Antigone

Antigone is a tragedy by Sophocles written in or before 441 BCE. It is the third of the three Theban plays but was the first written, chronologically. The play expands on the Theban legend predating it and picks up where Aeschylus’ Seven Against Thebes ends.

    In the beginning of the play two brothers leading opposite sides in Thebes’ civil war die fighting each other for the throne. Creon, the new ruler of Thebes, has decided Eteocles will be honored and Polyneices will suffer public shame: the rebel brother’s body will not be sanctified by holy rites and will lie unburied on the battlefield, prey for carrion animals like worms and vultures, the harshest punishment at the time. Antigone and Ismene are the sisters of the dead Polyneices and Eteocles. In the opening of the play Antigone brings Ismene outside the palace gates late at night for a secret meeting: Antigone wants to bury Polyneices body in defiance of Creon’s edict. Ismene refuses to help her, fearing the death penalty, but she is unable to stop Antigone from going to bury her brother herself, causing Antigone to disown her out of anger.

    Creon enters, along with the Chorus of Theban Elders. He seeks their support in the days to come, in particular wanting them to back his edict regarding the disposal of Polyneices’ body. The Chorus of Elders pledges their support. A sentry enters, fearfully reporting the body has been given funeral rites and a symbolic burial with a thin covering of earth. A furious Creon orders the sentry to find the culprit or face death himself. The sentry leaves and the Chorus sings about honoring the gods, but after a short absence he returns, bringing Antigone with him. The sentry explains the watchmen uncovered Polyneices’ body and caught Antigone as she returned to repeat the funeral rituals. Creon questions her after sending the sentry away, and she does not deny what she has done. She argues unflinchingly with Creon about the morality of the edict and the morality of her actions. Creon becomes furious, and, thinking Ismene must have known of Antigone’s plan, seeing her upset, summons the girl. Ismene tries to confess falsely to the crime, wishing to die alongside her sister, but Antigone will not have it. Creon orders the two women temporarily imprisoned.

    Haemon, Creon’s son, enters to pledge allegiance to his father, even though he is engaged to Antigone. He initially seems willing to forsake Antigone, but when Haemon gently tries to persuade his father to spare Antigone, claiming “under cover of darkness the city mourns for the girl,” the discussion deteriorates and the two men are soon bitterly insulting each other. Haemon leaves, vowing never to see Creon again.

    Creon decides to spare Ismene and to bury Antigone alive in a cave. She is brought out of the house, and she bewails her fate and defends her actions one last time. She is taken away to her living tomb with the Chorus expressing great sorrow for her.

     Tiresias, the blind prophet, enters. Tiresias warns Creon Polyneices should now be urgently buried because the gods are displeased, refusing to accept any sacrifices or prayers from Thebes. Creon accuses Tiresias of being corrupt. Tiresias responds because of Creon’s mistakes, he will lose “a son of [his] own loins” for the crimes of leaving Polyneices unburied and putting Antigone into the earth (he does not say Antigone should not be condemned to death, only it is improper to keep a living body underneath the earth). All of Greece will despise him, and the sacrificial offerings of Thebes will not be accepted by the gods. The Chorus, terrified, asks Creon to take their advice. He assents, and they tell him he should free Antigone and bury Polyneices. Creon, shaken, agrees to do it. He leaves with a retinue of men to help him right his previous mistakes. The Chorus delivers a choral ode to the god Dionysus (god of wine and of the theater; this part is the offering to their patron god), and then a messenger enters to tell them Antigone has killed herself. Eurydice, Creon’s wife and Haemon’s mother, enters and asks the messenger to tell her everything. The messenger reports Creon saw to the burial of Polynices. Creon then proceeds to the tomb to free Antigone. There he finds Haemon lamenting over the dead Antigone, who has hanged herself. After unsuccessfully attempting to stab Creon, Haemon stabs himself. Having listened to the messenger’s account, Eurydice disappears into the palace.

    Creon enters, carrying Haemon’s body. He understands his own actions have caused these events and blames himself. A second messenger arrives to tell Creon and the Chorus Eurydice has killed herself. With her last breath, she cursed her husband. Creon blames himself for everything, and, a broken man, he asks his servants to help him inside. The order he valued so much has been protected, and he is still the king, but he has acted against the gods and lost his children and his wife as a result. The Chorus closes by saying although the gods punish the proud, punishment brings wisdom.