Dialogue and Monologue in Antigone and a Doll's House

Despite the differing plots and ideas of different works of literature, speech is consistently used to support the theme and main message of each piece of work. The theme of a play is presented to the audience or the readers through the characters’ portrayal of symbols, through events and conflicts, and through using direct statements in the speech. Dialogues and monologues in both plays, Antigone, written by Sophocles and A Doll’s House, written by Henrik Ibsen, effectively advance the principle themes of each play. Speech develops the themes of the plays as it presents events, reveals personalities of characters and the themes are explicitly stated through the dialogue/speech in both the plays.
The dialogue and/ or monologue in a play present and inform the readers and or the audience of events, therefore, developing the basis of principle themes. One of the occurring themes in the play of Antigone is the theme of individual vs. state. In the beginning of the play, Sophocles presents the characters of Antigone and her sister debating on whether Antigone should bury her fallen brother, Polyneices, against King Kreon’s edict, which explicitly states the consequences of such acts. Antigone argues with her sister, as she believes in honoring her brother with the proper burial in order to please the gods and the religious laws, even if they are opposing the state laws. She says, “He’s my brother and yours too; and whether you will or not, I’ll stand by him. He [Kreon] cannot keep me from my own” (Sophocles l. 52-53, 55). She then explains her religious duty by saying, “… cast out these principles which the gods themselves honor. I know I am pleasing those whom I must” (Sophocles l. 96, 114).   By informing the audience and the readers of the consequences set out by the king and Antigone’s plan to break the rules, this dialogue between the two sisters shapes the basis of the theme of individual vs. state.   Sophocles gives evidence to breaking of the state rules in...