themes, and symbols. In The Necklace study guide, you will also learn about the genre and the author’s message....
Homer’s Odyssey is an iconic piece of Ancient Greek literature. This epic poem remains famous for centuries. But what is The Odyssey about? Well, the book tells a fascinating story about Gods and people, their relationships, and the power of persistence and true love. In our The Odyssey study guide...
The Song of Roland is an epic poem which is more famous as a chanson de geste. It tells the story of the knight who is betrayed by his stepfather. He leads the rear guard of the emperor’s army and gets outnumbered and trapped by enemies. If you wish to...
The Tempest is one of the most beloved plays written by Shakespeare. The story is about the duke of Milan who had to escape to an island. Prospero uses magic to revenge his brother for betrayal and takes control over the royal party for that. If it sounds intriguing, you...
A young woman experiences postpartum depression. Her husband (a physician) takes her on vacation to a mansion to recover by “rest cure.” She loses her mind being confined to a room with a yellow wallpaper. But what is the short story really about? “The Yellow Wallpaper” Study Guide answers this...
Modern literature experts have wrestled with the issue of Wuthering Heights genre for years. It points to the fact that the novel is more multifaceted than our mind can embrace. The more reason why we should explore its cultural background. This Wuthering Heights Study Guide leads the way to the...
Since the whole plot development starts with Creon not burying Polynices properly, it is only logical to assume that he creates the main conflict. Antigone believes that every man has to be buried according to their traditions; otherwise, it is disrespectful to the gods. Therefore, she stands up against Creon’s...
Sophocles describes the period right after the war for Thebes in which two brothers killed each other. The next day, Creon, who becomes a new king, gives strict orders. Antigone takes her sister out of the city to tell her the news. That is how Ismene gets to know that...
In Sophocles’ play, Antigone has her own reasons to stand by her decision to bury Polynices. Even though it is the king’s order, she does it anyways. The main reason Antigone goes against the law is that the gods’ will is always stronger than some man’s words. Therefore, Creon’s orders...
In Antigone, there are not many characters that change somehow throughout the play. For example, Antigone remains stubborn till the very end. Creon, on the other hand, alters his decision by the end. Therefore, he is the main dynamic character in the play. Apart from him, Ismene also shows some...
In Sophocles’ play, when it appears that it was Antigone who broke the king’s law, Creon still goes on to arrest her. It does not matter to him that she is his son’s fiancé and simply a woman. Creon sees himself as the highest power, and the order should be...
The main difference between the two sisters is that Ismene is much more obedient than Antigone. The main heroine tries her best to go against the king’s will, while Ismene refuses to do it. Moreover, Antigone is never seen as feminine and beautiful as her sister. It makes her jealous,...
Sophocles created Creon as an archetypal character. It is signified by the fact that the king seems to be a typical villain. Everything he does is pointed against Antigone. She is just a loving sister who wants to honor her family member. Therefore, Creon, with his stubbornness and unfair decisions,...
In Antione, Creon becomes the new king whose strict and unfair laws lead to a series of tragic events. He is considered the antagonist in the play because everything he does appears to be against the protagonist. Moreover, the king is not the most favorable character and makes a lot...
Creon condemns Antigone to death, and just when she is about to enter the tomb, she gives the last speech. She compares her final destination to a bridal bed. Antigone implies that even though she will not have a chance to marry Haemon, she will still become a bride, but...
The Chorus appears in the play between the scenes for a reason. All the background details they reveal about Antigone‘s characters help the audience understand the events better. They also present some myths that are related to the scenes, which serve as some kind of comments on the main themes. ...
In Sophocles’ play, the Chorus plays an important role in filling in all the background details for the audience. One of such moments is when they reveal some information about the battle. Since the events of Antigone describe what happens after it, the war for Thebes needs to be presented...
In Sophocles’ play, Haemon is one of the main characters, and he is the son of Creon. However, he only appears twice on the scene. At first, he tries to persuade his father to change his mind. Then, when Creon finally realizes his mistake, they both go to save Antigone....
In Sophocles’ Antigone, Creon is considered to be the tragic hero. There are several reasons for it, but the main one is that he faces a downfall caused by his pride. The decision the king makes at the beginning of the play leads to several deaths, including the ones of...
Antigone is supposed to be Haemon’s future wife, so naturally, it is a shock for him to find her dead body. There is only so much a man can take. After a failed attempt to kill his father, Creon, Haemon kills himself with the sword. It is yet another tragic...
Since Antigone is not the first story in the Oedipus trilogy and it describes the events happening after the war. However, there are some details about the death of the previous rulers. Polynices and Eteocles were brothers who did not manage to share the throne and killed each other in...
Ismene is one of a few main characters in Sophocles’ play who does not die. When her sister, Antigone, gets arrested for burying Polynices, Ismene realizes that she was wrong. Even though Creon does not allow her to do it, Ismene wants to be punished and die as well. Therefore,...
The Chorus plays an important role throughout the whole play. They provide the audience with some valuable insights that help with the understanding of the main ideas and morals. However, in the first half of Antigone, the Chorus also fills the audience in with the background. It helps the play...
When Creon becomes the new king, he immediately forbids anyone to bury Polynices’ body under the threat of death. However, his sister, Antigone, goes to give him a proper burial under cover of darkness. Soon enough, she gets arrested for this crime. Creon cannot take his words back, so he...
It is easier to say that out of all the main characters in the play, only Creon stays alive. Antigone’s suicide triggers a chain of other deaths that leave the king heartbroken. His son, Haemon, could not stand the news about her death and killed himself. The same happened to...
Antigone, the main heroine of Sophocles’ play, buries her brother, Polynices. It was forbidden by the current king of Thebes, but the girl decided to pay more respect to the gods than to him. Eventually, she gets caught and punished for this crime. Creon entombs her alive but suffers the...
Antigone is the protagonist in Sophocles’ play, and her main aim is to bury her brother properly. Creon is a strict ruler and passes the law that forbids anyone from burying Polynices. However, she is not afraid of possible consequences, and even Ismene cannot change her mind. Antigone is ready...
After Haemon does his best to talk Creon out of the idea of punishing Antigone, nothing changes. The king is still not ready to take his words back and even comes up with a new way to make Antigone pay for her crime. Creon orders the guards to build a...
Long story short, Haemon visits his father to talk him out of killing Antigone. Creon’s law forbids anyone from burying Polynices, but Antigone decided to break it. After her crime, the king ordered her death, and nothing could change his mind. Haemon tries to reason with Creon and save his...
Just after Creon has passed the order about a restriction regarding Polynices’ body, a guard arrives to deliver unexpected news. Someone dared to break the law and buried the body. Later, the audience finds out that it was Antigone who decided to follow the customs and give her brother the...
