--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ISMENE: How can I live alone, without…" description: "\"“ISMENE: How can I live alone, without her? CREON: Her? Don't even mention her-- she no longer exists. ISMENE: What? You'd kill your own son's bride? C..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5d/sophocles-370_kill_ismene-how-can-i-live-alone-without-her_266392.png" --- # ISMENE: How can I live alone, without her? CREON: Her?… ![“ISMENE: How can I live alone, without her? CREON: Her? Don't even mention her-- she no longer exists. ISMENE: What? You'd kill your own son's bride? CREON: Absolutely: there are other fields for him to plow.” quote by Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5d/sophocles-370_kill_ismene-how-can-i-live-alone-without-her_266392.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5d/sophocles-370_kill_ismene-how-can-i-live-alone-without-her_266392.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5d/sophocles-370_kill_ismene-how-can-i-live-alone-without-her_266392.png) > ““ISMENE: How can I live alone, without her? CREON: Her? Don't even mention her-- she no longer exists. ISMENE: What? You'd kill your own son's bride? CREON: Absolutely: there are other fields for him to plow.”” [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A ruler prioritizes state duties over personal grief, dismissing familial bonds as irrelevant to governance. **In simple terms:** Power can ignore personal loss. Key Takeaway Consider the cost of duty over love. Themes duty family authority grief Mood tragic reflective Type dramatic philosophical When to use this quote - leadership decisions - family crises - ethical dilemmas Key Concepts political power personal sacrifice Questions to Reflect On - Is it just to sacrifice personal ties for political order? - How does this reflect modern leadership? A Different Perspective Power may neglect moral responsibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Live alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-alone/) ## Related quotes > [I don't want a God that would go around killing people's little girls. 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Like the point.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mccall/never-kill-yourself-son-you-might-miss-something-like-the-point/) [Dan McCall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mccall/) > [Oh, God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son" Abe said, "Man, you must be puttin' me on" God said, "No" Abe say, "What?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/oh-god-said-to-abraham-kill-me-a-son-abe-said-man-you-must-be-puttin/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [“jock; Back off Royd; Are you threatining me?? Jock; Not if you back off!! Royd: You look like shit go to bed. Sophie: Take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-johnson/jock-back-off-royd-are-you-threatining-me-jock-not-if-you-back-off/) Iris Johnson > [Kakarott! Im going to kill you, your son and that bald guy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vegeta/kakarott-im-going-to-kill-you-your-son-and-that-bald-guy/) [Vegeta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vegeta/) > [“Used to live alone in a tomb I made my own, but now I’ve gone and given up my coat. And it’s cold outside,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-michaelson/used-to-live-alone-in-a-tomb-i-made-my-own-but-now-i-ve-gone-and/) [Ingrid Michaelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-michaelson/) > [“Like a great ship, this season has run aground. Dawn and dusk alternate at an old man's pace. I live alone in an area…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ge-fei/like-a-great-ship-this-season-has-run-aground-dawn-and-dusk-alternate/) Ge Fei > [Many divorced or widowed people do with their singleness what they should have done before they married for the first time: live alone, find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harville-hendrix/many-divorced-or-widowed-people-do-with-their-singleness-what-they/) [Harville Hendrix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harville-hendrix/) > [Dar'st thou amid the varied multitude To live alone, an isolated thing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/dar-st-thou-amid-the-varied-multitude-to-live-alone-an-isolated-thing/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [Sometimes special people come into your life only to teach you how to live alone without them. Sad but true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-special-people-come-into-your-life-only-to-teach-you-how-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To dare to live alone is the rarest courage; since there are many who had rather meet their bitterest enemy in the field, than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/to-dare-to-live-alone-is-the-rarest-courage-since-there-are-many-who/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [“In the end, it’s true, we each must die alone, but the love and friendship we share with one another show that we do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-bushkin/in-the-end-it-s-true-we-each-must-die-alone-but-the-love-and/) [Henry Bushkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-bushkin/) > [I live alone so I always just eat out. When I'm in another relationship, then maybe we'll start cooking together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-booth/i-live-alone-so-i-always-just-eat-out-when-i-m-in-another/) [Douglas Booth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-booth/) > [“I was like a turd that drew flies instead of like a flower that butterflies and bees desired. I wanted to live alone,I felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-was-like-a-turd-that-drew-flies-instead-of-like-a-flower-that/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) ## More by Sophocles > [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [God's dice always have a lucky roll.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/god-s-dice-always-have-a-lucky-roll/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [A fool cannot be an actor, though an actor may act a fool's part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/a-fool-cannot-be-an-actor-though-an-actor-may-act-a-fool-s-part/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [Go then if you must, but remember, no matter how foolish your deeds, those who love you will love you still.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/go-then-if-you-must-but-remember-no-matter-how-foolish-your-deeds/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [Man's worst ill is stubbornness of heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/man-s-worst-ill-is-stubbornness-of-heart/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [A lie never lives to be old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/a-lie-never-lives-to-be-old/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [How dangerous can false reasoning prove!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/how-dangerous-can-false-reasoning-prove/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [Why should man fear since chance is all in all for him, and he can clearly foreknow nothing? 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Be a damn shame for that kill to be you" (Darion)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/i-m-only-one-kill-away-from-command-assassin-be-a-damn-shame-for-that/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“Well, let's say you heard a fight in the boys' bathroom, and you broke it up. What would you do naturally if you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-echols/well-let-s-say-you-heard-a-fight-in-the-boys-bathroom-and-you-broke/) [Jennifer Echols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-echols/) > [Nothing will kill what you've been called to do more than comparing yourself to someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/nothing-will-kill-what-you-ve-been-called-to-do-more-than-comparing/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I imagine that in a closed, hermetic society like the mob, where everybody knows each other, it must be really, really unpleasant to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-dominik/i-imagine-that-in-a-closed-hermetic-society-like-the-mob-where/) [Andrew Dominik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-dominik/) > [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Fuck, Princess. You kill me. Every damn time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarina-bowen/fuck-princess-you-kill-me-every-damn-time/) [Sarina Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarina-bowen/) Browse all 3,038 Kill quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“ISMENE: How can I live alone, without her? CREON: Her? Don't even mention her-- she no longer exists. ISMENE: What? You'd kill your own son's bride? 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