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Antigone
Antigone by Sophocles is the play that immediately follows Oedipus the King, and deals with the
cursed nature of his family. The play confronts the Greek view of obedience of state and
religious law, and how the Greeks viewed authority. The conflict of the play arises when Creon
King of Thebes states, “I here proclaim to the city that this man shall no one honor with a grave
and none shall mourn. You shall leave him without burial: you shall watch him chewed up by
the birds and dogs and violated. (Lines 222-225 p188). Polyneices is the son of the former king
Oedipus. Creon believes he should not be honored with any form of burial since he fought his
own brother for the throne, killing them both. Antigone, sister of Polyneices, Eteocles and
Ismene, daughter of Oedipus, decides to challenge the King’s orders and give a burial to her
brother Polyneices. Antigone shows loyalty to her family and follows the law of the Gods, a
higher authority in her eyes.
Antigone shows her moral makeup when she chooses to follow the laws of the Gods
rather than her uncle Creon. In mythology a person would not reach the afterlife unless buried
in an honorable way. She accepts her fate of Creon’s punishment which is death by starvation.
Antigone reminds the King that the laws of Zeus are more powerful than anything he can
decree Antigone believes her action carries honor instead of shame because giving a proper
burial to her brother is in line with God’s wishes. “Yes, it was not Zeus that made the
proclamation; nor did Justice, which lives with those below, enact such laws as that, for
mankind. I did not believe your proclamation has such power to override God’s ordinances,
unwritten and secure.” (Lines 494-499 p 198) Antigone shows no fear in disobeying the Creon’s
orders, reminding him that we are all mortal anyway. She disregards the laws of the king
because the God’s laws concerning the honor of the dead can be far more dangerous than
disobeying the King, because God is the supreme power. The contradiction of obedience is very
clear in the characterization of Antigone and Ismene. Antigone represents obedience to God,
Ismene to the King. Creon himself is disobeying God’s laws with his actions. The Chorus warns
him about the dangers of his actions: “Lucky are those whose lves know no taste of sorrow. But
for those whose house has been shaken by God there is never cessation of ruin; it steals on
generation after generation within a breed.” (Lines 640-645 p 204-205). The people of Thebes
also disagree with Creon’s proclamation. Although Antigone’s actions are honorable they side
with Creon because of the fear struck into them. “Yet how could I win a greater share of glory
than putting my own brother in his grave? All that are here would surely say that’s true, if fear
did not lock their tongues up.” (Lines 546-550 p 200) Ismene eventually realizes the nobility of
her sister’s actions and changes her position and decides to be “guilty” in the eyes of the King
so she can be forgiven in the eyes of God, another aspect of disobedience toward the king but
obedience to the laws of the Gods
Throughout the course of the play, Creon’s authority begins to wane. The first one to
disobey him is Antigone, his own son Haemon follows, then Ismene the least likely to follow
turns against his decree. Creon gets aggravated and annoyed because he is not receiving the
respect, obedience, admiration he feels he commands as a king, and so his actions keep rising,
but ironically, he power weakens as he becomes increasingly tyrannical. Creon orders to bury
Antigone alive in a cave, as Antigone goes to her living tomb Tiresias warns Creon that the Gods
will be on Antigone’s side. “These acts of yours are violenece, on your part. And in requital the
avenging Spirts of Death itself and the gods’ Furies shall after your deeds, lie in ambush for you,
and in their hands you shall be taken cruelly.” (Lines 1144-1148 p 222)
By the end the laws of God prove to be stronger. Creon witnesses the suicide of his own
son. “Poor son! what have you done? What can you have meant? What happened to destroy
you? Come out, I pray you! The boy glared at him with savage eyes, and then spat in his face,
without a word of answer. He drew his double-hilted sword. As his father ran to escape him,
Haemon failed to strike him, and the poor wretch in anger at himself leaned on his sword and
drove it halfway into his ribs.” (Lines 1303- 1313 p 229) Soon after Creon finds out that his wife,
the Eurydice, committed suicide out of grief, he realizes that his tragedy is the result of his own
oppressive actions. He offended God and he is being punished for it. “Lead me away, a vain silly
man who killed you, son, and you too lady. I did not mean to, but I did” (Lines 1413-1415 p 232)
Creon feels the power of God falling on him for disobeying his laws and cries out, Creon morphs
into a sad, humble man who deeply felt the consequences of trying to surpass God’s wishes,
but finally yields, lamenting that “I am no more a live man than one dead.” (Line 1397 p 231)
The title character of Antigone in Sophocles's Antigone exemplifies hthoughtgh loyalty
to her family and obedience to the Gods in numerous ways. She confronts her uncle’s power on
the basis of religion and honor for her family. Creon is dedicated to his laws, while Antigone is
loyal to her beliefs. Antigone acts out of responsibility and the doctrine of the gods, her loyalty
to her family and her religion personifies the qualities the Greeks regarded highly in their
society. Antigone did shy away from her troubles suggesting an innate bravery and
determination which the chorus recognizes.