A comparison of the similarities and oppositions of the behavior of the characters in "Antigone" by Jean Anouilh and "The Bet" by Anton Chekhov"

A particular characteristic behavior of both characters, Antigone and the young lawyer, that is in common with them throughout the texts, is that they are both motivated under their own will and that they are trying to achieve their goals as a voluntary act. In this way, both characters are similar in the way they wished to approach their objectives. With Antigone, the niece of Creon, the king, she wished to cover up her brother's body which was laid out to rot. Her decision of attempting such a task was entirely her own idea and she was not forced or influenced by any external motivation. Thus, it makes her actions based on her personal feelings towards the matter. This is similar to that of the young lawyer in "The Bet", as he chose to take on the bet and he was not influenced by anyone else besides himself. This is supported when the young lawyer says: "I'll take the bet, but I would stay not five but fifteen years." This suggests that it is the young lawyer's decision to increase the imprisonment sentence and that he was not forced by anyone else to do so. Although each character has different goals that they are trying to achieve, they both are determined and willing to stake their lives to reach their goal. However, they both have rivals that try to jeopardize their cause.

Accompanying each character, Antigone and the young lawyer, is their opposition or rival. These opposing characters have features that are opposite to that of Antigone and the young lawyer, as well as their attempts to try and convince or stop them from attempting or succeeding in their goals. With Antigone, she has an opposite as well as a rival. Ismene (Antigone's sister) was her opposite, at the very beginning of the novel; she was against Antigone's idea of burying their brother. This is similar to that of the old banker in a way that they are different. The role of the old banker is similar to that of Ismene, in which he tries to discourage the young banker. In addition to this, each character also has a rival that attempts to stop them from achieving their goal.

In "Antigone", Creon is the character who tries to convince Antigone not to continue with trying to bury her brother. The conversation that Creon has with Antigone illustrates his attempt in trying to stop Antigone from burying her brother. This situation is similar to that when the old banker decides; on the day before their bet is complete, to murder the young lawyer to stop him from wining their bet. In this way, his behavior is similar to that of Creon, although their intentions may be different. In the same way, their approaches at attempting to stop Antigone and the young lawyer are the same as well.

Both Creon and the old banker have the same manner in which they try to stop their counterparts. They both are willing to give up someone to take the blame for what has been done or what is to be done. Creon is Willing to let his page die for what Antigone had done, in order to keep Antigone away from the consequences of her crimes. Similarly, the old banker is willing to put the blame on the watchman for what he intends to do. In this way, the both behave in the same way.

The type of narration of the short story "The Bet" allows the banker to express his thoughts, much like the way Creon does with his page. The story is told in a limited third-person narration from the point of view of the old banker, fifteen years after the bet was made, in this way, it enables the reader to listen into the monologues that the old banker has about his intentions and thoughts. The narration of the story also allows for the significant change that has occurred with the younger lawyer. This change occurs with Antigone as well.

When the old banker reads the note that the young man has left for him, we can see the changes to the young man's intentions. In his letter, he states: "To prove to you in action how I despise all that you live by, I renounce the two millions of which I once dreamed as of paradise and which now I despise. To deprive myself of the right to the money I shall go out from here five hours before the time fixed, and so break the compact". This suggests that the young lawyer has changed his mind on what he sought to achieve while attempting this bet, because he now had despised human happiness. This letter was a way for the banker to revaluate his intentions after spending his time in imprisonment. The behavior is similar to that of Antigone as well. In her attempt to dictate a letter to the guard, she also states that she is uncertain about the intentions of her actions and that she is afraid. However, in both stories, the letter is concealed; in this case the young lawyer's letter or it is rewritten, as in the case of Antigone. From these letters, and their actions, we can see that neither of the two character have any interest in being presented to the public. The young lawyer had no intention of wining the bet or giving his thoughts about his time while imprisoned as written in the letter to the public. Antigone, as well, had no intentions to be a public martyr, since she wished not to have the mob enter the palace to see her.

Other peculiar similarities that existed between Antigone and the young lawyer is that they both wished to be protected from what they had to face. However, the way in which each of them approached this case differently, in that Antigone wished to be comforted by her Nurse, where as the young lawyer thought it was important not to have wine and cigarettes in his room in order not to make his imprisonment more unendurable.

In conclusion, both Antigone and the young lawyer behaved and approached the end of their time, either being their death, or the end of their imprisonment, in the same manner. They both wished

to prove their point at first, and reaching towards the end, the each had significant changes in their intentions, however different they may be. In addition to these two characters, the old banker and Creon also played similar roles in trying to stop their counterparts from achieving their goals. Nevertheless, in the end, they were both relieved from their counterparts as each of them departed in their own way.