Antigone

Antigone by Sophocles is the play that immediately follows Oedipus the King, and deals with the

cursed nature of his family. The play confronts the Greek view of obedience of state and

religious law, and how the Greeks viewed authority. The conflict of the play arises when Creon

King of Thebes states, “I here proclaim to the city that this man shall no one honor with a grave

and none shall mourn. You shall leave him without burial: you shall watch him chewed up by

the birds and dogs and violated. (Lines 222-225 p188). Polyneices is the son of the former king

Oedipus. Creon believes he should not be honored with any form of burial since he fought his

own brother for the throne, killing them both. Antigone, sister of Polyneices, Eteocles and

Ismene, daughter of Oedipus, decides to challenge the King’s orders and give a burial to her

brother Polyneices. Antigone shows loyalty to her family and follows the law of the Gods, a

higher authority in her eyes.

Antigone shows her moral makeup when she chooses to follow the laws of the Gods

rather than her uncle Creon. In mythology a person would not reach the afterlife unless buried

in an honorable way. She accepts her fate of Creon’s punishment which is death by starvation.

Antigone reminds the King that the laws of Zeus are more powerful than anything he can

decree Antigone believes her action carries honor instead of shame because giving a proper

burial to her brother is in line with God’s wishes. “Yes, it was not Zeus that made the

proclamation; nor did Justice, which lives with those below, enact such laws as that, for

mankind. I did not believe your proclamation has such power to override God’s ordinances,

unwritten and secure.” (Lines 494-499 p 198) Antigone shows no fear in disobeying the Creon’s

orders, reminding him that we are all mortal anyway. She disregards the laws of the king

because the God’s laws concerning the honor of the dead can be far more dangerous than

disobeying the King, because God is the supreme power. The contradiction of obedience is very

clear in the characterization of Antigone and Ismene. Antigone represents obedience to God,

Ismene to the King. Creon himself is disobeying God’s laws with his actions. The Chorus warns

him about the dangers of his actions: “Lucky are those whose lves know no taste of sorrow. But

for those whose house has been shaken by God there is never cessation of ruin; it steals on

generation after generation within a breed.” (Lines 640-645 p 204-205). The people of Thebes

also disagree with Creon’s proclamation. Although Antigone’s actions are honorable they side

with Creon because of the fear struck into them. “Yet how could I win a greater share of glory

than putting my own brother in his grave? All that are here would surely say that’s true, if fear

did not lock their tongues up.” (Lines 546-550 p 200) Ismene eventually realizes the nobility of

her sister’s actions and changes her position and decides to be “guilty” in the eyes of the King

so she can be forgiven in the eyes of God, another aspect of disobedience toward the king but

obedience to the laws of the Gods

Throughout the course of the play, Creon’s authority begins to wane. The first one to

disobey him is Antigone, his own son Haemon follows, then Ismene the least likely to follow

turns against his decree. Creon gets aggravated and annoyed because he is not receiving the

respect, obedience, admiration he feels he commands as a king, and so his actions keep rising,

but ironically, he power weakens as he becomes increasingly tyrannical. Creon orders to bury

Antigone alive in a cave, as Antigone goes to her living tomb Tiresias warns Creon that the Gods

will be on Antigone’s side. “These acts of yours are violenece, on your part. And in requital the

avenging Spirts of Death itself and the gods’ Furies shall after your deeds, lie in ambush for you,

and in their hands you shall be taken cruelly.” (Lines 1144-1148 p 222)

By the end the laws of God prove to be stronger. Creon witnesses the suicide of his own

son. “Poor son! what have you done? What can you have meant? What happened to destroy

you? Come out, I pray you! The boy glared at him with savage eyes, and then spat in his face,

without a word of answer. He drew his double-hilted sword. As his father ran to escape him,

Haemon failed to strike him, and the poor wretch in anger at himself leaned on his sword and

drove it halfway into his ribs.” (Lines 1303- 1313 p 229) Soon after Creon finds out that his wife,

the Eurydice, committed suicide out of grief, he realizes that his tragedy is the result of his own

oppressive actions. He offended God and he is being punished for it. “Lead me away, a vain silly

man who killed you, son, and you too lady. I did not mean to, but I did” (Lines 1413-1415 p 232)

Creon feels the power of God falling on him for disobeying his laws and cries out, Creon morphs

into a sad, humble man who deeply felt the consequences of trying to surpass God’s wishes,

but finally yields, lamenting that “I am no more a live man than one dead.” (Line 1397 p 231)

The title character of Antigone in Sophocles's Antigone exemplifies hthoughtgh loyalty

to her family and obedience to the Gods in numerous ways. She confronts her uncle’s power on

the basis of religion and honor for her family. Creon is dedicated to his laws, while Antigone is

loyal to her beliefs. Antigone acts out of responsibility and the doctrine of the gods, her loyalty

to her family and her religion personifies the qualities the Greeks regarded highly in their

society. Antigone did shy away from her troubles suggesting an innate bravery and

determination which the chorus recognizes.