Summary:
Prior to the opening of the play Antigone by Sophocles, Polynices has attacked the city of Thebes, in what is called the Seven Against Thebes. Polynices is the oldest son of Oedipus who should have rightfully taken over the throne yet his younger brother, Eteocles, seized it. While in battle, the two brothers meet at one gate and end up killing each other in one on one combat, which sets the stage for the events that take place in Sophocles's play, Antigone.
Prior to the opening of the play Antigone by Sophocles, Polynices has attacked the city of Thebes, in what is called the Seven Against Thebes. Polynices is the oldest son of Oedipus who should have rightfully taken over the throne yet his younger brother, Eteocles, seized it. While in battle, the two brothers meet at one gate and end up killing each other in one on one combat, which sets the stage for the events that take place in Sophocles's play, Antigone.
Antigone has returned to Thebes a grown woman following the death of her father, Oedipus. When she was a little girl Antigone, selflessly, became the eyes of her doomed father. Already holding a strong, unbendable bond of loyalty to family, she arrives back in Thebes to find her family being disgraced. Creon has decreed that Eteocles will be treated as a patriot and have an honorable burial yet Polynices will be treated as no better than an animal and will not be allowed to be buried. Antigone tries to convince her sister, Ismene, to disregard the laws of the city and hold strong to the laws of the gods despite the consequences, and bury Polynices. Ismene refuses to help, yet Antigone disregards the warnings and buries him and when she is brought before Creon denies nothing. Creon holds strongly to his convictions of what is best for the state and he sentences her to death. Antigone and Creon are both unbending in their beliefs, which inevitably leads to their downfall. What is the meaning of the conflict between these two stubborn wills of Antigone and Creon for an understanding of Antigone by Sophocles"
Creon, King of Thebes, embodies the essences of man, greed for power and blind stubbornness even when faced with answers. Creon holds the laws of the city above all else and burial is an honor, which Creon feels, is only deserved of those that honor his laws:
These are my principles. Never at my hands
will the traitor be honored above the patriot.
But whoever proves his loyalty to the state--
I'll prize that man in death as well as life.
After it is revealed that Polynices has been buried, Creon puts a death sentence on the head of whoever has done, in his eyes, this disloyal deed to the state and his laws. He believes that only his laws are to be honored and feels that no one has the right to dishonor them. Even when it is suggested that the gods may have had a hand in Polynices' burial, Creon disregards it. Creon holds to the laws of the city above anything else and even when he is faced with belief that contradict his, he is unbending to them. He holds to his belief no matter what anyone else says; and in the end, when it is too late, he realizes that listening to others would have saved his life.
When Antigone is brought before Creon, she denies nothing and willingly stands by her convictions to her family. Antigone honors the laws of the gods and in a sense, also honors those of the dead, because through her actions, it sends her to death. When Ismene is also brought in on charges of violating Creon's laws, she wants to share in the blame yet Antigone refuses to allow her to share in this with her, saying, "I have no love for a friend who loves in words alone." Ismene also loved her brother, Polynices, but fearing Creon she holds true to his laws despite what dishonor it may cause her family. According to Richard Emil Braun, "Sophocles does not ignore the possibility of mass human error; the majority of Thebans, like Ismene, agree with Antigone, but obey Creon" (17). Like Ismene, we may know something is right but lack the courage of Antigone to see it through and by that fear, be held back from what we were truly sent here to do.
Antigone will now not let Ismene share in her death and turns her back on Ismene the way she feels Ismene did on their brother. Antigone will not surrender to the laws of this world nor will she allow others to share the blame for something she alone did. Antigone not only stands true to her beliefs but expects others to stand by theirs too, which shows why she disowns her sister when she wants to own something she did not do. Holding strong to one's belief, in the end, is sometimes the only thing one has left. Although Creon or Antigone may be wrong, that is not what is important, it only matters, that through everything that they hold strongly to their beliefs.
Creon holds strongly to his decree and Antigone is sent to her death, yet she will now die of starvation instead of stoning. The people of the city can relate to what Antigone did and even though Creon does not agree with it, he knows that if he does carry out the original sentence, he will be viewed as wrong. Haemon, Creon's son, pleads with Creon for his bride's life and as he realizes his father will not bend states, "Then she'll die...but her death will kill another." Creon cannot see past his own greed and power and, in the end, when he finally sees the light, it is too late. At this point in the play, Creon believes what he is doing is right and no matter what, he will see it through to the end. Like most people, when we believe what we are doing is right nothing will stop us despite warnings or the consequences; then when we look back, we feel that if we had known the outcome, we would have done it all differently.
Tiresias, a blind prophet, comes to tell Creon of the mistake he is making sending Antigone to her death. It is revealed to Creon, plain and clear that he is wrong yet by this time he is too late to change the events that Tiresias has seen. Tiresias sees what is truly in Creon's heart saying:
All men make mistakes, it is only human...
...Stubbornness
brands you for stupidity--pride is a crime.
Creon, like his laws, are human and are revealed to be wrong by Tiresias, revealing that Antigone is right in her beliefs in the gods' laws. Creon tries to right the wrong he has created but by this time the damage has been done and she is already dead. Her death leads to the death of Haemon and Eurydice, the Queen. Creon finally hears what others have to say, yet by this time it is too late. Most of the time in our lives, the things we need to know or wished we knew comes to late in our life, yet even though we cannot go back the point is to pass our wisdom on to prosperity. The chorus points out a moral to our play:
Wisdom is by far the greatest part of joy...
with the mighty blows of fate, and at long last
those blows will teach us wisdom.
Wisdom comes at a high cost and with great loss, yet we cannot grow or learn without these experiences.
Creon and Antigone both stand unbending in their convictions despite what consequences or what others say. According to Charles Segal, "Whereas Odysseus can lead the society out of its deadlocked conflict of values, no human figure can release Creon and Antigone from theirs" (161). When Creon is warned and revealed wrong it is too late and the damage is done. In the end, the deaths seem to stack up yet those that truly seek it, Creon and Ismene, will not receive it and they must live with what they have done. In life this too often happens, we get the truth when it is too late to go back and change the wrong we have done. Despite the outcome, both characters stood strongly by what they believed in and sometimes, in life, that is all we have. No matter how much these two characters differ in their beliefs they share the same unbending will for their belief. Maybe this story is not telling us so much about right and wrong, but telling us that through everything stand strong in your beliefs and if one's belief is questioned, take what is said into consideration and do not remain unbending. We, as humans, tend to be arrogant and stubborn, yet do not let that deafen us to the truth that we seek as it did to Creon, but open our ears to listen to the world around us.
Works Cited
Braun, Richard Emil. Introduction. Antigone. New York: Oxford UP, 1973. 3-18.
Segal, Charles. Tragedy and Civilization: An Interpretation of Sophocles. Boston:
Harvard UP, 1981. Rpt. In Sophocles. ED. Harold Bloom. New York:
Chelsea, 1990. 161-171.
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