Antigone

  The play "Antigone" is a Greek tale like no other. According to Richard Jebb, "It is the only instance in which a Greek play has for its central theme a practical problem of conduct, involving issues, moral and political, which might be discussed on similar grounds in any age and in any country of the world." Perhaps personal experience is the reason why so many people can relate to this story. After all, the theme of the story is personal conflict, with two stubborn people at a standstill because of their unwillingness to compromise. The central issue of this play is the conflict between the laws of the gods and those of the humans, with Antigone and Creon representing the opposite sides. Sophocles paints these two title characters as remarkably similar, and he invokes the readers' sympathy toward them both. However, it is Creon, and not Antigone, who is the "hero" of the story, because his character suffers a tragic downfall.

     The central issue of the play is the conflict between laws of the gods ("moral laws") and laws of the king. Creon represents the regal point of view, while Antigone is just the opposite. The primary conflict arises when Creon declares that no one be allowed to bury the body of Polynices, one of Antigone's brothers who was slain in battle. Antigone, who cares for her brother very much, wants to see him properly laid to rest, so that his spirit can find peace. Unfortunately, doing so will mean certain death, as Creon's orders are not to be disobeyed. Therefore, a conflict arises. Antigone believes that Creon's law is wrong, and that Polynices, although a traitor to the city of Thebes, should be buried. She finds it immoral of Creon to forbid such an action. While trying to convince her sister Ismene to help bury him, Antigone says, "The time in which I must please those that are dead is longer than I must please those of this world. For there I shall lie forever." (Sophocles, "Antigone" 86-88) Creon, on the other hand, is a new king who wants to make sure he becomes a respected and somewhat feared ruler. He does not want to begin his reign by issuing a decree and then rescinding it the moment a conflict arises.

     There are many similarities between Creon and Antigone. Perhaps the most common characteristic is that both characters are very stubborn. Neither one can back down once the lines have been drawn, even though it means certain destruction. While questioning Antigone about the burial, Creon asks, "And did you dare to disobey that law?" To which Antigone answers "yes." (Sophocles, "Antigone" 493-494) This naturally infuriates Creon to the point where he says, "I swear I am no man and she the man if she can win this and not pay for it." (Sophocles, "Antigone" 528-529) Both sides are committed to their own reasoning, and are unable to listen to other points of view.

     Sophocles sympathizes with both Creon and Antigone. However, the play is more directed at Creon's woes than Antigone's. This is mainly shown by the amount of lines devoted to Creon compared to that of Antigone. Creon is onstage the most, so his problems are the most magnified. It seems as though Antigone is simply the last tragedy to Oedipus' tale, while Creon and his family are an entirely different one. Therefore, not as much attention is devoted to Antigone's problems, while Sophocles instead makes the reader focus on Creon. This is once again demonstrated by the sheer amount of lines Creon has. It is impossible for the reader to ignore Creon's problems. The emotional climax of the readers' sympathy towards Creon is when the second messenger tells him what had happened right before Eurydice's (his wife) death. Eurydice had, "cried in agony recalling the noble fate of Megareus, who died before all this, and then for the fate of this son; and in the end she cursed [Creon] for the evil [Creon] had done in killing her sons." (Sophocles, Antigone 1379-1383) This bestowed all guilt upon Creon, making him responsible for actions in which he ignorantly played a part.

     Creon shows many heroic characteristics. A hero is a person who must survive many downfalls, and Creon has suffered many setbacks. To Aristotle, a hero is a "man who is not eminently good and just, yet whose misfortune is brought about not by vice or depravity, but by some error or frailty. He must be one who is highly renowned and prosperous..." Creon meets all of these requirements. He is obviously not entirely good or just, and he does make mistakes. His greatest error is issuing the decree forbidding anyone from giving Polynices a proper funeral. However, he does not do this entirely out of spite or anger, but instead to protect his country. Creon is of the belief that laws are necessary to retain order, even if this means going against ones family. Jebb brings to light the fact that, "Creon regards the family almost exclusively in one aspect; for him it is an institution related to the state as the gymnasium to the stadium; it is a little state, in which a man may prove that he is fit to govern a larger one." Even though Antigone is his niece, he must rule with an iron hand, and therefore cannot allow her to "escape the utmost sentence: death." (Sophocles, "Antigone" 532-533).

     As a hero, Creon suffers a tragic downfall. It does not appear that Antigone suffers as much as Creon, because Sophocles had decided to portray Creon as the hero instead of Antigone. James Hogan asks three questions to determine who is the hero: Who is the main character? Who dominates the action? Whose suffering is the primary subject? The answer to all three of these is Creon. Creon is obviously the main character because all events seem to revolve around him. William Calder has pointed out that "Sophocles wrote no Haimon-Antigone scene...such a scene would have shifted the emphasis of the whole from the figure whom Sophocles intended to be central: hence a Haimon-Creon scene." Calder also gives evidence as to how Creon dominates the entire play. Most of the lines are devoted to Creon. Finally, Creon's suffering is the primary subject because Sophocles explains Creon's anguish in great detail. Creon, after finding out Eurydice is dead, exclaims, "I am distracted with fear. Why does not someone strike a two-edged sword right through me? I am dissolved in an agony of misery." (Sophocles, "Antigone" 1384-1386) This suffering is the price Creon has to pay for making the wrong decision. Prior to his revelation that Teiresias provided him with, he had erroneously decided that moral laws were not as important as his own laws, and consequently suffered greatly.

     To Creon, protecting his country comes before anything else. According to Creon, Polynices is, "a returned exile, who sought to burn with fire from top to bottom his native city, and the gods of his own people; who sought to taste the blood he shared with us, and lead the rest of us to slavery." (Sophocles, "Antigone" 218-221) Polynices is a traitor who deserves none of the respect the people of Thebes have to give. Creon's decree is simply an error of judgment, but it is perfectly understandable for him to do so. "An Athenian strategos is time of war held extraordinary judicial power and could put to death without trial any man under his command whose conduct he considered treasonous," according to Calder. After all, Creon is the king, and the laws that he makes are meant to be obeyed. Even if they are of questionable moral judgment.

     Sophocles' play "Antigone" focuses on the tragic downfall of the hero Creon. It is Creon's interactions with Antigone that show the central issue: the conflict between moral laws and human laws. In the end, moral law supersedes human law, and Creon suffers as a result. Creon's tragic suffering is what turns him into the hero. Sophocles thereby forces the reader to feel sympathy toward him. While feeling this sympathy, the reader also learns not to make the same mistakes Creon did, to avoid being stubborn and unwilling to compromise. Those characteristics have been shown to signify great suffering and destruction.

The Character of Antigone:

In Ancient Greece, life was full of complicated questions centered around the expanding field of science. Freedom of religion was encouraged to be exercised in the city-states and man was focused on more than the Gods or heavenly concerns. As a result many new ideals and beliefs surfaced. These new ideals and beliefs, though good in intentions, often conflicted with one another and created complex moral dilemmas. Such was the case in Sophocle’s play Antigone that was written in this era.

In the play, Antigone and Creon battle a philosophical war concerning their ideals. They both base their actions on what they believe to be right. The conflict arose when their ideals that backed up their actions on the burial of Polyneices clashed, creating a contradiction between morals. Antigone's side of the conflict held a much more divine approach, as opposed to the mundane path Creon chose to travel. Antigone feels that Creon is disregarding the laws of the heavens by ordering it unlawful for anyone to provide a proper burial for her brother Polyneices. Antigone's opinion is one that supports the Gods and the laws of the heavens. Her reasoning is set by her belief that if someone were not given a proper burial, that person would not be accepted into heaven. Antigone was a very religious person and the acceptance of her brother by the Gods was very important to her. Creons order was personal to Antigone and his edict invaded her family life as well as the Gods. An important ideal in Ancient Greece was the belief that the government was to have no control in matters concerning religious beliefs. In Antigone's eyes, Creon betrayed that ideal by not allowing her to properly bury her brother, Polyneices. She believed that the burial was a religious ceremony, and Creon did not have the power to deny Polyneices that right. Antigone's strong beliefs eventually led her to death by the hand of Creon. Creon's actions are guided by the ideal that man is the measure of all things. Creon believes that the good of man comes before the Gods. An example of Creons belief was the unburied body of Polyneices. Creon doesn't want to give honor to a man who attempted to invade and conquer his city. He denies burial for Polyneices to show respect for Thebes. From this standpoint, Creons decisions for denying burial for Polyneices are completely just and supports the ideals. Creon's reasoning's coincide with the Greek ideals except for two that strongly contradicts his actions. The first is that Creon exercises complete domination of political power. He defies this ideal by holding Antigone as his prisoner and not the publics. The people of Thebes supported Antigone but were too scared to do anything about it. Creon found out about this through his son Haemon. The second is freedom of religion. By denying Antigone to perform burial ceremonies for Polyneices, he is denying Antigone the ideal that supports freedom of religion.

 The contradictions between the beliefs of Antigone and Creon are strong throughout the play. Neither of their arguments dominates the other even though they are both right and wrong at the same time. Antigone is following divine law while Creon is trying to protect the integrity of the city-state. In the end, Creon was convinced to set Antigone free after he weighed the factors and debated the ideals. But it was too late. The contradiction of ideals was the cause of Antigone's, Haemons, and Megareus death. Both sides were just and all beliefs were supported. The downfall is that Creon had to decide the unanswerable, and determine right from wrong when there was no clear answer.

Creon's Mistakes:

In the awe-inspiring play of Antigone, Sophocles introduces two remarkable characters, Antigone and Creon. A conflict between these two obstinate characters leads to fatal consequences for themselves and their kindred.  The firm stances of Creon and Antigone stem from two great imperatives: his loyalty to the state and her dedication to her family, her religion but most of all her conscience. The identity of the tragic hero of this play is still heavily debated.  This tragedy could have been prevented if it had not been for Creon's pitiful mistakes.

Creon's character possesses an infinite number of glitches in his personality, but his excessive pride was the root of his problems.  His pride leads him to make accusations, before he considers the wise advice of others.  Creon's pride also fills him not just as a king superior to the Gods, but also a man superior to women.  The issue of Antigone being condemned to die becomes more than just a person who disobeys Creon; instead, the punishment is given even more eagerly, because it is a woman who disobeys a man. Creon's intelligent son warns Creon the people of Thebes sympathize with Antigone, but Creon accuses Haemon of being a "woman's slave" (line 756).  Even though he is suppose to be loyal to the state and her citizens, he defensively questions if "the town [is] to tell [him] how [he] ought to rule?"(Line 734)The Theban king is too prideful to obey even the wisest of prophets, blind Teresias, insisting that "the whole crew of seers are money-mad" (line 1055). Creon finally puts his pride aside and listens to the Chorus' wise advice. It is difficult even then, and he obeys only because he fears the punishment that he might receive. "To yield [for Creon] is terrible" (line 1095) meaning to swallow his pride and admit that he is wrong is a very difficult thing for him to do. When Creon loses his wife and son, Creon's pride disappears, and he admits that he made a terrible mistake by not listening to anyone's advice.

Antigone, a resolute and heroic female protagonist, pits her individual free will against the intractable forces of fate and against the irrational and unjust laws of tyrannical man like Creon. Antigone lives during an era when women are considered merely vassals.  She is determined to give her brother, Polyneices, a decent burial. Dedicated to "[serving] the children of her mother's womb" (line 512), she consciously risks her life with this action, which violates Creon's unjust decree. She reveres the divine unwritten laws of the Gods rather than the laws created by "a mortal man" (line 455).    Ismene, Antigone's cowardly sister, urges Antigone not to "fight with men" (line 62). Ismene believes that women should always follow whatever men want to do because women are powerless to stop them. Women have no place in Theban society except to be commanded by men.  Simply, men rule and women are ruled. Most women reacted to events reacted to events not cause them like Antigone. Ismene and Antigone are as different as wool and iron.  One is pliable, absorbent, and soft while the other is hard and resistant.  Antigone is undeniably the tragic hero of the play.  She was the daughter of King Oedipus, met annihilation because of antagonism from others and because of a personal hamartia in her character.  Her hamartia was her yearning for a noble death.  She could have escaped her death sentencing several times, but it was almost as if she had a death wish from the beginning of the play.  Lonely from the tragic deaths of her family who she could not replace, she had nothing to live for.  However, Antigone is a wonderful example of a martyr.  She died for what she truly believed in. Antigone's legacy lives on and instigated many rebellions throughout history especially for the rights of women.

Creon unquestionably brought tragedy on himself by triggering the deaths of his wife and his son.  Pride can destroy cities, demolish states and annihilate countries.  The play Antigone once again proves prideful people are punished by the gods

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