Despair in the Theban Plays- GRADE

What is the meaning of "Despair" and how does this theme manifest itself in both plays?

Despair means someone or something that causes hopelessness; loss of hope; to lose, or give up.
The first sign of despair is when the people come to Oedipus about the plague and he can do nothing about it. He sees the people dying and miserable and doesn't know what he can do to help out his people. Another example is when Teiresias came and told Oedipus that he was acutally the cause of the plague. Right then the people probably lost a lot of hope because how is Oedipus suppose to stop the plague when he is acutally the cause of it all. Jocasta then explains how when Liaus and Jocasta had their first kid the oracle was given to them saying that the child would kill the father and marry the mother. So hearing that they gave the baby to a shepard who was to kill him. But the shepherd didn't feel quite right killing a helpless baby so he gave him to another shepherd, who then gave him to the king and queen or Corinth to be raised as a prince. A messenger later came upon Oedipus and told him that they weren't his real parents and that his parents were dead. Jocasta then became very estatic because she knew that the oracle couldn't come true, so that the plague wasn't Oedipus's fault. But the messenger then tells Oedpius that those aren't his real parents. " Messenger: I am not your father, neither is Polybus. Oedipus: How comes it then that I was called his son? Messenger: I will tell you. You were given to him - by me. Oedipus: Given? And yet he loved me as his son? Messenger: He had no other." (53-54). And with all this going on, Jocasta hung herself in her room because she can't believe all that is going on. Then Oedipus comes in and finds her hung he then gets broaches from her clothes and scratches her eyes out.

In Antigone, she is in despair because going to get murdered for what she believes in. Her two brothers Eteocles and Polynices got into a huge fight because Polynices was trying to take over the city and Eteocles was trying to defend it. They both killed eachother and Creon gave Eteocles and proper burial because he was trying to defend the city. But he just left Polynices to lay out and rot and get fed to the birds. Creon made a law that anyone who tried to bury Polynices would be punished with death. Antigone knew that there was no way she was getting her brothers back and no way that they could ever be replaced. Her love for her brothers and knowing they were her only ones made her up mind that she was going to go against Creon's law and bury Polynices. Antigone's sister, Ismene, the only family member remaining told Antigone that she would help her but she didn't want to get caught and face the punishment. Antigone got caught burying Polynices. King Creon told her to admit what she did and she told him that what she did was for the love of her brother and everyone, no matter who or what they did deserves to have a proper burial. Also, Haemon is in despair because he heard what Antigone did and went to talk to Creon. He talked to Creon about marrying Antigone but Creon told him never, my son is not going to marry a traitor. He got very angry with his father because the people of the city believed her actions was the right thing to do. Creon doesn't like that Haemon is going against him so Creon tells Haemon that he is going to murder Antigone and he is going to make him watch every part of it. Haemon refuses to see his love get killed so he runs away. Creon puts Antigone in a cave for her punishment. Then later on the messenger came to Creon and told him that Antigone has hung herself. Once Haemon heard about that he then stabbed himself to death. Then when Haemon's mother hears of his death, she leaves to kill herself because of the greif of her son. Creon is in a lot of despair because he lost his son and his wife. But since he is the almighty king all of his actions are right.