Despair

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

Despair is to give up, lose or be without hope. There are so many despairs in both stories. The first despair is when the priests are begging Oedipus to find out what the cause of their community struggling. They have seen their town going in ruins and people dying they don't know what to do anymore. They have given up all hope. "Now, Oedipus great and glorious, we seek your help again. Find some delieverance for us by any way that god or man can show." (pg. 26) They are coming back to him since his solving the riddle. Also another despair is when Oepidus's real parents find out about the fate of their son. They have to abanon their son and kill him. You also have the despair of Oedipus finding out that he couldn't stop fate and killed his father. And seeing his wife/mother killing herself. And then gouging his own eyes out. With that, having to abanon his children/siblings to leave the country without a brother/father. In Antigone the first despair is when she and her sister are left without a father, mother and any siblings. She finds out that only one of her brothers are giving a proper burial and her other brother is to be left outside where the birds will eat him. She has to go against the 'law" and give her brother the proper burial he deserves, no matter what could happen to her. She knows that if she doesn't do anything she will only be a coward in her own eyes. When Creon and Haemon have a talk about Antigone and that she will be killed because she has disobyed the law Haemon goes with it because that is the tradition. The son has to go with what the father tells him. He has given up hope (despair) because he cannot fight his dad. But when he is told that he has to watch her being killed he refuses "That sight I'll never see. Now from this hour shall you see me again." (pg 147) Antigone knows that she will die and she has can't do anything about it. She kills herself because she has knows hope that she will live. And with her dying Heamon kills himself because seeing his bride to be dead and he has nothing to live for. If she is dead what does he have? Nothing. And with his killing his own mom kills herself. Her son is dead and she has nothing to live for. Creon watchs all of this and prays for death. Praying for death was his despair. He has no wife or son, so what else does he have to live for?