cujo yacht affondato

The action of “Antigone” follows on from the Theban civil war , in which the two brothers, Eteocles and Polynices , died fighting each other for the throne of Thebes after Eteocles had refused to give up the crown to his brother as their father Oedipus had prescribed. Creon , the new ruler of Thebes, has declared that Eteocles is to be honoured and Polynices is to be disgraced by leaving his body unburied on the battlefield (a harsh and shameful punishment at the time).

As the play begins , Antigone vows to bury her brother Polynices ‘ body in defiance of Creon ‘s edict, although her sister Ismene refuses to help her, fearing the death penalty. Creon , with the support of the Chorus of elders, repeats his edict regarding the disposal of Polynices ‘ body, but a fearful sentry enters to report that Antigone has in fact buried her brother’s body.

Creon , furious at this wilful disobedience, questions Antigone over her actions, but she does not deny what she has done and argues unflinchingly with Creon about the morality of his edict and the morality of her deeds. Despite her innocence, Ismene is also summoned and interrogated and tries to confess falsely to the crime, wishing to die alongside her sister, but Antigone insists on shouldering full responsibility.

Creon ‘s son , Haemon , who is betrothed to Antigone , pledges allegiance to his father’s will but then gently tries to persuade his father to spare Antigone . The two men are soon bitterly insulting each other and eventually Haemon storms out, vowing never to see Creon again.

Creon decides to spare Ismene but rules that Antigone should be buried alive in a cave as punishment for her transgressions. She is brought out of the house, bewailing her fate but still vigorously defending her actions, and is taken away to her living tomb, to expressions of great sorrow by the Chorus.

The blind prophet Tiresias warns Creon that the gods side with Antigone , and that Creon will lose a child for his crimes of leaving Polynices unburied and for punishing Antigone so harshly. Tiresias warns that all of Greece will despise him, and that the sacrificial offerings of Thebes will not be accepted by the gods, but Creon merely dismisses him as a corrupt old fool.

However, the terrified Chorus beg Creon to reconsider, and eventually he consents to follow their advice and to free Antigone and to bury Polynices . Creon , shaken now by the prophet’s warnings and by the implications of his own actions, is contrite and looks to right his previous mistakes.

Creon now blames himself for everything that has happened and he staggers away, a broken man. The order and rule of law he values so much has been protected, but he has acted against the gods and has lost his child and his wife as a result. The Chorus closes the play with an attempt at consolation , by saying that although the gods punish the proud, punishment also brings wisdom.

Although set in the city-state of Thebes about a generation before the Trojan War (many centuries before Sophocles ’ time), the play was actually written in Athens during the rule of Pericles. It was a time of great national fervor, and Sophocles himself was appointed as one of the ten generals to lead a military expedition against Samos Island shortly after the play’s release. Given this background, it is striking that the play contains absolutely no political propaganda or contemporary allusions or references to Athens, and indeed betrays no patriotic interests whatsoever.

All the scenes take place in front of the royal palace at Thebes (conforming to the traditional dramatic principle of unity of place) and the events unfold in little more than twenty-four hours. A mood of uncertainty prevails in Thebes in the period of uneasy calm following the Theban civil war and, as the debate between the two central figures advances, the elements of foreboding and impending doom predominate in the atmosphere. The series of deaths at the end of the play, however, leaves a final impression of catharsis and an emptying of all emotion, with all passions spent.

The idealistic character of Antigone consciously risks her life through her actions, concerned only with obeying the laws of the gods and the dictates of familial loyalty and social decency. Creon , on the other hand, regards only the requirement of political expediency and physical power, although he too is unrelenting in his stance. Much of the tragedy lies in the fact that Creon ’s realization of his folly and rashness comes too late, and he pays a heavy price, left alone in his wretchedness.

It explores themes such as state control (the right of the individual to reject society’s infringement on personal freedoms and obligations); natural law vs. man-made law ( Creon advocates obedience to man-made laws, while Antigone stresses the higher laws of duty to the gods and one’s family) and the related issue of civil disobedience ( Antigone believes that state law is not absolute, and that civil disobedience is justified in extreme cases); citizenship ( Creon ‘s decree that Polynices should remain unburied suggests that Polynices ’ treason in attacking the city effectively revokes his citizenship and the rights that go with it – ”citizenship by law” rather than “citizenship by nature”); and family (for Antigone , the honour of the family outweighs her duties to the state).

Much critical debate has centred on why Antigone felt such a strong need to bury Polynices a second time in the play , when the initial pouring of dust over her brother’s body would have fulfilled her religious obligations. Some have argued that this was merely a dramatic convenience of Sophocles , while others maintain that it was a result of Antigone ’s distracted state and obsessiveness.

In the mid-20th Century, the Frenchman Jean Anouilh wrote a well-regarded version of the play, also called “Antigone” , which was deliberately ambiguous regarding the rejection or acceptance of authority, as befitted its production in occupied France under Nazi censorship.

• English translation by R. C. Jeb (Internet Classics Archive): http://classics.mit.edu/Sophocles/antigone.html
• Greek version with word-by-word translation (Perseus Project): http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text.jsp?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0185

[rating_form id=”1″]

• Ask LitCharts AI
• Discussion Question Generator
• Essay Prompt Generator
• Quiz Question Generator

• Literature Guides
• Poetry Guides
• Shakespeare Translations
• Literary Terms

Ask LitCharts AI: The answer to your questions

As the play begins, the invading army of Argos has been driven from Thebes, but in the course of the battle, two sons of Oedipus (Eteocles and Polynices) have died fighting for opposing sides. Their uncle, Creon , is now king of Thebes. He decrees that the body of Polynices, who fought against his native city, will not be given burial rites but will be left to rot, as a warning to traitors. Creon further decrees that anyone who does try to bury Polynices will be punished with death.

Oedipus's daughters, Antigone and Ismene , are grieving for the loss of their two brothers, but Antigone is also defiant. She declares that the burial traditions are the unwritten laws of the gods, and are more important than the decrees of one man. She vows to give Polynices the proper burial rites. Ismene begs Antigone not defy the laws of the city and add to their family's tragedy. Antigone will not yield.

Antigone is caught in the act of performing funereal rites for her brother. Creon is furious, and has Antigone brought before him. She remains defiant, and says that she will not break the laws of the gods just to follow Creon's unjust law. Creon responds that she will die for her disobedience to the laws of the city. Ismene pleads with Creon to spare her sister's life. Antigone is engaged to Creon's son, Haemon , and the two of them are very much in love. But Creon is as unyielding in his allegiance to the rule of law as Antigone is to the unwritten traditional rules of the gods.

Haemon comes to Creon to ask him to reconsider. The citizens of Thebes are sympathetic to Antigone's desire to bury her brother, but are too afraid of Creon to speak up. Creon grows angry at his son's attempt to offer him advice. Their exchange grows heated. Haemon insists he is trying to prevent his father from pursuing an injustice. Creon accuses his son of siding with a reckless traitorous woman over his own father, to whom he owes obedience. Haemon threatens that the death of Antigone will lead to another death, and then rushes away, saying that Creon will never see him again.

Antigone laments her approaching death and all that she is giving up in refusing to bend to Creon's law. Guards lead her away to be sealed up (alive) in a tomb. Tiresias , the blind prophet, warns Creon that he is about to make a terrible mistake in killing Antigone, and that he should not leave the body of Polynices unburied. Creon flies into another rage and accuses Tiresias of false prophecy and of accepting bribes. Upset, Tiresias tells Creon that as punishment for killing Antigone, the gods will soon take the life of Creon's child. Creon is shaken by this, and eventually decides to relent. He rushes off to free Antigone from the tomb.

After Creon has left, a messenger arrives at the palace with the news that Haemon has killed himself. Eurydice , Haemon's mother and Creon's wife, asks to know what happened. The messenger says that Haemon went to Antigone and found that she had hanged herself. When Creon arrived, Haemon lunged at him with his sword, then used the weapon to kill himself. Eurydice leaves without a word. Creon returns, overcome with grief, carrying the body of his son. He cries out and blames himself for driving his son to suicide. A messenger enters with the news that Eurydice has killed herself while cursing Creon for murdering their son. Creon is left a broken man.

• Quizzes, saving guides, requests, plus so much more.

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Antigone — Civil Disobedience in Sophocles’ Antigone

Civil Disobedience in Sophocles' Antigone

• Categories: Antigone Art History Civil Disobedience

About this sample

Words: 516 |

Published: Mar 16, 2024

Words: 516 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

Cite this Essay

To export a reference to this article please select a referencing style below:

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Dr. Karlyna PhD

Verified writer

• Expert in: Literature Arts & Culture Social Issues

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

1 pages / 478 words

5 pages / 2254 words

3 pages / 1283 words

3 pages / 1264 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Antigone

Antigone, a tragedy written by Sophocles, explores the theme of civil disobedience through the actions of its protagonist, Antigone. Civil disobedience refers to the deliberate and conscious refusal to obey certain laws or [...]

Throughout the play "Medea" by Euripides, the concept of anagnorisis, or the moment of recognition, plays a significant role in the development of the characters and the overall narrative. One of the key moments of anagnorisis [...]

Light has been a potent symbol in literature across various cultures and epochs, often representing knowledge, purity, and divinity. In Sophocles' tragedy "Antigone," light symbolism is intricately woven into the narrative to [...]

Antigone, one of the most well-known plays by the ancient Greek playwright Sophocles, tells the story of a young woman who defies the king's edict and buries her brother, who died in battle against their own city. Antigone's [...]

In Sophocles' Antigone, Creon, the King of Thebes, is entrusted to care for Antigone and Ismene, the daughters of the deceased Theban King Oedipus. However, Creon and the strong-willed Antigone clash on the issue of the burial [...]

William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Sophocles’ Antigone both develop a complex plot structure and show many similarities and differences. They share some common tragic illumination along with some uncommon tragic [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free

“The Antigone” by Sophocles: Characters and Plot Research Paper

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

Introduction

Characters and the plot of the antigone, character of ismene, character of creon, sophocles years of life, the antigone, works cited.

Antigone by Sophocles is a classic Ancient Greek play. It is well-known all over the world for the morality and brevity of the main character. Moreover, the play discovers a causative-consecutive line of tragic events that make it rich in content. The author provides the majority of emotional and logical features in characters using their dialogues or monologues. In this respect, one should not underestimate the role of the chorus. This instrumentation was used by Sophocles in all his plays to make conversation between characters as well as the tragedy of the moment more impressive. The play is performed in the tradition of classic Greek tragedy. Characters and the plot of The Antigone are highlighted in the play for resolving the problem of morale and pride in human beings and the counter-reaction of gods in response.

Looking at the elaboration of actions in the play, it is significant to work out the problem of the development and change in a character. In this respect, one should keep an eye on two characters: Creon and Ismene. These two are identified in the play, as unstable and despaired people. In the case of Ismene, she betrayed her sister Antigone by being afraid of the death penalty. Her involvement in actions that were in defiance of Creon’s edict is shaped with great fear for burying their brothers: “I do them no dishonor, but I find myself too weak to war against the state” (Sophocles 12). When Antigone was pledged Ismene refused to be for her sister. One sees her, as a weak character without family identification and duties. She placed duty to the polis higher than the duty to her family (Markos 146). This parameter makes her actions immoral and going apart from Greek family tradition.

Another feature defining Ismene is her disgrace of sacred duty to bury the bodies of Eteocles and Polynices. In this respect, Antigone emerges, as “the still small voice”. She persuades Ismene to follow her pieces of advice even under the threat of death. Looking at such weighty arguments, one sees that the entire nature of morale is more represented in Antigone. Sophocles wants to show her tries to make Ismene do what is right. That starting moment in the play illustrates what both sisters felt. However, it also predicts the end of the play and its tragic outcomes. Antigone attempts to break Ismene’s desire to follow the cruel edict of Creon down. The main heroine is shown in the play, as one who speaks with passion and moral supremacy (Pedrick and Oberhelman 92). To lay more emphasis on Antigone’s courage and decisiveness, it is better to estimate the words of her toward Ismene, namely: “Fear not for me. Thine own fate guide me aright” (Sophocles 12). Such words represent a challenge for both sisters that was passed only by Antigone.

Creon is another character in whom a reader can see a change. However, it is apparent solely in the final scene of the play. Analyzing his command to assess the highest punishment to Eteocles and Polynices, he wanted to make his power and his position in the city of Thebes firm. The thing is that such firmness was built on a shaky basis. The will of gods was neglected due to Creon’s pride and hypocrisy. Initially, he was sure that such aggressive methods will destroy any defiant person. Creon admits his righteousness in ruling using the rhetoric question: “And will my subjects tell me how to rule” (Sophocles 45)? Unfortunately to Creon, Antigone was that woman who valued family more than polis.

Thus, one can describe Creon, as the embodiment of polis, power, and law, and Antigone is supposed to kinship and persistence in moral aspects (Markell 66). Even with immoral actions by Creon Sophocles provides a gorgeous message in actions by Antigone. Such relation of people to gods is indicated in all Ancient Greek plays. Though Creon stays firm in his will to punish Antigone, he does not even recognize the price of losses, as a result. He repeats the eternal mistake of human beings by acting without realizing the moral or rational grounds of this or that action. Creon follows the wrong way of opposition to gods and the good fate of his own. His conviction in the righteousness of his actions is, without any doubt, unsound. He leads his whole life toward decline.

The genius of Sophocles lies in the definition of is total ruination of a person’s life. Ignoring the family values of one person, Creon lost their own family’s well-being. The play distinctively depicts this tragic moment of Creon’s confession and his inner change, as a result: “Ah me! The fault is mine” (Sophocles 74). This scene characterizes Creon, as a man caught by personal fallacies and ignorance of sacred features for a man, such as family.

Creon is a tragic character, for the ominous but fair payback appeared in his life. A man should study the mistakes he/she does. It is even better not to be trapped in disasters by some distinct examples from the experiences of other people. The educational nature of the play is implied in the fact that at last Creon has understood his error. In the final scene, a viewer notices the sorrows of Creon. Here the tragedy is evaluated because he desires death more than relief. Creon presupposes it, as a form of some relief: “That nevermore I look upon the light” (Sophocles 74)… This punishment of Creon is directed to everyone who seeks wisdom.

Thus, Ismene and Creon are characters who are going through the process of change. Ismene is depicted, as the only ally to her sister. However, she demonstrates faint-heartedness at the moment when Creon summons both Ismene and Antigone to tell about their crime. Creon, driven by his persuasion in the righteousness of his edicts, ignores the family values and morality of tradition and the will of gods. On the one hand, Ismene stayed unchanged toward personal fears. On the other hand, Creon smarted for his pride and cruelty using his son’s and wife’s suicides. The story teaches about following the duty to secure moral values more than the duties of the polis.

Sophocles (497/6 BC- 406/5 BC) is an outstanding Ancient Greek playwright (Sophocles 5). He along with Aeschylus and Euripides contributed greatly to the heritage of Greek drama that is extant to contemporary observers. The most attractive plays of Sophocles are Oedipus and Antigone. These plays counterbalanced the achievements of previous playwrights in the mastership of drama and tragedy, in particular.

Sophocles made the instrumentation in his plays more expressive and distinct from other authors due to a reduction of chorus roles to a limited extent. On the other hand, he improved the role of characters and their fates to some higher extent. Additionally, he involved the third and, later on, the fourth actor in his plays (Sophocles 6). As distinct from Aeschylus, Sophocles did not create trilogies describing one theme in a complex of each play. His plays, such as The Antigone or Oedipus are complete in themselves (Sophocles 6). The success of his earliest plays, The Antigone , was obvious to every Greek who settled Attica and Athens as well. It was dated to the late third century BC, but contemporary researchers in ancient literature cannot define a distinct date. It is thought that the play had been written around 441-440 BC (Sophocles, Fainlight and Littman 5).

Furthermore, this play had made Sophocles the winner at the Festival of Dionysus. It is known that by Aristophanes of Byzantium’s appointment of Sophocles, as a general in the Samian War 441/440 BC, Sophocles overcame Aeschylus who was the winner for many years (Sophocles, Fainlight and Littman 6). He also overcame Euripides who had won this prize a year before.

Describing the civil war between Eteocles and Polyneices in common features, Sophocles directs his thoughts toward rigor of law and significance of morale. These two features imposed into the main theme of the play that resonated with viewers such great success of Sophocles (Sophocles, Fainlight and Littman 8). Since the moment of his victory at the Festival of Dionysus Sophocles became persona grata in Athens in terms of art and social issues. Up to his death, Sophocles never gave up personal participation in the artistic and social affairs of Greece.

Markell Patchen. Bound by recognition. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2003.

Markos, Louis. From Achilles to Christ: Why Christians Should Read the Pagan Classics . Westmont, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2007.

Pedrick, Victoria and Oberhelman, Steven M. The soul of tragedy: essays on Athenian drama. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2005.

Sophocles. Antigone. Translated by Plumptre E. H. New York: Digireads.com Publishing, 2005.

Sophocles, Fainlight, Ruth and Littman, Robert J. The Theban Plays: Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone. Translated by Fainlight, Ruth and Littman, Robert J. Baltimore, MD: JHU Press, 2009.

• Is Regina from “The Little Foxes” by Lillian Hellman a Tragic Character?
• “Antigone” by Sophocles and “Blood Wedding” by F. Garcia Lorca
• The Play “Antigone“ by Sophocles: Summary
• Higher Law in The Antigone Play
• Family Ties and Obligations as the Driver of Antigone’s Actions in Sophocles’ Play
• Shakespeare’s "Hamlet": The Use of Allusion and Metaphors
• Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest”: Function of Conflict
• Role of a Writer in Reflecting the Reality
• “Romeo and Juliet” Staged in Greek Style
• This Is Our Youth by Kenneth Lonergan
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2022, September 5). “The Antigone” by Sophocles: Characters and Plot. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-antigone-by-sophocles-characters-and-plot/

"“The Antigone” by Sophocles: Characters and Plot." IvyPanda , 5 Sept. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/the-antigone-by-sophocles-characters-and-plot/.

IvyPanda . (2022) '“The Antigone” by Sophocles: Characters and Plot'. 5 September.

IvyPanda . 2022. "“The Antigone” by Sophocles: Characters and Plot." September 5, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-antigone-by-sophocles-characters-and-plot/.

1. IvyPanda . "“The Antigone” by Sophocles: Characters and Plot." September 5, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-antigone-by-sophocles-characters-and-plot/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "“The Antigone” by Sophocles: Characters and Plot." September 5, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-antigone-by-sophocles-characters-and-plot/.

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

• Basic site functions
• Ensuring secure, safe transactions
• Secure account login
• Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
• Remembering privacy and security settings
• Analyzing site traffic and usage
• Personalized search, content, and recommendations
• Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

• Remembering general and regional preferences
• Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy .

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy .

Antigone Sophocles

Antigone essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Antigone by Sophocles.

Antigone Material

• Study Guide
• Lesson Plan

Join Now to View Premium Content

GradeSaver provides access to 2366 study guide PDFs and quizzes, 11012 literature essays, 2787 sample college application essays, 926 lesson plans, and ad-free surfing in this premium content, “Members Only” section of the site! Membership includes a 10% discount on all editing orders.

Antigone Essays

Influence of antigone on a doll's house anonymous.

It is very difficult to label something as a first in literature. Much the way inventions are often adaptations of previously patented objects, most authors borrow ideas and techniques form pre-existing media. In order to truly classify something...

The Use of Light and Dark Images in Antigone Meredith Wilf

The "Golden Age" of Greece is notorious for its many contributions to the creative world, especially in its development of the play. These primitive performances strived to emphasize Greek morals, and were produced principally for this purpose....

Batman and Creon: Denied the Glory? NoahDavid Safford

A little boy went to the corner store to pick up the newest edition of his favorite comic; Batman. The boy entered the store and despite his efforts to withhold his excitement, dashed straight to the massive stack of magazines the store had...

Relativist Justice in Antigone Theoderek Wayne

The trio of classic Greek texts, The Last Days of Socrates, Antigone, and The Eumenides all strike a contrast between public and private morality. In each work one person carries forth an unpopular action that he alone believes in, and must later...

Hubris in Antigone and Oedipus Braden Ruddy

The idea of hubris is monumental in a plethora of Greek mythological works. In many ways the excessive pride of certain characters fuels their own destruction. This is certainly true with respect to the characters of Pentheus, Antigone, and...

Bend or Break: Oikos, Polis, and Love in Haemon's Argument with Creon Anonymous

Sophocles' play Antigone centers around a conflict between oikos and polis. Oikos, "home," is the concept of the household, dominated by women and kinship; polis, "city," is the concept of the collective city-state, dominated by men and power or...

Antigone as a Tragic Hero Jeremy J. Parker

It is not often in Greek myth or tragedy that a woman is found portrayed as a tragic hero. However, Sophocles makes the hero of his Antigone, the third and last play in the theme of Oedipus' life, a woman. And though this is out of context for a...

Antigone: An Analysis Adrienne Hudspeth

As the Greek tragedy Antigone builds up to a climax, Creon is warned that "[a]ll men make mistakes, it is only human. But once the wrong is done, a man can turn his back on folly, misfortune too, if he tries to make amends, however low he's...

Consequences of Pride: Creon as the Tragic Hero of Sophocles' Antigone Kathryn Larrivee

While it is likely that Oedipus Rex is the only character who completely embodies Aristotle's idea of a tragic hero, there are many characters who possess enough of his defined characteristics to qualify as the tragic hero of their respective...

Sophocles' Antigone: Lessons in Following the Heart Meg Austin

Sophocles presents us with a high standard of moral courage and character in his play Antigone. Among the many thematic questions raised, Sophocles pursues in depth the issue of whether it is best to obey the law or to follow one's conscience....

Hubris in Greek Mythology Braden Ruddy

Violence and its functions in the odyssey and antigone charles chen.

In both Homer's The Odyssey and Sophocles' Antigone, violence and war seem to be considered honorable; great fighters such as Antilokhos, Akhilleus and Odysseus of The Odyssey and Eteocles of Antigone are glorified and celebrated as exemplary...

Cold Sunlight: Light and Dark Imagery in Antigone Nicole E. DiPaolo

In Sophocles' Antigone, Creon, the King of Thebes, is entrusted to care for Antigone and Ismene, the daughters of the deceased Theban King Oedipus. However, Creon and the strong-willed Antigone clash on the issue of the burial of Antigone and...

Power Struggles Travis Hodges

Fredrick Nietzsche, a renowned German philosopher, believed that one of the strongest governing drives that humans possess is their desire for power. This theme is omnipresent in Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man , Shakespeare's Othello , and Sophocles'...

Respect for Family and Elders: the Moral Lessons of Antigone Ariel Patashnik

Sophocles's Theban plays tell the story of families afflicted by generations of personal tragedy. Unlike epics such as the Iliad , whose portrayals of whole-scale war, death, and destruction convey a sense of near-apocalyptic despair, Sophocles's...

An Examination of Imagery Across Genres: The Tragedy and The Epic Laura Eidem

A tool consistently employed by the Greeks was that of imagery, and within the genre of tragedy and the epic they have demonstrated their mastery of the device. Imagery within tragedy adds a necessary and otherwise unattainable sub-story to the...

Opposing Viewpoints Destroy the Bond between Antigone and Ismene Anonymous

In Sophocles' play Antigone, the two sisters, Antigone and Ismene, have opposing opinions concerning which to value more - the dead or the living. Antigone places greater emphasis on her duty to honor her dead brother, Polynices, while Ismene...

Antigone Travels to WWII France Mandy Geddes

Antigone travels to WWII France

No doubt, the most famous theatrical version of Antigone is the Greek original. Sophocles dramatized Antigone's choice and fate first, but he certainly was not the only playwright to see that Antigone's story is...

Deviation from an Ethical Code in Euripides' Medea Conor J. Judge

At first glance, the system of ethics presented by Euripides in his masterpiece Medea seems to parallel the systems found in several other tragedies of ancient Greek theatre. This system of helping friends and harming enemies, which recurs...

Sophocles' Themes in Antigone and Oedipus Rex Anonymous

Sophocles used his plays to encourage Athenians to take responsibility for their own actions. In the fifth century B.C., Greece was experiencing an era of military exploration, political turmoil and social revolution, including women’s...

Creon and the Alliance of Spears in Antigone Erik Yamada

In Sophocles’ Antigone, Creon makes reference to an “alliance of spears” as a metaphor pertaining to the necessary allegiance a society has to its ruler. Initially he feels his authority must be proven as absolute and in an act of hubris he...

The Non-Sacred Monster: Antigone as a Self-Determined Tragic Hero Loren Cappelson

One of the key thematic threads running through the plays of The Oedipus Cycle is the debate regarding the primary importance between the laws of the gods over those of the State. For example, in both Oedipus Rex and Antigone, the eponymous...

Competing Egos in Antigone Ali Romano

In his play Antigone, Sophocles portrays the character of Creon in a multitude of ways but particularly as proud and uncompromising. Because he is ruler of Thebes, many of his actions drive and shape the course of the drama. Significantly, it is...

Antigone's Dilemmas Sarah Noor 12th Grade

Antigone, the title character of Sophocles’ Antigone , faces the moral dilemma of whether to honor divine or mortal laws. While King Creon has decreed “no one shall bury [Polyneices],” the laws of the Gods dictate that all corpses must be buried...

Sir Richard C. Jebb, Commentary on Sophocles: Antigone

("Agamemnon", "Hom. Od. 9.1", "denarius")

All Search Options [ view abbreviations ]

Hide browse bar Your current position in the text is marked in blue. Click anywhere in the line to jump to another position:

This text is part of:

• Greek and Roman Materials

View text chunked by:

• text : part : section

Table of Contents:

Introduction.

1 Salustius, in his Argument to this play (p. 5), notices that the fortunes of the sisters were differently related by other writers. Mimnermus (c. 620 B.C.) spoke of Ismene having been slain at Thebes by Tydeus, one of the Argive chiefs. Ion of Chios (c. 450 B.C.) said that both sisters were burned in the Theban temple of Hera by Laodamas, son of Eteocles, when Thebes was taken in the later war of the Epigoni. Here, then, we have an Ionian contemporary of Sophocles who did not know the legend of Antigone's deed,—another indication that the legend was of Attic growth.

2 Pind. Ol. 6.15 ; Nem. 9. 24 .

3 Paus. 9.18.3 .

4 With regard to this trilogy, see Introd. to the Oedipus Tyrannus , p. xvi.

5 See note on v. 1044 .

6 See note on v. 1115 .

7 i.e., an effigy. The deuteragonist, who had acted Haemon, had been on the stage, as Messenger, up to v. 1256, and had still to come on as Second Messenger at v. 1278 .

8 In his first, or friendly, speech to Creon ( 998-1032 ) Teiresias says not a word concerning Antigone. Possibly he may be conceived as thinking that the burial of Polyneices would imply, as a consequence, the release of Antigone; though it is obvious that, from Creon's point of view, such an inference would be illogical: Antigone was punished because she had broken the edict; not because the burying of Polyneices was intrinsically wrong.

9 This point might be illustrated by contrast with an able romance, of which the title is borrowed from this play of Sophocles. ‘The New Antigone’ declined the sanction of marriage, because she had been educated by a father who had taught her to regard that institution as wrongful. Such a case was not well suited to do dramatically what the Antigone of Sophocles does,—to raise the question of human law against private conscience in a general form,—because the institution concerned claims to be more than a human ordinance, and because, on the other hand, the New Antigone's opinion was essentially an accident of perverted conscience. The author of the work was fully alive to this, and has said ( Spectator , Nov. 5, 1887 ) that his choice of a title conveyed ‘a certain degree of irony.’

10 Religionsphilosophie , II. 114.

11 El. 1487 ff.

12 Plut. Thes. 29.

13 Aelian Var. Hist. 12. 27.

14 Il. 24.411 ff.

15 Ai. 1332 ff.

16 Paus. 9.32.6 .

17 Mr Long's beautiful picture, ‘Diana or Christ,’ will be remembered by many,— and the more fitly, since it presents a counterpart, not only for Antigone, but also for Creon and for Haemon.

18 From the Niobe of Aeschylus (fr. 157): “ οἱ θεῶν ἀγχίσποροι , ι οἱ Ζηνὸς ἐγγύς : οἷς κατ᾽ ᾿Ιδαῖον πάγον ι Διὸς πατρῴου βωμός ἐστ᾽ ἐν αἰθέρι , ι κοὔπω νιν ἐξίτηλον αἶμα δαιμόνων ”.

19 v. 839 .

20 C. Taylor's translation.

21 Quoted by M. Patin in his Études sur les Tragiques grecs , vol. II., p. 271.

“ πάντας δ᾽ ἐλέγξας καὶ διεξελθὼν φίλους , πατέρα , γεραιάν θ᾽ ἥ σφ᾽ ἔτικτε μητέρα , οὐχ ηὗρε πλὴν γυναικὸς ὅστις ἤθελε θανεῖν πρὸ κείνου μηδ᾽ ἔτ᾽ εἰσορᾶν φάος . ” vv. 15 ff.

23 See especially the note on 1044 .

24 All that we know as to the plot is contained in the first Argument to this play: ‘The story has been used also by Euripides in his Antigone ; only there she is detected with Haemon, and is given in marriage, and bears a son Maion.’ In the scholia at the end of L we also read, ‘this play differs from the Antigone of Euripides in the fact that, there, she was detected through the love of Haemon, and was given in marriage; while here the issue is the contrary’ (i.e. her death). That this is the right rendering of the scholiast's words— “ φωραθεῖσα ἐκείνη διὰ τὸν Αἵμονος ἔρωτα ἐξεδόθη πρὸς γάμον ”—seems probable from a comparison with the statement in the Argument; though others have understood, ‘she was detected, and, owing to the love of Haemon, given in marriage.’ She was detected, not, as in the play of Sophocles, directly by Creon's guards, but (in some way not specified) through the fact that Haemon's love for her had drawn him to her side. Welcker ( Griech. Trag. II. pp. 563 ff.) has sought to identify the Antigone of Euripides with the plot sketched by Hyginus in Fab. 72 . Antigone having been detected, Haemon had been commissioned by Creon to slay her, but had saved her, conveying her to a shepherd's home. When Maion, the son of their secret marriage, had grown to man's estate, he visited Thebes at a festival. This was the moment (Welcker thinks) at which the Antigone of Euripides began. Creon noted in Maion a certain mark which all the offspring of the dragon's seed (“ σπαρτοί ”) bore on their bodies. Haemon's disobedience was thus revealed; Heracles vainly interceded with Creon; Haemon slew his wife Antigone and then himself. But surely both the author of the Argument and the scholiast clearly imply that the marriage of Antigone was contained in the play of Euripides, and formed its conclusion. I therefore agree with Heydemann ( Über eine nacheuripideische Antigone , Berlin, 1868 ) that Hyginus was epitomising some otherwise unknown play. M. Patin ( Études sur les Tragiques grecs , vol. II. p. 277 ) remarks that there is nothing to show whether the play of Euripides was produced before or after that of Sophocles. But he has overlooked a curious and decisive piece of evidence. Among the scanty fragments of the Euripidean Antigone are these lines ( Eur. fr. 165, Nauck ); —“ ἄκουσον : οὐ γὰρ οἱ κακῶς πεπραγότες ι σὺν ταῖς τύχαισι τοὺς λόγους ἀπώλεσαν ”. This evidently glances at the Antigone of Sophocles, vv. 563 f. , where Ismene says, “ οὐδ᾽ ὃς ἂν βλάστη μένει ι νοῦς τοῖς κακῶς πράσσουσιν , ἀλλ᾽ ἐξίσταται ”. (For similar instances of covert criticism, see n. on O. C. 1116 .)

25 Eur. fr. 160, 161, 162 (Nauck) . The most significant is fr. 161, probably spoken by Haemon:—“ ἤρων : τὸ μαίνεσθαι δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἦν ἔρως βροτοῖς ”.—Another very suggestive fragment is no. 176, where the speaker is evidently remonstrating with Creon:— ‘Who shall pain a rock by thrusting at it with a spear? And who can pain the dead by dishonour, if we grant that they have no sense of suffering?’ This is characteristic of the difference between the poets. Sophocles never urges the futility of Creon's vengeance, though he does touch upon its ignobleness ( v. 1030 ).

“ quantum ipse feroci Virtute exsuperas , tanto me impensius aecum est Consulere atque omnes metuentem expendere casus . ” Verg. Aen. 12. 19

“ iamiam nec maxima Iuno Nec Saturnius haec oculis pater aspicit aequis . ” Aen. 4. 371

27 Stat. Theb. 12. 679 .

28 Denkmäler , pp. 83 f.

29 From Gerhard, Ant. Bildw. Taf. 73.

30 Mon. Inst. X. 27.

31 Ann. Inst. 176, 1876.

32 See footnote above, p. xxxviii, note 1 (3rd paragraph).

33 “ Περὶ εἰκόνος Ἀντιγόνης κατὰ ἀρχαῖον ὄστρακον , μετὰ ἀπεικονίσματος ”. I am indebted to the kindness of Professor D'Ooge, late Director of the American School at Athens, for an opportunity of seeing this letter.

34 On March 25, 1845, Mendelssohn wrote to his sister:—‘See if you cannot find Punch for Jan. 18 [1845]. It contains an account of Antigone at Covent Garden, with illustrations,—especially a view of the Chorus which has made me laugh for three days.’ In his excellent article on Mendelssohn in the Dictionary of Music , Sir G. Grove has justly deemed this picture worthy of reproduction.

35 Mr George Wotherspoon, who has practically demonstrated the point by setting the Greek words to the music for the Parodos ( vv. 100-161 ). It is only in the last antistrophe, he observes, that the ‘phrasing’ becomes distinctly modern, and less attentive to the Greek rhythms than to harmonic effects.

36 The Greek life of Sophocles says that he served as general ‘in the war against the Anaeans’ (“ ἀναίους ”). Anaea was a place on the mainland, near Prienè. Boeckh supposes that the first expedition was known as ‘the Anaean war,’ and that Sophocles took part in it as well as in the second expedition. To me, I confess, there seems to be far more probability in the simple supposition that “ ἀναίους ” is a corruption of “ σαμίους ”.

37 p. 603 E. Miller, Frag. Hist. II. 46.

38 Arguments against the genuineness have been brought, indeed, by Ritter Fr.( Vorgebliche Strategie d. Sophokles gegen Samos: Rhein. Mus., 1843, pp. 187 ff. ). (1) Ion represents Sophocles as saying,—“ Περικλῆς ποιεῖν με ἔφη , στρατηγεῖν δ᾽ οὐκ ἐπίστασθαι ”. Sophocles (Ritter argues) would have said “ φησί ”, not “ ἔφη ”, if Pericles had been alive. The forger of the fragment intended it to refer to the revolt of Lesbos in 428 B.C.,—forgetting that Sophocles would then be 78. But we reply:—The tense, “ ἔφη ”, can obviously refer to the particular occasion on which the remark was made: ‘Pericles said so [when I was appointed, or when we were at Samos together].’ (2) Ion says of Sophocles, “ οὐ ῥεκτήριος ἦν ”. This (says Ritter) implies that Sophocles was dead; who, however, long survived Ion. [Ion was dead in 421 B.C., Aristoph. Pax 835 .] But here, again, the tense merely refers to the time at which the writer received the impression. We could say of a living person, ‘he was an agreeable man’—meaning that we found him so when we met him.

39 See Curtius, Hist. Gr. II. 472 (Eng. tr.).

40 This fragment of Androtion has been preserved by the schol. on Aristeides, vol. 3, p. 485 (Dind.). Müller, Frag. Hist. IV. 645. The names of two of the ten generals are wanting in the printed texts, but have since been restored, from the MS., by Wilamowitz, De Rhesi Scholiis , P. 13 (Greifswald, 1877). I have observed a remarkable fact in regard to Androtion's list, which ought to be mentioned, because it might be urged against the authenticity of the list, though (in my opinion) such an inference from it would be unfair. Androtion gives (1) the names, (2) the demes of the Generals, but not their tribes. The regular order of precedence for the ten Cleisthenean tribes was this:— 1. Erectheis. 2. Aegeis. 3. Pandionis. 4. Leontis. 5. Acamantis. 6. Oeneis. 7. Cecropis. 8. Hippothontis. 9. Aeantis. 10. Antiochis. Now take the demes named by Androtion. His list will be found to follow this order of the ten tribes,— with one exception, and it is in the case of Sophocles. His deme, Colonus, belonged to the Antiochis, and therefore his name ought to have come last. But Androtion puts it second. The explanation is simple. When the ten tribes were increased to twelve, by the addition of the Antigonis and Demetrias (in or about 307 B.C.), some of the demes were transferred from one tribe to another. Among these was the deme of Colonus. It was transferred from the Antiochis, the tenth on the roll, to the Aegeis, the second on the roll. Hence Androtion's order is correct for his own time (c. 280 B.C.), but not correct for 440 B.C. It is quite unnecessary, however, to infer that he invented or doctored the list. It is enough to suppose that he re-adjusted the order, so as to make it consistent in the eyes of his contemporaries.

41 The Argument to this play, and the “ Βίος Σοφοκλέους ”, have already been cited. See also (1) Strabo 14. p. 638 “ Ἀθηναῖοι δὲ ... πέμψαντες στρατηγὸν Περικλέα καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ Σοφοκλέα τὸν ποιητὴν κακῶς διέθηκαν ἀπειθοῦντας τοὺς Σαμίους ”. (2) Schol. on Aristoph. Pax 696 “ λέγεται δὲ ὅτι ἐκ τῆς στρατηγίας τῆς ἐν Σάμῳ ἠγυρίσατο ” (“ ὁ Σοφοκλῆς ”). (3) Suidas s.v. “ Μέλητος ” [but referring to the Samian “ Μέλισσος ”: cp. Diog. L. 9. 24 ] “ ὑπὲρ Σαμίων στρατηγήσας ἐναυμάχησε πρὸς Σοφοκλῆν τὸν τραγικόν , ὀλυμπιάδι πδ́ ” (Ol. 84 = 444-441 B.C.).—The theory that Sophocles the poet was confused with Sophocles son of Sostratides, strategus in 425 B.C. ( Thuc. 3.115 ), is quite incompatible with the ancient evidence.

42 See Introduction to the Oed. Col. , § 18, p. xli. J. S. III.3

43 Dem. or. 4 § 26 .

44 One of Aelian's anecdotes ( Var. Hist. 3. 8) is entitled, “ ὅτι ὁ Φρύνιχος διά τι ποίημα στρατηγὸς ᾑρέθη ”. Phrynichus, he says, ‘having composed suitable songs for the performers of the war-dance (“ πυρριχισταῖς ”) in a tragedy, so captivated and enraptured the (Athenian) spectators, that they immediately elected him to a military command.’ Nothing else is known concerning this alleged strategia. It is possible that Phrynichus, the tragic poet of c. 500 B.C., was confounded by some later anecdote-monger with the son of Stratonides, general in 412 B.C. ( Thuc. 8.25 ), and that the story was suggested by the authentic strategia of Sophocles. At any rate, the vague and dubious testimony of Aelian certainly does not warrant us in using the case of Phrynichus as an illustration.

45 “ λέλεκται δὲ τὸ δρᾶμα τοῦτο τριακοστὸν δεύτερον ”. Bergk ( Hist. Gr. Lit. III. p. 414) proposes to read, “ δεδίδακται δὲ τὸ δρᾶμα τοῦτο τριακοστόν : δεύτερος ἦν ”. He assumes that Sophocles gained the second prize, because, according to the Parian Chronicle (60), the first prize was gained by Euripides in the archonship of Diphilus (442/1 B.C.). He adds that the word “ εὐδοκιμήσαντα ”, applied to Sophocles in the Argument, would suit the winner of the second prize,—as Aristophanes says of his own “ Δαιταλεῖς ”, which gained the second prize, “ ἄριστ᾽ ἠκουσάτην ” （ Nub. 529) . But two things are wanting to the probability of Bergk's conjecture, viz., (1) some independent reason for thinking that the Antigone was the 30th, rather than the 32nd, of its author's works; and (2) some better ground for assuming that it gained the second prize.

46 See Introd. to Oed. Col. p. xxi. § 3.

47 See Oed. Col. 1405-1413 , and 1770-1772 .

The Annenberg CPB/Project provided support for entering this text.

An XML version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer Perseus any modifications you make. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system.

• Trebuchet MS

Line Spacing

Column width, text alignment, reading mode.

ANTIGONE and ISMENE before the Palace gates.

ANTIGONE Ismene, sister of my blood and heart, See'st thou how Zeus would in our lives fulfill The weird of Oedipus, a world of woes! For what of pain, affliction, outrage, shame, Is lacking in our fortunes, thine and mine? And now this proclamation of today Made by our Captain-General to the State, What can its purport be? Didst hear and heed, Or art thou deaf when friends are banned as foes?

ISMENE To me, Antigone, no word of friends Has come, or glad or grievous, since we twain Were reft of our two brethren in one day By double fratricide; and since i' the night Our Argive leaguers fled, no later news Has reached me, to inspirit or deject.

ANTIGONE I know 'twas so, and therefore summoned thee Beyond the gates to breathe it in thine ear.

ISMENE What is it? Some dark secret stirs thy breast.

ANTIGONE What but the thought of our two brothers dead, The one by Creon graced with funeral rites, The other disappointed? Eteocles He hath consigned to earth (as fame reports) With obsequies that use and wont ordain, So gracing him among the dead below. But Polyneices, a dishonored corse, (So by report the royal edict runs) No man may bury him or make lament-- Must leave him tombless and unwept, a feast For kites to scent afar and swoop upon. Such is the edict (if report speak true) Of Creon, our most noble Creon, aimed At thee and me, aye me too; and anon He will be here to promulgate, for such As have not heard, his mandate; 'tis in sooth No passing humor, for the edict says Whoe'er transgresses shall be stoned to death. So stands it with us; now 'tis thine to show If thou art worthy of thy blood or base.

ISMENE But how, my rash, fond sister, in such case Can I do anything to make or mar?

ANTIGONE Say, wilt thou aid me and abet? Decide.

ISMENE In what bold venture? What is in thy thought?

ANTIGONE Lend me a hand to bear the corpse away.

ISMENE What, bury him despite the interdict?

ANTIGONE My brother, and, though thou deny him, thine No man shall say that  I  betrayed a brother.

ISMENE Wilt thou persist, though Creon has forbid?

ANTIGONE What right has he to keep me from my own?

ISMENE Bethink thee, sister, of our father's fate, Abhorred, dishonored, self-convinced of sin, Blinded, himself his executioner. Think of his mother-wife (ill sorted names) Done by a noose herself had twined to death And last, our hapless brethren in one day, Both in a mutual destiny involved, Self-slaughtered, both the slayer and the slain. Bethink thee, sister, we are left alone; Shall we not perish wretchedest of all, If in defiance of the law we cross A monarch's will?--weak women, think of that, Not framed by nature to contend with men. Remember this too that the stronger rules; We must obey his orders, these or worse. Therefore I plead compulsion and entreat The dead to pardon. I perforce obey The powers that be. 'Tis foolishness, I ween, To overstep in aught the golden mean.

ANTIGONE I urge no more; nay, wert thou willing still, I would not welcome such a fellowship. Go thine own way; myself will bury him. How sweet to die in such employ, to rest,-- Sister and brother linked in love's embrace-- A sinless sinner, banned awhile on earth, But by the dead commended; and with them I shall abide for ever. As for thee, Scorn, if thou wilt, the eternal laws of Heaven.

ISMENE I scorn them not, but to defy the State Or break her ordinance I have no skill.

ANTIGONE A specious pretext. I will go alone To lap my dearest brother in the grave.

ISMENE My poor, fond sister, how I fear for thee!

ANTIGONE O waste no fears on me; look to thyself.

ISMENE At least let no man know of thine intent, But keep it close and secret, as will I.

ANTIGONE O tell it, sister; I shall hate thee more If thou proclaim it not to all the town.

ISMENE Thou hast a fiery soul for numbing work.

ANTIGONE I pleasure those whom I would liefest please.

ISMENE If thou succeed; but thou art doomed to fail.

ANTIGONE When strength shall fail me, yes, but not before.

ISMENE But, if the venture's hopeless, why essay?

ANTIGONE Sister, forbear, or I shall hate thee soon, And the dead man will hate thee too, with cause. Say I am mad and give my madness rein To wreck itself; the worst that can befall Is but to die an honorable death.

ISMENE Have thine own way then; 'tis a mad endeavor, Yet to thy lovers thou art dear as ever. [Exeunt]

CHORUS (Str. 1) Sunbeam, of all that ever dawn upon Our seven-gated Thebes the brightest ray, O eye of golden day, How fair thy light o'er Dirce's fountain shone, Speeding upon their headlong homeward course, Far quicker than they came, the Argive force; Putting to flight The argent shields, the host with scutcheons white. Against our land the proud invader came To vindicate fell Polyneices' claim. Like to an eagle swooping low, On pinions white as new fall'n snow. With clanging scream, a horsetail plume his crest, The aspiring lord of Argos onward pressed.

(Ant. 1) Hovering around our city walls he waits, His spearmen raven at our seven gates. But ere a torch our crown of towers could burn, Ere they had tasted of our blood, they turn Forced by the Dragon; in their rear The din of Ares panic-struck they hear. For Zeus who hates the braggart's boast Beheld that gold-bespangled host; As at the goal the paean they upraise, He struck them with his forked lightning blaze.

(Str. 2) To earthy from earth rebounding, down he crashed; The fire-brand from his impious hand was dashed, As like a Bacchic reveler on he came, Outbreathing hate and flame, And tottered. Elsewhere in the field, Here, there, great Area like a war-horse wheeled; Beneath his car down thrust Our foemen bit the dust.

Seven captains at our seven gates Thundered; for each a champion waits, Each left behind his armor bright, Trophy for Zeus who turns the fight; Save two alone, that ill-starred pair One mother to one father bare, Who lance in rest, one 'gainst the other Drave, and both perished, brother slain by brother.

(Ant. 2) Now Victory to Thebes returns again And smiles upon her chariot-circled plain. Now let feast and festal should Memories of war blot out. Let us to the temples throng, Dance and sing the live night long. God of Thebes, lead thou the round. Bacchus, shaker of the ground! Let us end our revels here; Lo! Creon our new lord draws near, Crowned by this strange chance, our king. What, I marvel, pondering? Why this summons? Wherefore call Us, his elders, one and all, Bidding us with him debate, On some grave concern of State? [Enter CREON]

CREON Elders, the gods have righted one again Our storm-tossed ship of state, now safe in port. But you by special summons I convened As my most trusted councilors; first, because I knew you loyal to Laius of old; Again, when Oedipus restored our State, Both while he ruled and when his rule was o'er, Ye still were constant to the royal line. Now that his two sons perished in one day, Brother by brother murderously slain, By right of kinship to the Princes dead, I claim and hold the throne and sovereignty. Yet 'tis no easy matter to discern The temper of a man, his mind and will, Till he be proved by exercise of power; And in my case, if one who reigns supreme Swerve from the highest policy, tongue-tied By fear of consequence, that man I hold, And ever held, the basest of the base. And I contemn the man who sets his friend Before his country. For myself, I call To witness Zeus, whose eyes are everywhere, If I perceive some mischievous design To sap the State, I will not hold my tongue; Nor would I reckon as my private friend A public foe, well knowing that the State Is the good ship that holds our fortunes all: Farewell to friendship, if she suffers wreck. Such is the policy by which I seek To serve the Commons and conformably I have proclaimed an edict as concerns The sons of Oedipus; Eteocles Who in his country's battle fought and fell, The foremost champion--duly bury him With all observances and ceremonies That are the guerdon of the heroic dead. But for the miscreant exile who returned Minded in flames and ashes to blot out His father's city and his father's gods, And glut his vengeance with his kinsmen's blood, Or drag them captive at his chariot wheels-- For Polyneices 'tis ordained that none Shall give him burial or make mourn for him, But leave his corpse unburied, to be meat For dogs and carrion crows, a ghastly sight. So am I purposed; never by my will Shall miscreants take precedence of true men, But all good patriots, alive or dead, Shall be by me preferred and honored.

CHORUS Son of Menoeceus, thus thou will'st to deal With him who loathed and him who loved our State. Thy word is law; thou canst dispose of us The living, as thou will'st, as of the dead.

CREON See then ye execute what I ordain.

CHORUS On younger shoulders lay this grievous charge.

CREON Fear not, I've posted guards to watch the corpse.

CHORUS What further duty would'st thou lay on us?

CREON Not to connive at disobedience.

CHORUS No man is mad enough to court his death.

CREON The penalty  is  death: yet hope of gain Hath lured men to their ruin oftentimes. [Enter GUARD]

GUARD My lord, I will not make pretense to pant And puff as some light-footed messenger. In sooth my soul beneath its pack of thought Made many a halt and turned and turned again; For conscience plied her spur and curb by turns. "Why hurry headlong to thy fate, poor fool?" She whispered. Then again, "If Creon learn This from another, thou wilt rue it worse." Thus leisurely I hastened on my road; Much thought extends a furlong to a league. But in the end the forward voice prevailed, To face thee. I will speak though I say nothing. For plucking courage from despair methought, 'Let the worst hap, thou canst but meet thy fate.'

CREON What is thy news? Why this despondency?

GUARD Let me premise a word about myself? I neither did the deed nor saw it done, Nor were it just that I should come to harm.

CREON Thou art good at parry, and canst fence about Some matter of grave import, as is plain.

GUARD The bearer of dread tidings needs must quake.

CREON Then, sirrah, shoot thy bolt and get thee gone.

GUARD Well, it must out; the corpse is buried; someone E'en now besprinkled it with thirsty dust, Performed the proper ritual--and was gone.

CREON What say'st thou? Who hath dared to do this thing?

GUARD I cannot tell, for there was ne'er a trace Of pick or mattock--hard unbroken ground, Without a scratch or rut of chariot wheels, No sign that human hands had been at work. When the first sentry of the morning watch Gave the alarm, we all were terror-stricken. The corpse had vanished, not interred in earth, But strewn with dust, as if by one who sought To avert the curse that haunts the unburied dead: Of hound or ravening jackal, not a sign. Thereat arose an angry war of words; Guard railed at guard and blows were like to end it, For none was there to part us, each in turn Suspected, but the guilt brought home to none, From lack of evidence. We challenged each The ordeal, or to handle red-hot iron, Or pass through fire, affirming on our oath Our innocence--we neither did the deed Ourselves, nor know who did or compassed it. Our quest was at a standstill, when one spake And bowed us all to earth like quivering reeds, For there was no gainsaying him nor way To escape perdition: Ye are bound to tell The King, ye cannot hide it; so he spake. And he convinced us all; so lots were cast, And I, unlucky scapegoat, drew the prize. So here I am unwilling and withal Unwelcome; no man cares to hear ill news.

CHORUS I had misgivings from the first, my liege, Of something more than natural at work.

CREON O cease, you vex me with your babblement; I am like to think you dote in your old age. Is it not arrant folly to pretend That gods would have a thought for this dead man? Did they forsooth award him special grace, And as some benefactor bury him, Who came to fire their hallowed sanctuaries, To sack their shrines, to desolate their land, And scout their ordinances? Or perchance The gods bestow their favors on the bad. No! no! I have long noted malcontents Who wagged their heads, and kicked against the yoke, Misliking these my orders, and my rule. 'Tis they, I warrant, who suborned my guards By bribes. Of evils current upon earth The worst is money. Money 'tis that sacks Cities, and drives men forth from hearth and home; Warps and seduces native innocence, And breeds a habit of dishonesty. But they who sold themselves shall find their greed Out-shot the mark, and rue it soon or late. Yea, as I still revere the dread of Zeus, By Zeus I swear, except ye find and bring Before my presence here the very man Who carried out this lawless burial, Death for your punishment shall not suffice. Hanged on a cross, alive ye first shall make Confession of this outrage. This will teach you What practices are like to serve your turn. There are some villainies that bring no gain. For by dishonesty the few may thrive, The many come to ruin and disgrace.

GUARD May I not speak, or must I turn and go Without a word?--

CREON Begone! canst thou not see That e'en this question irks me?

GUARD Where, my lord? Is it thy ears that suffer, or thy heart?

CREON Why seek to probe and find the seat of pain?

GUARD I gall thine ears--this miscreant thy mind.

CREON What an inveterate babbler! get thee gone!

GUARD Babbler perchance, but innocent of the crime.

CREON Twice guilty, having sold thy soul for gain.

GUARD Alas! how sad when reasoners reason wrong.

CREON Go, quibble with thy reason. If thou fail'st To find these malefactors, thou shalt own The wages of ill-gotten gains is death. [Exit CREON]

GUARD I pray he may be found. But caught or not (And fortune must determine that) thou never Shalt see me here returning; that is sure. For past all hope or thought I have escaped, And for my safety owe the gods much thanks.

CHORUS (Str. 1) Many wonders there be, but naught more wondrous than man; Over the surging sea, with a whitening south wind wan, Through the foam of the firth, man makes his perilous way; And the eldest of deities Earth that knows not toil nor decay Ever he furrows and scores, as his team, year in year out, With breed of the yoked horse, the ploughshare turneth about.

(Ant. 1) The light-witted birds of the air, the beasts of the weald and the wood He traps with his woven snare, and the brood of the briny flood. Master of cunning he: the savage bull, and the hart Who roams the mountain free, are tamed by his infinite art; And the shaggy rough-maned steed is broken to bear the bit.

(Str. 2) Speech and the wind-swift speed of counsel and civic wit, He hath learnt for himself all these; and the arrowy rain to fly And the nipping airs that freeze, 'neath the open winter sky. He hath provision for all: fell plague he hath learnt to endure; Safe whate'er may befall: yet for death he hath found no cure.

(Ant. 2) Passing the wildest flight thought are the cunning and skill, That guide man now to the light, but now to counsels of ill. If he honors the laws of the land, and reveres the Gods of the State Proudly his city shall stand; but a cityless outcast I rate Whoso bold in his pride from the path of right doth depart; Ne'er may I sit by his side, or share the thoughts of his heart.

What strange vision meets my eyes, Fills me with a wild surprise? Sure I know her, sure 'tis she, The maid Antigone. Hapless child of hapless sire, Didst thou recklessly conspire, Madly brave the King's decree? Therefore are they haling thee? [Enter GUARD bringing ANTIGONE]

GUARD Here is the culprit taken in the act Of giving burial. But where's the King?

CHORUS There from the palace he returns in time. [Enter CREON]

CREON Why is my presence timely? What has chanced?

GUARD No man, my lord, should make a vow, for if He ever swears he will not do a thing, His afterthoughts belie his first resolve. When from the hail-storm of thy threats I fled I sware thou wouldst not see me here again; But the wild rapture of a glad surprise Intoxicates, and so I'm here forsworn. And here's my prisoner, caught in the very act, Decking the grave. No lottery this time; This prize is mine by right of treasure-trove. So take her, judge her, rack her, if thou wilt. She's thine, my liege; but I may rightly claim Hence to depart well quit of all these ills.

CREON Say, how didst thou arrest the maid, and where?

GUARD Burying the man. There's nothing more to tell.

CREON Hast thou thy wits? Or know'st thou what thou say'st?

GUARD I saw this woman burying the corpse Against thy orders. Is that clear and plain?

CREON But how was she surprised and caught in the act?

GUARD It happened thus. No sooner had we come, Driven from thy presence by those awful threats, Than straight we swept away all trace of dust, And bared the clammy body. Then we sat High on the ridge to windward of the stench, While each man kept he fellow alert and rated Roundly the sluggard if he chanced to nap. So all night long we watched, until the sun Stood high in heaven, and his blazing beams Smote us. A sudden whirlwind then upraised A cloud of dust that blotted out the sky, And swept the plain, and stripped the woodlands bare, And shook the firmament. We closed our eyes And waited till the heaven-sent plague should pass. At last it ceased, and lo! there stood this maid. A piercing cry she uttered, sad and shrill, As when the mother bird beholds her nest Robbed of its nestlings; even so the maid Wailed as she saw the body stripped and bare, And cursed the ruffians who had done this deed. Anon she gathered handfuls of dry dust, Then, holding high a well-wrought brazen urn, Thrice on the dead she poured a lustral stream. We at the sight swooped down on her and seized Our quarry. Undismayed she stood, and when We taxed her with the former crime and this, She disowned nothing. I was glad--and grieved; For 'tis most sweet to 'scape oneself scot-free, And yet to bring disaster to a friend Is grievous. Take it all in all, I deem A man's first duty is to serve himself.

CREON Speak, girl, with head bent low and downcast eyes, Does thou plead guilty or deny the deed?

ANTIGONE Guilty. I did it, I deny it not.

CREON [to GUARD] Sirrah, begone whither thou wilt, and thank Thy luck that thou hast 'scaped a heavy charge. [To ANTIGONE]

Now answer this plain question, yes or no, Wast thou acquainted with the interdict?

ANTIGONE I knew, all knew; how should I fail to know?

CREON And yet wert bold enough to break the law?

ANTIGONE Yea, for these laws were not ordained of Zeus, And she who sits enthroned with gods below, Justice, enacted not these human laws. Nor did I deem that thou, a mortal man, Could'st by a breath annul and override The immutable unwritten laws of Heaven. They were not born today nor yesterday; They die not; and none knoweth whence they sprang. I was not like, who feared no mortal's frown, To disobey these laws and so provoke The wrath of Heaven. I knew that I must die, E'en hadst thou not proclaimed it; and if death Is thereby hastened, I shall count it gain. For death is gain to him whose life, like mine, Is full of misery. Thus my lot appears Not sad, but blissful; for had I endured To leave my mother's son unburied there, I should have grieved with reason, but not now. And if in this thou judgest me a fool, Methinks the judge of folly's not acquit.

CHORUS A stubborn daughter of a stubborn sire, This ill-starred maiden kicks against the pricks.

CREON Well, let her know the stubbornest of wills Are soonest bended, as the hardest iron, O'er-heated in the fire to brittleness, Flies soonest into fragments, shivered through. A snaffle curbs the fieriest steed, and he Who in subjection lives must needs be meek. But this proud girl, in insolence well-schooled, First overstepped the established law, and then-- A second and worse act of insolence-- She boasts and glories in her wickedness. Now if she thus can flout authority Unpunished, I am woman, she the man. But though she be my sister's child or nearer Of kin than all who worship at my hearth, Nor she nor yet her sister shall escape The utmost penalty, for both I hold, As arch-conspirators, of equal guilt. Bring forth the older; even now I saw her Within the palace, frenzied and distraught. The workings of the mind discover oft Dark deeds in darkness schemed, before the act. More hateful still the miscreant who seeks When caught, to make a virtue of a crime.

ANTIGONE Would'st thou do more than slay thy prisoner?

CREON Not I, thy life is mine, and that's enough.

ANTIGONE Why dally then? To me no word of thine Is pleasant: God forbid it e'er should please; Nor am I more acceptable to thee. And yet how otherwise had I achieved A name so glorious as by burying A brother? so my townsmen all would say, Where they not gagged by terror, Manifold A king's prerogatives, and not the least That all his acts and all his words are law.

CREON Of all these Thebans none so deems but thou.

ANTIGONE These think as I, but bate their breath to thee.

CREON Hast thou no shame to differ from all these?

ANTIGONE To reverence kith and kin can bring no shame.

CREON Was his dead foeman not thy kinsman too?

ANTIGONE One mother bare them and the self-same sire.

CREON Why cast a slur on one by honoring one?

ANTIGONE The dead man will not bear thee out in this.

CREON Surely, if good and evil fare alive.

ANTIGONE The slain man was no villain but a brother.

CREON The patriot perished by the outlaw's brand.

ANTIGONE Nathless the realms below these rites require.

CREON Not that the base should fare as do the brave.

ANTIGONE Who knows if this world's crimes are virtues there?

CREON Not even death can make a foe a friend.

ANTIGONE My nature is for mutual love, not hate.

CREON Die then, and love the dead if thou must; No woman shall be the master while I live. [Enter ISMENE]

CHORUS Lo from out the palace gate, Weeping o'er her sister's fate, Comes Ismene; see her brow, Once serene, beclouded now, See her beauteous face o'erspread With a flush of angry red.

CREON Woman, who like a viper unperceived Didst harbor in my house and drain my blood, Two plagues I nurtured blindly, so it proved, To sap my throne. Say, didst thou too abet This crime, or dost abjure all privity?

ISMENE I did the deed, if she will have it so, And with my sister claim to share the guilt.

ANTIGONE That were unjust. Thou would'st not act with me At first, and I refused thy partnership.

ISMENE But now thy bark is stranded, I am bold To claim my share as partner in the loss.

ANTIGONE Who did the deed the under-world knows well: A friend in word is never friend of mine.

ISMENE O sister, scorn me not, let me but share Thy work of piety, and with thee die.

ANTIGONE Claim not a work in which thou hadst no hand; One death sufficeth. Wherefore should'st thou die?

ISMENE What would life profit me bereft of thee?

ANTIGONE Ask Creon, he's thy kinsman and best friend.

ISMENE Why taunt me? Find'st thou pleasure in these gibes?

ANTIGONE 'Tis a sad mockery, if indeed I mock.

ISMENE O say if I can help thee even now.

ANTIGONE No, save thyself; I grudge not thy escape.

ISMENE Is e'en this boon denied, to share thy lot?

ANTIGONE Yea, for thou chosed'st life, and I to die.

ISMENE Thou canst not say that I did not protest.

ANTIGONE Well, some approved thy wisdom, others mine.

ISMENE But now we stand convicted, both alike.

ANTIGONE Fear not; thou livest, I died long ago Then when I gave my life to save the dead.

CREON Both maids, methinks, are crazed. One suddenly Has lost her wits, the other was born mad.

ISMENE Yea, so it falls, sire, when misfortune comes, The wisest even lose their mother wit.

CREON I' faith thy wit forsook thee when thou mad'st Thy choice with evil-doers to do ill.

ISMENE What life for me without my sister here?

CREON Say not thy sister here : thy sister's dead.

ISMENE What, wilt thou slay thy own son's plighted bride?

CREON Aye, let him raise him seed from other fields.

ISMENE No new espousal can be like the old.

CREON A plague on trulls who court and woo our sons.

ANTIGONE O Haemon, how thy sire dishonors thee!

CREON A plague on thee and thy accursed bride!

CHORUS What, wilt thou rob thine own son of his bride?

CREON 'Tis death that bars this marriage, not his sire.

CHORUS So her death-warrant, it would seem, is sealed.

CREON By you, as first by me; off with them, guards, And keep them close. Henceforward let them learn To live as women use, not roam at large. For e'en the bravest spirits run away When they perceive death pressing on life's heels.

CHORUS (Str. 1) Thrice blest are they who never tasted pain! If once the curse of Heaven attaint a race, The infection lingers on and speeds apace, Age after age, and each the cup must drain.

So when Etesian blasts from Thrace downpour Sweep o'er the blackening main and whirl to land From Ocean's cavernous depths his ooze and sand, Billow on billow thunders on the shore.

(Ant. 1) On the Labdacidae I see descending Woe upon woe; from days of old some god Laid on the race a malison, and his rod Scourges each age with sorrows never ending.

The light that dawned upon its last born son Is vanished, and the bloody axe of Fate Has felled the goodly tree that blossomed late. O Oedipus, by reckless pride undone!

(Str. 2) Thy might, O Zeus, what mortal power can quell? Not sleep that lays all else beneath its spell, Nor moons that never tier: untouched by Time, Throned in the dazzling light That crowns Olympus' height, Thou reignest King, omnipotent, sublime.

Past, present, and to be, All bow to thy decree, All that exceeds the mean by Fate Is punished, Love or Hate.

(Ant. 2) Hope flits about never-wearying wings; Profit to some, to some light loves she brings, But no man knoweth how her gifts may turn, Till 'neath his feet the treacherous ashes burn. Sure 'twas a sage inspired that spake this word; If evil good appear To any, Fate is near; And brief the respite from her flaming sword.

Hither comes in angry mood Haemon, latest of thy brood; Is it for his bride he's grieved, Or her marriage-bed deceived, Doth he make his mourn for thee, Maid forlorn, Antigone? [Enter HAEMON]

CREON Soon shall we know, better than seer can tell. Learning may fixed decree anent thy bride, Thou mean'st not, son, to rave against thy sire? Know'st not whate'er we do is done in love?

HAEMON O father, I am thine, and I will take Thy wisdom as the helm to steer withal. Therefore no wedlock shall by me be held More precious than thy loving goverance.

CREON Well spoken: so right-minded sons should feel, In all deferring to a father's will. For 'tis the hope of parents they may rear A brood of sons submissive, keen to avenge Their father's wrongs, and count his friends their own. But who begets unprofitable sons, He verily breeds trouble for himself, And for his foes much laughter. Son, be warned And let no woman fool away thy wits. Ill fares the husband mated with a shrew, And her embraces very soon wax cold. For what can wound so surely to the quick As a false friend? So spue and cast her off, Bid her go find a husband with the dead. For since I caught her openly rebelling, Of all my subjects the one malcontent, I will not prove a traitor to the State. She surely dies. Go, let her, if she will, Appeal to Zeus the God of Kindred, for If thus I nurse rebellion in my house, Shall not I foster mutiny without? For whoso rules his household worthily, Will prove in civic matters no less wise. But he who overbears the laws, or thinks To overrule his rulers, such as one I never will allow. Whome'er the State Appoints must be obeyed in everything, But small and great, just and unjust alike. I warrant such a one in either case Would shine, as King or subject; such a man Would in the storm of battle stand his ground, A comrade leal and true; but Anarchy-- What evils are not wrought by Anarchy! She ruins States, and overthrows the home, She dissipates and routs the embattled host; While discipline preserves the ordered ranks. Therefore we must maintain authority And yield to title to a woman's will. Better, if needs be, men should cast us out Than hear it said, a woman proved his match.

CHORUS To me, unless old age have dulled wits, Thy words appear both reasonable and wise.

HAEMON Father, the gods implant in mortal men Reason, the choicest gift bestowed by heaven. 'Tis not for me to say thou errest, nor Would I arraign thy wisdom, if I could; And yet wise thoughts may come to other men And, as thy son, it falls to me to mark The acts, the words, the comments of the crowd. The commons stand in terror of thy frown, And dare not utter aught that might offend, But I can overhear their muttered plaints, Know how the people mourn this maiden doomed For noblest deeds to die the worst of deaths. When her own brother slain in battle lay Unsepulchered, she suffered not his corse To lie for carrion birds and dogs to maul: Should not her name (they cry) be writ in gold? Such the low murmurings that reach my ear. O father, nothing is by me more prized Than thy well-being, for what higher good Can children covet than their sire's fair fame, As fathers too take pride in glorious sons? Therefore, my father, cling not to one mood, And deemed not thou art right, all others wrong. For whoso thinks that wisdom dwells with him, That he alone can speak or think aright, Such oracles are empty breath when tried. The wisest man will let himself be swayed By others' wisdom and relax in time. See how the trees beside a stream in flood Save, if they yield to force, each spray unharmed, But by resisting perish root and branch. The mariner who keeps his mainsheet taut, And will not slacken in the gale, is like To sail with thwarts reversed, keel uppermost. Relent then and repent thee of thy wrath; For, if one young in years may claim some sense, I'll say 'tis best of all to be endowed With absolute wisdom; but, if that's denied, (And nature takes not readily that ply) Next wise is he who lists to sage advice.

CHORUS If he says aught in season, heed him, King. [To HAEMON]

Heed thou thy sire too; both have spoken well.

CREON What, would you have us at our age be schooled, Lessoned in prudence by a beardless boy?

HAEMON I plead for justice, father, nothing more. Weigh me upon my merit, not my years.

CREON Strange merit this to sanction lawlessness!

HAEMON For evil-doers I would urge no plea.

CREON Is not this maid an arrant law-breaker?

HAEMON The Theban commons with one voice say, No.

CREON What, shall the mob dictate my policy?

HAEMON 'Tis thou, methinks, who speakest like a boy.

CREON Am I to rule for others, or myself?

HAEMON A State for one man is no State at all.

CREON The State is his who rules it, so 'tis held.

HAEMON As monarch of a desert thou wouldst shine.

CREON This boy, methinks, maintains the woman's cause.

HAEMON If thou be'st woman, yes. My thought's for thee.

CREON O reprobate, would'st wrangle with thy sire?

HAEMON Because I see thee wrongfully perverse.

CREON And am I wrong, if I maintain my rights?

HAEMON Talk not of rights; thou spurn'st the due of Heaven

CREON O heart corrupt, a woman's minion thou!

HAEMON Slave to dishonor thou wilt never find me.

CREON Thy speech at least was all a plea for her.

HAEMON And thee and me, and for the gods below.

CREON Living the maid shall never be thy bride.

HAEMON So she shall die, but one will die with her.

CREON Hast come to such a pass as threaten me?

HAEMON What threat is this, vain counsels to reprove?

CREON Vain fool to instruct thy betters; thou shall rue it.

HAEMON Wert not my father, I had said thou err'st.

CREON Play not the spaniel, thou a woman's slave.

HAEMON When thou dost speak, must no man make reply?

CREON This passes bounds. By heaven, thou shalt not rate And jeer and flout me with impunity. Off with the hateful thing that she may die At once, beside her bridegroom, in his sight.

HAEMON Think not that in my sight the maid shall die, Or by my side; never shalt thou again Behold my face hereafter. Go, consort With friends who like a madman for their mate. [Exit HAEMON]

CHORUS Thy son has gone, my liege, in angry haste. Fell is the wrath of youth beneath a smart.

CREON Let him go vent his fury like a fiend: These sisters twain he shall not save from death.

CHORUS Surely, thou meanest not to slay them both?

CREON I stand corrected; only her who touched The body.

CHORUS And what death is she to die?

CREON She shall be taken to some desert place By man untrod, and in a rock-hewn cave, With food no more than to avoid the taint That homicide might bring on all the State, Buried alive. There let her call in aid The King of Death, the one god she reveres, Or learn too late a lesson learnt at last: 'Tis labor lost, to reverence the dead.

CHORUS (Str.) Love resistless in fight, all yield at a glance of thine eye, Love who pillowed all night on a maiden's cheek dost lie, Over the upland holds. Shall mortals not yield to thee?

(Ant). Mad are thy subjects all, and even the wisest heart Straight to folly will fall, at a touch of thy poisoned dart. Thou didst kindle the strife, this feud of kinsman with kin, By the eyes of a winsome wife, and the yearning her heart to win. For as her consort still, enthroned with Justice above, Thou bendest man to thy will, O all invincible Love.

Lo I myself am borne aside, From Justice, as I view this bride. (O sight an eye in tears to drown) Antigone, so young, so fair, Thus hurried down Death's bower with the dead to share.

ANTIGONE (Str. 1) Friends, countrymen, my last farewell I make; My journey's done. One last fond, lingering, longing look I take At the bright sun. For Death who puts to sleep both young and old Hales my young life, And beckons me to Acheron's dark fold, An unwed wife. No youths have sung the marriage song for me, My bridal bed No maids have strewn with flowers from the lea, 'Tis Death I wed.

CHORUS But bethink thee, thou art sped, Great and glorious, to the dead. Thou the sword's edge hast not tasted, No disease thy frame hath wasted. Freely thou alone shalt go Living to the dead below.

ANTIGONE (Ant. 1) Nay, but the piteous tale I've heard men tell Of Tantalus' doomed child, Chained upon Siphylus' high rocky fell, That clung like ivy wild, Drenched by the pelting rain and whirling snow, Left there to pine, While on her frozen breast the tears aye flow-- Her fate is mine.

CHORUS She was sprung of gods, divine, Mortals we of mortal line. Like renown with gods to gain Recompenses all thy pain. Take this solace to thy tomb Hers in life and death thy doom.

ANTIGONE (Str. 2) Alack, alack! Ye mock me. Is it meet Thus to insult me living, to my face? Cease, by our country's altars I entreat, Ye lordly rulers of a lordly race. O fount of Dirce, wood-embowered plain Where Theban chariots to victory speed, Mark ye the cruel laws that now have wrought my bane, The friends who show no pity in my need! Was ever fate like mine? O monstrous doom, Within a rock-built prison sepulchered, To fade and wither in a living tomb, And alien midst the living and the dead.

CHORUS (Str. 3) In thy boldness over-rash Madly thou thy foot didst dash 'Gainst high Justice' altar stair. Thou a father's guild dost bear.

ANTIGONE (Ant. 2) At this thou touchest my most poignant pain, My ill-starred father's piteous disgrace, The taint of blood, the hereditary stain, That clings to all of Labdacus' famed race. Woe worth the monstrous marriage-bed where lay A mother with the son her womb had borne, Therein I was conceived, woe worth the day, Fruit of incestuous sheets, a maid forlorn, And now I pass, accursed and unwed, To meet them as an alien there below; And thee, O brother, in marriage ill-bestead, 'Twas thy dead hand that dealt me this death-blow.

CHORUS Religion has her chains, 'tis true, Let rite be paid when rites are due. Yet is it ill to disobey The powers who hold by might the sway. Thou hast withstood authority, A self-willed rebel, thou must die.

ANTIGONE Unwept, unwed, unfriended, hence I go, No longer may I see the day's bright eye; Not one friend left to share my bitter woe, And o'er my ashes heave one passing sigh.

CREON If wail and lamentation aught availed To stave off death, I trow they'd never end. Away with her, and having walled her up In a rock-vaulted tomb, as I ordained, Leave her alone at liberty to die, Or, if she choose, to live in solitude, The tomb her dwelling. We in either case Are guiltless as concerns this maiden's blood, Only on earth no lodging shall she find.

ANTIGONE O grave, O bridal bower, O prison house Hewn from the rock, my everlasting home, Whither I go to join the mighty host Of kinsfolk, Persephassa's guests long dead, The last of all, of all more miserable, I pass, my destined span of years cut short. And yet good hope is mine that I shall find A welcome from my sire, a welcome too, From thee, my mother, and my brother dear; From with these hands, I laved and decked your limbs In death, and poured libations on your grave. And last, my Polyneices, unto thee I paid due rites, and this my recompense! Yet am I justified in wisdom's eyes. For even had it been some child of mine, Or husband mouldering in death's decay, I had not wrought this deed despite the State. What is the law I call in aid? 'Tis thus I argue. Had it been a husband dead I might have wed another, and have borne Another child, to take the dead child's place. But, now my sire and mother both are dead, No second brother can be born for me. Thus by the law of conscience I was led To honor thee, dear brother, and was judged By Creon guilty of a heinous crime. And now he drags me like a criminal, A bride unwed, amerced of marriage-song And marriage-bed and joys of motherhood, By friends deserted to a living grave. What ordinance of heaven have I transgressed? Hereafter can I look to any god For succor, call on any man for help? Alas, my piety is impious deemed. Well, if such justice is approved of heaven, I shall be taught by suffering my sin; But if the sin is theirs, O may they suffer No worse ills than the wrongs they do to me.

CHORUS The same ungovernable will Drives like a gale the maiden still.

CREON Therefore, my guards who let her stay Shall smart full sore for their delay.

ANTIGONE Ah, woe is me! This word I hear Brings death most near.

CHORUS I have no comfort. What he saith, Portends no other thing than death.

ANTIGONE My fatherland, city of Thebes divine, Ye gods of Thebes whence sprang my line, Look, puissant lords of Thebes, on me; The last of all your royal house ye see. Martyred by men of sin, undone. Such meed my piety hath won. [Exit ANTIGONE]

CHORUS (Str. 1) Like to thee that maiden bright, Danae, in her brass-bound tower, Once exchanged the glad sunlight For a cell, her bridal bower. And yet she sprang of royal line, My child, like thine, And nursed the seed By her conceived Of Zeus descending in a golden shower. Strange are the ways of Fate, her power Nor wealth, nor arms withstand, nor tower; Nor brass-prowed ships, that breast the sea From Fate can flee.

(Ant. 1) Thus Dryas' child, the rash Edonian King, For words of high disdain Did Bacchus to a rocky dungeon bring, To cool the madness of a fevered brain. His frenzy passed, He learnt at last 'Twas madness gibes against a god to fling. For once he fain had quenched the Maenad's fire; And of the tuneful Nine provoked the ire.

(Str. 2) By the Iron Rocks that guard the double main, On Bosporus' lone strand, Where stretcheth Salmydessus' plain In the wild Thracian land, There on his borders Ares witnessed The vengeance by a jealous step-dame ta'en The gore that trickled from a spindle red, The sightless orbits of her step-sons twain.

(Ant. 2) Wasting away they mourned their piteous doom, The blasted issue of their mother's womb. But she her lineage could trace To great Erecththeus' race; Daughter of Boreas in her sire's vast caves Reared, where the tempest raves, Swift as his horses o'er the hills she sped; A child of gods; yet she, my child, like thee, By Destiny That knows not death nor age--she too was vanquished. [Enter TEIRESIAS and BOY]

TEIRESIAS Princes of Thebes, two wayfarers as one, Having betwixt us eyes for one, we are here. The blind man cannot move without a guide.

CREON Why tidings, old Teiresias?

TEIRESIAS I will tell thee; And when thou hearest thou must heed the seer.

CREON Thus far I ne'er have disobeyed thy rede.

TEIRESIAS So hast thou steered the ship of State aright.

CREON I know it, and I gladly own my debt.

TEIRESIAS Bethink thee that thou treadest once again The razor edge of peril.

CREON What is this? Thy words inspire a dread presentiment.

TEIRESIAS The divination of my arts shall tell. Sitting upon my throne of augury, As is my wont, where every fowl of heaven Find harborage, upon mine ears was borne A jargon strange of twitterings, hoots, and screams; So knew I that each bird at the other tare With bloody talons, for the whirr of wings Could signify naught else. Perturbed in soul, I straight essayed the sacrifice by fire On blazing altars, but the God of Fire Came not in flame, and from the thigh bones dripped And sputtered in the ashes a foul ooze; Gall-bladders cracked and spurted up: the fat Melted and fell and left the thigh bones bare. Such are the signs, taught by this lad, I read-- As I guide others, so the boy guides me-- The frustrate signs of oracles grown dumb. O King, thy willful temper ails the State, For all our shrines and altars are profaned By what has filled the maw of dogs and crows, The flesh of Oedipus' unburied son. Therefore the angry gods abominate Our litanies and our burnt offerings; Therefore no birds trill out a happy note, Gorged with the carnival of human gore. O ponder this, my son. To err is common To all men, but the man who having erred Hugs not his errors, but repents and seeks The cure, is not a wastrel nor unwise. No fool, the saw goes, like the obstinate fool. Let death disarm thy vengeance. O forbear To vex the dead. What glory wilt thou win By slaying twice the slain? I mean thee well; Counsel's most welcome if I promise gain.

CREON Old man, ye all let fly at me your shafts Like anchors at a target; yea, ye set Your soothsayer on me. Peddlers are ye all And I the merchandise ye buy and sell. Go to, and make your profit where ye will, Silver of Sardis change for gold of Ind; Ye will not purchase this man's burial, Not though the winged ministers of Zeus Should bear him in their talons to his throne; Not e'en in awe of prodigy so dire Would I permit his burial, for I know No human soilure can assail the gods; This too I know, Teiresias, dire's the fall Of craft and cunning when it tries to gloss Foul treachery with fair words for filthy gain.

TEIRESIAS Alas! doth any know and lay to heart--

CREON Is this the prelude to some hackneyed saw?

TEIRESIAS How far good counsel is the best of goods?

CREON True, as unwisdom is the worst of ills.

TEIRESIAS Thou art infected with that ill thyself.

CREON I will not bandy insults with thee, seer.

TEIRESIAS And yet thou say'st my prophesies are frauds.

CREON Prophets are all a money-getting tribe.

TEIRESIAS And kings are all a lucre-loving race.

CREON Dost know at whom thou glancest, me thy lord?

TEIRESIAS Lord of the State and savior, thanks to me.

CREON Skilled prophet art thou, but to wrong inclined.

TEIRESIAS Take heed, thou wilt provoke me to reveal The mystery deep hidden in my breast.

CREON Say on, but see it be not said for gain.

TEIRESIAS Such thou, methinks, till now hast judged my words.

CREON Be sure thou wilt not traffic on my wits.

TEIRESIAS Know then for sure, the coursers of the sun Not many times shall run their race, before Thou shalt have given the fruit of thine own loins In quittance of thy murder, life for life; For that thou hast entombed a living soul, And sent below a denizen of earth, And wronged the nether gods by leaving here A corpse unlaved, unwept, unsepulchered. Herein thou hast no part, nor e'en the gods In heaven; and thou usurp'st a power not thine. For this the avenging spirits of Heaven and Hell Who dog the steps of sin are on thy trail: What these have suffered thou shalt suffer too. And now, consider whether bought by gold I prophesy. For, yet a little while, And sound of lamentation shall be heard, Of men and women through thy desolate halls; And all thy neighbor States are leagues to avenge Their mangled warriors who have found a grave I' the maw of wolf or hound, or winged bird That flying homewards taints their city's air. These are the shafts, that like a bowman I Provoked to anger, loosen at thy breast, Unerring, and their smart thou shalt not shun. Boy, lead me home, that he may vent his spleen On younger men, and learn to curb his tongue With gentler manners than his present mood. [Exit TEIRESIAS]

CHORUS My liege, that man hath gone, foretelling woe. And, O believe me, since these grizzled locks Were like the raven, never have I known The prophet's warning to the State to fail.

CREON I know it too, and it perplexes me. To yield is grievous, but the obstinate soul That fights with Fate, is smitten grievously.

CHORUS Son of Menoeceus, list to good advice.

CHORUS What should I do. Advise me. I will heed.

CHORUS Go, free the maiden from her rocky cell; And for the unburied outlaw build a tomb.

CREON Is that your counsel? You would have me yield?

CHORUS Yea, king, this instant. Vengeance of the gods Is swift to overtake the impenitent.

CREON Ah! what a wrench it is to sacrifice My heart's resolve; but Fate is ill to fight.

CHORUS Go, trust not others. Do it quick thyself.

CREON I go hot-foot. Bestir ye one and all, My henchmen! Get ye axes! Speed away To yonder eminence! I too will go, For all my resolution this way sways. 'Twas I that bound, I too will set her free. Almost I am persuaded it is best To keep through life the law ordained of old. [Exit CREON]

CHORUS (Str. 1) Thou by many names adored, Child of Zeus the God of thunder, Of a Theban bride the wonder, Fair Italia's guardian lord;

In the deep-embosomed glades Of the Eleusinian Queen Haunt of revelers, men and maids, Dionysus, thou art seen.

Where Ismenus rolls his waters, Where the Dragon's teeth were sown, Where the Bacchanals thy daughters Round thee roam, There thy home; Thebes, O Bacchus, is thine own.

(Ant. 1) Thee on the two-crested rock Lurid-flaming torches see; Where Corisian maidens flock, Thee the springs of Castaly.

By Nysa's bastion ivy-clad, By shores with clustered vineyards glad, There to thee the hymn rings out, And through our streets we Thebans shout, All hall to thee Evoe, Evoe!

(Str. 2) Oh, as thou lov'st this city best of all, To thee, and to thy Mother levin-stricken, In our dire need we call; Thou see'st with what a plague our townsfolk sicken. Thy ready help we crave, Whether adown Parnassian heights descending, Or o'er the roaring straits thy swift was wending, Save us, O save!

(Ant. 2) Brightest of all the orbs that breathe forth light, Authentic son of Zeus, immortal king, Leader of all the voices of the night, Come, and thy train of Thyiads with thee bring, Thy maddened rout Who dance before thee all night long, and shout, Thy handmaids we, Evoe, Evoe!

[Enter MESSENGER]

MESSENGER Attend all ye who dwell beside the halls Of Cadmus and Amphion. No man's life As of one tenor would I praise or blame, For Fortune with a constant ebb and rise Casts down and raises high and low alike, And none can read a mortal's horoscope. Take Creon; he, methought, if any man, Was enviable. He had saved this land Of Cadmus from our enemies and attained A monarch's powers and ruled the state supreme, While a right noble issue crowned his bliss. Now all is gone and wasted, for a life Without life's joys I count a living death. You'll tell me he has ample store of wealth, The pomp and circumstance of kings; but if These give no pleasure, all the rest I count The shadow of a shade, nor would I weigh His wealth and power 'gainst a dram of joy.

CHORUS What fresh woes bring'st thou to the royal house?

MESSENGER Both dead, and they who live deserve to die.

CHORUS Who is the slayer, who the victim? speak.

MESSENGER Haemon; his blood shed by no stranger hand.

CHORUS What mean ye? by his father's or his own?

MESSENGER His own; in anger for his father's crime.

CHORUS O prophet, what thou spakest comes to pass.

MESSENGER So stands the case; now 'tis for you to act.

CHORUS Lo! from the palace gates I see approaching Creon's unhappy wife, Eurydice. Comes she by chance or learning her son's fate? [Enter EURYDICE]

EURYDICE Ye men of Thebes, I overheard your talk. As I passed out to offer up my prayer To Pallas, and was drawing back the bar To open wide the door, upon my ears There broke a wail that told of household woe Stricken with terror in my handmaids' arms I fell and fainted. But repeat your tale To one not unacquaint with misery.

MESSENGER Dear mistress, I was there and will relate The perfect truth, omitting not one word. Why should we gloze and flatter, to be proved Liars hereafter? Truth is ever best. Well, in attendance on my liege, your lord, I crossed the plain to its utmost margin, where The corse of Polyneices, gnawn and mauled, Was lying yet. We offered first a prayer To Pluto and the goddess of cross-ways, With contrite hearts, to deprecate their ire. Then laved with lustral waves the mangled corse, Laid it on fresh-lopped branches, lit a pyre, And to his memory piled a mighty mound Of mother earth. Then to the caverned rock, The bridal chamber of the maid and Death, We sped, about to enter. But a guard Heard from that godless shrine a far shrill wail, And ran back to our lord to tell the news. But as he nearer drew a hollow sound Of lamentation to the King was borne. He groaned and uttered then this bitter plaint: "Am I a prophet? miserable me! Is this the saddest path I ever trod? 'Tis my son's voice that calls me. On press on, My henchmen, haste with double speed to the tomb Where rocks down-torn have made a gap, look in And tell me if in truth I recognize The voice of Haemon or am heaven-deceived." So at the bidding of our distraught lord We looked, and in the craven's vaulted gloom I saw the maiden lying strangled there, A noose of linen twined about her neck; And hard beside her, clasping her cold form, Her lover lay bewailing his dead bride Death-wedded, and his father's cruelty. When the King saw him, with a terrible groan He moved towards him, crying, "O my son What hast thou done? What ailed thee? What mischance Has reft thee of thy reason? O come forth, Come forth, my son; thy father supplicates." But the son glared at him with tiger eyes, Spat in his face, and then, without a word, Drew his two-hilted sword and smote, but missed His father flying backwards. Then the boy, Wroth with himself, poor wretch, incontinent Fell on his sword and drove it through his side Home, but yet breathing clasped in his lax arms The maid, her pallid cheek incarnadined With his expiring gasps. So there they lay Two corpses, one in death. His marriage rites Are consummated in the halls of Death: A witness that of ills whate'er befall Mortals' unwisdom is the worst of all. [Exit EURYDICE]

CHORUS What makest thou of this? The Queen has gone Without a word importing good or ill.

MESSENGER I marvel too, but entertain good hope. 'Tis that she shrinks in public to lament Her son's sad ending, and in privacy Would with her maidens mourn a private loss. Trust me, she is discreet and will not err.

CHORUS I know not, but strained silence, so I deem, Is no less ominous than excessive grief.

MESSENGER Well, let us to the house and solve our doubts, Whether the tumult of her heart conceals Some fell design. It may be thou art right: Unnatural silence signifies no good.

CHORUS Lo! the King himself appears. Evidence he with him bears 'Gainst himself (ah me! I quake 'Gainst a king such charge to make) But all must own, The guilt is his and his alone.

CREON (Str. 1) Woe for sin of minds perverse, Deadly fraught with mortal curse. Behold us slain and slayers, all akin. Woe for my counsel dire, conceived in sin. Alas, my son, Life scarce begun, Thou wast undone. The fault was mine, mine only, O my son!

CHORUS Too late thou seemest to perceive the truth.

CREON (Str. 2) By sorrow schooled. Heavy the hand of God, Thorny and rough the paths my feet have trod, Humbled my pride, my pleasure turned to pain; Poor mortals, how we labor all in vain! [Enter SECOND MESSENGER]

SECOND MESSENGER Sorrows are thine, my lord, and more to come, One lying at thy feet, another yet More grievous waits thee, when thou comest home.

CREON What woe is lacking to my tale of woes?

SECOND MESSENGER Thy wife, the mother of thy dead son here, Lies stricken by a fresh inflicted blow.

CREON (Ant. 1) How bottomless the pit! Does claim me too, O Death? What is this word he saith, This woeful messenger? Say, is it fit To slay anew a man already slain? Is Death at work again, Stroke upon stroke, first son, then mother slain?

CHORUS Look for thyself. She lies for all to view.

CREON (Ant. 2) Alas! another added woe I see. What more remains to crown my agony? A minute past I clasped a lifeless son, And now another victim Death hath won. Unhappy mother, most unhappy son!

SECOND MESSENGER Beside the altar on a keen-edged sword She fell and closed her eyes in night, but erst She mourned for Megareus who nobly died Long since, then for her son; with her last breath She cursed thee, the slayer of her child.

CREON (Str. 3) I shudder with affright O for a two-edged sword to slay outright A wretch like me, Made one with misery.

SECOND MESSENGER 'Tis true that thou wert charged by the dead Queen As author of both deaths, hers and her son's.

CREON In what wise was her self-destruction wrought?

SECOND MESSENGE Hearing the loud lament above her son With her own hand she stabbed herself to the heart.

CREON (Str. 4) I am the guilty cause. I did the deed, Thy murderer. Yea, I guilty plead. My henchmen, lead me hence, away, away, A cipher, less than nothing; no delay!

CHORUS Well said, if in disaster aught is well His past endure demand the speediest cure.

CREON (Ant. 3) Come, Fate, a friend at need, Come with all speed! Come, my best friend, And speed my end! Away, away! Let me not look upon another day!

CHORUS This for the morrow; to us are present needs That they whom it concerns must take in hand.

CREON I join your prayer that echoes my desire.

CHORUS O pray not, prayers are idle; from the doom Of fate for mortals refuge is there none.

CREON (Ant. 4) Away with me, a worthless wretch who slew Unwitting thee, my son, thy mother too. Whither to turn I know now; every way Leads but astray, And on my head I feel the heavy weight Of crushing Fate.

CHORUS Of happiness the chiefest part Is a wise heart: And to defraud the gods in aught With peril's fraught. Swelling words of high-flown might Mightily the gods do smite. Chastisement for errors past Wisdom brings to age at last.

The curse that is leftover from the tragedy of Oedipus. Weird = Fate

In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus unwittingly has killed his father and married his mother. When the truth of his actions are revealed, his wife/mother kills herself, and Oedipus puts out his own eyes in horror of what he has seen himself do. Since then, Eteocles and Polyneices killed each other in battle, and Antigone and Ismene are left alone in the world.

The “roaring straits” here refers to the strait between Boeotia, the region of Thebes, and the island of Euboea.

“Evoe, Evoe!” was the ritual cry in honor of Dionysus, uttered by his ecstatic worshippers.

The Eleusinian mysteries were initiations held every year in the city of Eleusis in Ancient Greece. While these sacred rituals were primarily for the cult of Demeter and Persephone, Dionysus was also worshipped. With this passage the Chorus once again emphasises the close association between Dionysus and the city of Thebes. Unlike normal Greek religion, the cult of Dionysus promised salvation and paradise after death to believers.

Dionysus was also known as Bacchus, Iacchus, and Evius, to name just a few of his names. This ode, which anticipates that Creon will remedy the situation and save the day, is a hymn to Dionysus. It emphasizes the universality of his power and, accordingly, lists many places where he is worshipped.

Instead of a 5th stasimon, the poet has written here a hyporchema, or dance-song. This suggests that the chorus is expecting a happy ending. By setting up the Chorus in this way, Sophocles further dramatizes the tragedy of the conclusion.

These lines describe how the unburied dead have been mauled by wild animals or taken apart by scavenging birds. This indicates that all the slain Argives, not just Polynices, have been denied burial. This is a foreboding image that foreshadows Creon’s divine punishment for defying the Argive soldier’s right to burial.

In this context, “assail” means to insult or attack, while “soilure” means a sinful deed. This statement is an example of Creon’s hubris. He believed that nothing a human could do could be seen as an insult or an attack to the gods. This idea is contrary to traditional Greek piety, but in vogue with 5th-century Athenian humanism and rational thinking.

Augury is the practice of watching the sky for the movement of birds and was an important part of Greek prophecy. Teiresias describes himself as sitting upon a “throne” of augury, which further implies he is a seer of noble rank and ability, and should command Creon’s respect.

Thebes is a city in the region of Boeotia in the northern part of mainland Greece. Thebes was one of the most famous cities of ancient times, and is the geographical setting for many myths and legends. In the 5th century BCE, Thebes was a rival to Athens.

Idaea, the second wife of King Phineus, tricked her husband into blinding the sons borne of his first marriage. Later, King Phineus was also blinded. Idaea’s story is another one of the tragedies the Chorus lists to prove that certain families are doomed to tragedy.

The Greeks often built temples to the Gods outside the walls of their cities. Ares, the god of war, watches the events “there on his borders.” The presence of war on the outside of the city also suggests the battle of Thebes, which takes place before the events of the play.

Lycurgus was the son Dryas and the King of Edoni in Thrace. He denied the godhood of Bacchus and was killed by him as a result. The Chorus use Lycurgus as an example here to show Antigone that even figures of great nobility can be vanquished by the gods.

Danae was a mortal woman who was locked in a room by her father. Zeus was tempted by her beauty and entered her locked room in the form of a golden shower. The result of their union was the hero Perseus. Here, the Chorus describe Danae in her brass-bound tower to demonstrate how everyone is bound or constrained by their fate.

Polynices was betrothed to the princess of Argos. Because of this marriage, the King of Argos allowed Polynices to lead the Argive army against Thebes, resulting in both his death and the death of his brother. Antigone includes Polynices’ betrothal in the long list of tragedies that have befallen her family. Most prominently, Antigone connects Polynices’ fate to the tragic fate of her father, Oedipus.

The Chorus are not insulting Antigone, although she thinks they are. The Chorus merely reminds Antigone that she is mortal, because it was considered incredibly sinful in Ancient Greece to compare oneself to a god. Such a comparison would be an example of hubris , an excessive pridefulness in which mortals consider themselves godlike. Creon commits hubris by asserting that his laws are of equal or superior importance to divine laws.

Niobe was the daughter of Tantalus and a prominent mythological figure in her own right. Niobe famously boasted to Leto that she fourteen children. This angered Leto, who only had two children, the twins Apollo and Artemis. As punishment for her boastfulness, Apollo killed Niobe’s sons, Artemis killed Niobe’s daughters, and Niobe herself was turned into a stone on Mt. Sipylus. A rock face on Mt. Sipylus does indeed resemble a female face, and is often called ‘the Weeping Rock’ due to the rivulets of water covering its surface. This water is said to be the tears of Niobe who remains in eternal mourning for her lost children. Antigone fears the same fate will befall her.

If Antigone starves to death, she will technically have been murdered. As such, Antigone must be buried with just enough food to stay alive, so that the state cannot be tainted with a homicide. The Greeks thought that such a live burial would not cause the gods to curse the executioners.

Zeus was such a major authority that his various roles were separated into different arenas, signalled by different epithets or labels. The God of Kindred is most likely a reference to Zeus Herkeios. Zeus Herkeios was the protector of the family and home (herkos is the Greek word for fence.) Many families had altars to Zeus Herkeios in their homes, where members of a family sacrificed and worshipped together.

Creon's older son, Megareus, died to save Thebes from the Argive army. Haemon is Creon’s youngest child.

For the Greeks, justice meant doing good to your friends and harm to your enemies. Antigone highlights the complications that arise from this simple definition. Creon defines an enemy as anyone who turns against his city, but Antigone sees only family ties as sacred. Hence, they have different views of the fallen Polynices. Each, however, is convinced that his or her own course is just.

The Ancient Greeks believed that when passing an unburied corpse you must show respect by throwing dust over it. If one failed to do so, they would come under a curse from the ghost of the corpse. The guard discovers that the corpse of Polynices has been covered by dust, despite Creon’s order that the body should remain unburied. However, the guard finds no footprints or sign that another person has been present, leading him to think that this is the work of the gods.

“His two sons” refers to Oedipus’ sons, Eteocles and Polynices, who died on the battlefield.

King Laius was the father of Oedipus and the grandson of Cadmus, the founding father of Thebes. In “Oedipus the King,” Laius is murdered by Oedipus.

Bacchus was a god associated with revelry. He was often invoked in situations of wine and intoxication. He was the son of Zeus and a mortal Theban princess, hence his close association with the city of Thebes.

The victor in combat often dedicated the spoils of his victory, usually his opponent's armor, to a god in gratitude for the victory. Zeus would be a common choice for this dedication.

In Ancient Greece, chariots were often used in battle. Chariots were small carts on wheels pulled forward by four horses. Chariot racing was also a popular form of entertainment. There were four horses to a chariot, who raced side-by-side. Strategy dictated that chariots always placed the strongest, fastest horse on the right end.

Dragon’s teeth play a prominent role in Ancient Greek legend. In the tale of Jason and the Golden Fleece, dragon’s teeth planted in the ground are said to grow fully-fledged warriors. Dragon’s teeth also appear in the founding myth of Thebes. In this myth, Phoenician prince Cadmus sowed a field with the teeth of a dragon, out of which sprang the citizens of Thebes.

Ares is the god of war, particularly the irrationality of war. Invoking Ares is often used to suggest war itself. The word “din” refers to a set of loud, continuous sounds such as those created by war.

The Ancient Greeks believed in the necessity of a proper burial. The omission of burial rites was an insult to basic human dignity. Female relatives of the deceased were primarily involved in conducting the elaborate burial rituals. These rituals included the laying out of the body (prothesis), the funeral procession (ekphora), and the interment or cremation of the body.

Kites are a common species of bird. The Greeks thought that the gods communicated to mortals through birds. Different birds indicated different things, as did the actions of those birds. Since Tiresias is blind, he listens to the birds' cries for oracles. However, Tiresias is an especially powerful seer and could prophesize just as well without birds.

King of the gods, Zeus is often portrayed as the supreme arbiter of justice and destiny.

Antigone’s speech may appear heartless, and her logic cold, but she speaks more about the larger picture of the continuation of her family. She states that while husbands and children can be replaced, a brother whose parents have died is irreplaceable. She uses these reasons to justify her decision to take her own life.

Creon has just sent Antigone to her death, and her betrothed and Creon’s son, Haemon, confronts his father. Haemon insists that he is still loyal to Creon but he cannot condone Antigone’s death. Creon accuses Haemon of betrayal, stating that as king he must protect the empire against traitors. Haemon counters that Creon has gone too far and has defied the gods. Creon’s worldview and obsession with the state have become so out of balance that his own son tries to attack him.

Creon is initially shocked to learn that Antigone has spread dust over Polynices's corpse (a direct defiance of Creon's ban against his burial). Creon's shock passes, and he reasserts himself stating that Antigone is as insolent as her father and will likewise fall. Creon's pride will not allow Antigone to go unpunished; doing so would make Creon less than a man because he allowed a woman to have power over him.

Since all of Oedipus’s heirs are dead, Creon has assumed the throne as next in line to rule. In this speech, he declares his loyalty to the state, and anyone who betrays the state also betrays him. For Creon, the state is the most important institution, transcending even bonds of family and friendship.

Having learned her uncle Creon will not give her brother Polynices a proper burial, Antigone has resolved to take matters into her own hands. Her sister, Ismene, fears for his sister's safety and urges her not to do this, or if she does, to do so secretly. Ismene is dismayed by how hard-hearted Antigone seems and tells her that her quest is hopeless. However, Ismene tells her departing sister that she is still loved by everyone despite her irrationality. This shows that Ismene strongly cares for Antigone, and that they both share a close affection for family.

Creon has changes the laws for burial rights based on the dead's relationship to Thebes. For instance, Creon denies a proper burial for anyone he considers a traitor. However, Antigone is outraged that her brother Polynices has been denied proper burial. Her anger reveals that she does not believe in the same laws as Creon, and that, for her, loyalty to her family is more important than Polynices's treason.

To Ismene’s horror, Antigone says that even though Creon is now king, he has no authority to keep Antigone from her obligations of love and family. With their brothers dead, Antigone and Ismene alone remain to redeem some form of family honor. Ismene refuses to join Antigone, stating that while the dead will forgive her, the state (Creon) will not. This presents an important complication because while all citizens are subjects of the state, women were considered subject to the leadership of men. Antigone's love for her family is directly at odds with the laws of Creon's state.

please wait...

AP English Literature and Composition

Put words under a magnifier, open ended essay question and antigone.

Objectives : Students will be able to demonstrate their understanding of the overall meaning of  the play,  Antigone, through character analysis.

Aim : How do we illustrate or support a theme through character analysis?

Do Now: Select one of the AP Literature exam open-ended questions and identify the specific tasks the essay questions asks you to do. List the tasks.

2005, Form B.  One of the strongest human drives seems to be a desire for power. Write an essay in which you discuss how a character in a novel or a drama struggles to free himself or herself from the power of others or seeks to gain power over others. Be sure to demonstrate in your essay how the author uses this power struggle to enhance the meaning of the work.

1995 Writers often highlight the values of a culture or a society by using characters who are alienated from that culture or society because of gender, race, class, or creed. Choose a novel or a play in which such a character plays a significant role and show how that character’s alienation reveals the surrounding society’s assumptions or moral values.

2004, Form B.   The most important themes in literature are sometimes developed in scenes in which a death or deaths take place. Choose a novel or play and write a well-organized essay in which you show how a specific death scene helps to illuminate the meaning of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.

2015  Question 3 (Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.)

In literary works, cruelty often functions as a crucial motivation or a major social or political factor. Select a novel, play, or epic poem in which acts of cruelty are important to the theme. Then write a well-developed essay analyzing how cruelty functions in the work as a whole and what the cruelty reveals about the perpetrator and/or victim. You may select a work from the list below or another work of equal literary merit. Do not merely summarize the plot.

2014  Question 3 (Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.)

It has often been said that what we value can be determined only by what we sacrifice. Consider how this statement applies to a character from a novel or play. Select a character that has deliberately sacrificed, surrendered, or forfeited something in a way that highlights that character’s values. Then write a well-organized essay in which you analyze how the particular sacrifice illuminates the character’s values and provides a deeper understanding of the meaning of the work as a whole. You may choose a novel or play from the list below or one of comparable literary merit. Do not merely summarize the plot.

2012   Question 3 (Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.)

“And, after all, our surroundings influence our lives and characters as much as fate, destiny or any supernatural agency.” Pauline Hopkins, Contending Forces Choose a novel or play in which cultural, physical, or geographical surroundings shape psychological or moral traits in a character. Then write a well-organized essay in which you analyze how surroundings affect this character and illuminate the meaning of the work as a whole. You may choose a work from the list below or one of comparable literary merit. Do not merely summarize the plot.

Materials: copies of Antigone play, AP Essay 9-point rubric

Resources: 

• http://litstudies.org/APEnglishLit/open_endedessays.pdf http://www.shmoop.com/antigone-sophocles/
• Advice from a professional
• AP Essay 9-point rubric 
• Review lesson objectives and aim
• Mini Lesson with guided practice
• Student Independent practice: essay writing

Mini Lesson with Guided Practice

We’ll use the 2014 Question 3 to practice steps you’ll need to perform such a challenging task within 40 minutes.

Step 1: Make a list of the tasks the questions asks you to do.

Step 2: Turn the tasks into questions: What are the sacrifices? How doe a particular sacrifice illuminate the character’s values ? How do the characters’ values provide a deeper understanding of the meaning of the work as a whole?

Step 3: Select a literary work,  in this case, Antigone and do the following-

• a)Describe separately in each paragraph the sacrifices Antigone makes. b)Analyze why she needs to make the sacrifices. c) So what: how does the value contribute to the overall meaning of the play( your thesis)?
• State the values Antigone’s sacrifices illuminate and explain why( one sacrifice in one separate body paragraph)

Independent Practice: Follow the steps and write a response to the Question you have selected.

Homework: Complete the 1st draft of the essay. Due on Dec. 23, 2015.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

A defensible thesis statement could be: Antigone is a proto-feminist heroine whose execution in a male-dominated culture was inevitable. Ismene is conventional, obedient to authority, and ...

Antigone explores a fundamental rift between public and private worlds. The central opposition in the play between Antigone and Creon, between duty to self and duty to state, dramatizes critical antimonies in the human condition. Sophocles' genius is his resistance of easy and consoling simplifications to resolve the oppositions.

Antigone: a Heroine Meets Her Tragedy. Essay grade: Good. 3 pages / 1484 words. It is not often in Greek myth or tragedy that a woman is found portrayed as a tragic hero. However, Sophocles makes the hero of his Antigone, the third and last play in the theme of Oedipus' life, a woman.

This essay provides a clear focus on analyzing the power dynamics between Kreon and Antigone in the play Antigone by Sophocles. The overall organization of the essay is easy to follow and each paragraph has a clear topic sentence. The sentence structure is well varied and appropriate for the topic.

Introduction - Who wrote Antigone. "Antigone" is a tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright Sophocles, written around 442 BCE. Although it was written before Sophocles ' other two Theban plays, chronologically it comes after the stories in "Oedipus the King" and "Oedipus at Colonus", and it picks up where Aeschylus ' play ...

Essays and Criticism ... Sophocles uses the Greek chorus to interpret and comment on events in the play. In Antigone, the leader of the chorus is a character rather than a background figure.

Antigone is a complex play, one that defies ready interpretation. It is a study of human actions, with complex emotions. Each character represents a moral ideal, a moral argument, and the play ...

The Play "Antigone" by Sophocles: Summary Essay. Sophocles, 496-406 B.C.E, is an ancient dramatist and the best play-writer of 468 B.C.E who created his works for the readers of Athenian civilization. On the whole, he wrote around 120 plays seven of which reached the present-day reader. The main idea of the play "Antigone" is pride and ...

Antigone Summary. Next. Lines 1-416. As the play begins, the invading army of Argos has been driven from Thebes, but in the course of the battle, two sons of Oedipus (Eteocles and Polynices) have died fighting for opposing sides. Their uncle, Creon, is now king of Thebes. He decrees that the body of Polynices, who fought against his native city ...

Sophocles' Antigone is a powerful exploration of civil disobedience and the clash between individual conscience and state authority. The play raises important questions about the limits of political power, the rights of individuals to resist unjust laws, and the consequences of defying oppressive regimes.By examining the actions of Antigone and King Creon in the context of civil disobedience ...

Introduction. Antigone by Sophocles is a classic Ancient Greek play. It is well-known all over the world for the morality and brevity of the main character. Moreover, the play discovers a causative-consecutive line of tragic events that make it rich in content. The author provides the majority of emotional and logical features in characters ...

According to the author of the first Argument to the play, the success of the Antigone had led to Sophocles obtaining the office of general, which he held in an expedition against Samos. Athens sent two expeditions to Samos in 440 B.C. (1) The occasion of the first expedition was as follows. Samos and Miletus had been at war for the possession ...

Antigone as a Tragic Hero Jeremy J. Parker. Antigone. It is not often in Greek myth or tragedy that a woman is found portrayed as a tragic hero. However, Sophocles makes the hero of his Antigone, the third and last play in the theme of Oedipus' life, a woman. And though this is out of context for a...

When the play in question is Sophocles's Antigone, criticism can be especially helpful concerning the preconceived notions a reader may have concerning the work. The play is an ancient tragedy and ...

Taking the two primary facts—the veto, and Antigone's resolve— Sophocles has worked in a manner which is characteristically his own. Let us first trace the outline of the action. Analysis of the play. I. Prologue: 1-99. The scene is laid before the palace of Creon,—once that of Oedipus,—at Thebes.

A Psychoanalytic Study of Sophocles' Antigone Almansi, Renato, J. Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 1991; v. 60, p69, 17p 00332828 Article English This paper examines, in a detailed and comprehensive fashion, the unconscious motivations of the main protagonists of Sophocles' Antigone and the play's general structure as a psychoanalytically coherent whole.

O eye of golden day, How fair thy light o'er Dirce's fountain shone, Speeding upon their headlong homeward course, Far quicker than they came, the Argive force; Putting to flight. The argent shields, the host with scutcheons white. Against our land the proud invader came.

a)Describe separately in each paragraph the sacrifices Antigone makes. b)Analyze why she needs to make the sacrifices. c) So what: how does the value contribute to the overall meaning of the play( your thesis)? State the values Antigone's sacrifices illuminate and explain why( one sacrifice in one separate body paragraph)

ANTIGONE: Go away, Ismene: I shall be hating you soon, and the dead will too, For your words are hateful. Leave me my foolish plan: I am not afraid of the danger; if it means death, 80 It will not be the worst of deaths --death without honor. ISMENE: Go then, if you feel that you must.