Antiogone by sophcoles

Antigone

25 FEB 2011

            The two brothers Eteocles and Polyneices were on opposite sides of the Thebes’ civil war, whom were both killed in the war. The new ruler of Thebes, Creon declared that Polyneices be disgraced because he was a traitor during the war and Eteocles be honoured as a hero. Ismene and Antigone are sisters of the two brothers. In the beginning of the play, Antigone and Ismene meet outside the city gates secretly for a meeting. Antigone wanted to bury the body of Polyneices but Ismene refused as she did not want to go against the king’s orders and also feared the death penalty imposed on the matter. Ismene was unable to stop her sister from during the body herself which lead to Antigone disowning her.

            Creon gathered support from the chorus of Theban elders and got their full backing for his penalty on anyone who dared bury Polyneices’ body. When the body is reported buried by a sentry, creon orders the capture of the culprit to be punished by death. Antigone is apprehended, she pleaded guilty which angered Creon. Creon assumed the Ismene had helped her sister bury their brother so he summoned her, Ismene tried to confess falsely so as to die beside her sister but Antigone could not allow it. Creon orders both sisters to be locked up temporarily, Haemon the son of Creon and fiancé to Antigone supports his father on his decision. Later Haemon, pleads with his father to spare the two sisters stating that the city mourns for them secretly. The discussions ends up with the father and the son furious and insulting each other provoking Haemon to leave vowing never to see Creon ever again.

            Creon spares Ismene but orders Antigone to be buried alive in a cave. She tries to defend her actions once again but Creon hears non of it hence, she taken away to be buried. The chorus of elders express great sorrow for Antigone. A blind prophet by the name Tiresias warns Creon that the gods favour Antigone and that Polyneices be buried honourably and urgently. Creon in return accuses the prophet of being corrupt, Tiresias tell Creon that because of this, he will lose a son whom he values the most for the actions of not during Polyneices and for ordering the death of Antigone. In addition, Creon’s offerings to the gods would be rejected and all of Greece would hate and despise him. After hearing this, the chorus pleads with Creon to free Antigone and bury Polyneices and Creon agrees. As Creon prepares to go and undo his mistakes, a messengers enters the room and to informs Creon that, Haemon had died. The mother of Haemon and Creon’s wife Eurydice command the messenger to tell her everything, the messenger reports that both Haemon and Antigone are dead where Antigone hanged herself and Haemon stubbed himself to death after finding her body, just after Polyneices was buried. Eurydice leaves the chambers and disappears into the palace.

            Creon blames himself for these events and as he enters carrying Haemon’s body, a second messenger enters and informs Creon and the chorus that Eurydice too had killed herself. They are also informed that she used her last words and breath to curse Creon. Creon a broken man, is helped inside by his servants. Creon still remained king and the order he valued had been protected, but his actions against the gods left him wifeless and his son died.  The chorus adjourned by saying the proud are always punished by the gods and that with punishment wisdom is acquired.

            Antigone’s major themes are pride, moral law versus human law, individual versus state and conscience versus law. It shows the gods despised pride which was the central part in Antigone. To the Greeks, pride was a symbol for greatness but the gods punished the proud through suffering. In Antigone pride is a complex concept because it portrayed Antigone a hero and Creon a tyrant. In the second world war, a rewritten version of the Antigone play became a powerful message in resistance against the Nazis. The conflict between the power of state (Creon) and individualism (Antigone) can also be found in this modern life. Antigone used divine law in her defense while faith was her guide. Out of devotion for higher principles than the human law, Antigone sacrificed her life.

This Greek play was created to honour, respect and follow the god’s advice. With his male ego, pride and sense of kingship at stake, Creon made it personal to defeat Antigone. Creon is subject to poor judgment and human weakness although he always had the best interest of the state at heart.  This play brought out the nobility of Creon and what made him lose judgment temporarily. One must break certain rules and go against their principles sometimes, so as to do the right thing. In this case Antigone did so by during Polyneice’s body and going against Creon’s orders. On the others hand, rules were made to be followed and Creon let himself be controlled by his own pride. He chose not to follow the wishes of the gods and was subjected to a severe punishment.

“Due to your foolishness my vaulted maiden, you shall be buried full of breath and die with full of regret for defying the king’s orders which are second to god’s”- In Antigone the hamartia was committed when Antigone went on to defy Creon’s orders which were very clear but Creon’s ignorance which caused the death of Antigone is the true hamartia where he say.

“Filled with anger, Haemon stubs himself with a blade and now he lays besides his love dead”- Catharsis occurred when Creon’s wife heard of her son’s death leading her to take her own life. It also occurred when Haemon found Antigone’s body and stubbed himself to death. With Aristotle defining flaw as the misfortune gotten from making a fatal mistake, we could comfortable say the flaw is in Creon’s decision to have Antigone buried alive.

I would not have directed the play in any other way because the play shows clearly all the events and how each had a heavy outcome as the play progress, but would simply the play language due to the modernized audience. Antigone is one of the best plays ever to be written and its original version will still be the same as my version.

Conclusion

            Life is full of choices that are always confusing. These choices should be well thought about by justifying the means with the end results. Justice and truth must be found amongst the problems in life. Antigone addresses these issues in a unique way where one has to be fair and trustworthy to themselves always.