Antigone Sparknotes

Play Analysis #1

1. "Antigone" is an ancient play by Sophocles. "Antigone" begins with the death of two brothers, Polyneices and Eteocles, sons of Oedipus who were on opposite sides in Thebes's civil war. The new king of Thebes, Creon, proclaimed that Eteocles would be honored and receive a proper burial, but Polyneices was to be shamed and would not receive a burial, being left to rot. Upon hearing this news Antigone, sister of the two recently departed brothers, secretly met with her sister Ismene to tell her the news and ask her for her assistance in burying their brother Polyneices. She refused in fear of the law but Antigone went on to do it by herself. While Creon was discussing the ruling

with the chorus a guard reported that the body had been buried, a handful of dirt placed on the corpse. Creon demanded he find the person responsible or the guard would face death himself. The guard left and soon returned with Antigone, claiming he caught her burying the body once again. When Creon questioned her she openly admitted to burying her brother's body both times. She argued with him over morality, telling him that his law went against the gods, morals, and humanity. Creon called for Ismene and questioned her. She falsely admitted to the crime but Antigone denied it and the two were locked up. Creon's son, and Antigone's fiance, Haemon then went to pledge his allegiance to his father and attempted to persuade him to rethink his judgement and spare Antigone, telling him that the people were against it.

But the conversation devolved into a heated argument. Creon stubbornly stuck by his judgements and as he left, Haemon declared he would never see his father again. Creon spared Ismene but sentenced Antigone to death. He had her buried alive, locked away in a cave in the desert with little food. Once the deed was done the blind prophet, Teiresias came to the palace with a warning for Creon. He told the king that the gods were against him and his doings. Creon stubbornly stuck by his own judgements and accused the prophet of being corrupt. Teiresias then warned him that he would be despised by Greece and that one of his own children would die because Creon would not burry Polyneices and buried Antigone alive. After the prophet left the chorus pleaded with Creon to right these wrongs. Creon was frightened and took a group of men to burry Polyneices and free Antigone. A messenger returned and announced that Haemon had taken his own life. The queen, Eruydice asked to be told everything and the messenger told her that both Haemon and Antigone had committed suicide. She then left and Creon returned carrying Haemon. Another messenger then told the king that the queen took her life, cursing him with her last breath. Creon fell into despair, knowing that it was all his fault. The

play closed with the chorus saying that punishment brings wisdom.

2. I could relate to the plot of the play. It holds many universal themes that are still relevant in modern times, despite it being a classical play. The play focuses heavily on morality and doing what you deem to be right, despite laws or consequences. It's about standing up for what you believe in without fear and that's an important lesson everyone should know. It's something many people have experienced and can attribute to their own lives. I personally have had experiences where I stood up for what I believed in and stood against authority even though it may have caused difficulties for me or I may have been judged unfavorably by others. "Antigone" also shows the dangers of pride and stubbornness, that we are not always right and that you should admit when you're wrong. Everyone knows how difficult it is to admit you're wrong and ask for forgiveness. Humans hold tightly to pride even when they know they have made a mistake, just as Creon, though usually not to the same extent. There are many religious themes still around today as well. The idea that God's laws are above mans', and that you are to stand with Him in the face of adversity. Many Christians would and have stood by God and gone against the authority of men regardless of consequences on earth. There is still persecution against religion in many countries where Christians actively put God's laws above mans' and go against the law with the chance of being killed or imprisoned. Towards the end of the play another theme is introduced; that punishment brings wisdom. This has been an effective and prominent fact throughout our lives. As a child when you do something wrong you are punished, and in response you are less likely to repeat the action. It's the same with laws, if you get a ticket for speeding you're less likely to speed, at least that is true for some. This is the preconventional stage of morality, doing something or not doing something based on praise and punishment. Human beings have learned from mistakes since the moment they are born. Being punished teaches us that something is wrong and that we shouldn't do it again. We grow intellectually from experience and mistakes.

3. Antigone had a huge significance in the play. In addition to it being titled after her she was the main protagonist of the story. She heard the law made by Creon and in the face of death and punishment she chose to stand up for what she believed in, holding heaven's laws above mans, making a moral choice, and doing right by her family. The story was strongly focussed on Antigone, along with Creon. She was doing the gods will while Creon was going against them. The moral of the story was told through her character. The prominent theme was whether heaven's laws or mans' laws took precedence. Antigone followed heaven's laws and the morally correct choice over Creon's laws and was judged by man, being imprisoned and later put to death by being trapped in a cave in the desert. She was one of the main forces acting against Creon, speaking out against him and going against his laws. Because of her actions people in town began to argue that she had done right and that Creon's decision was wrong. They disagreed that she should be executed and instead believed that she should be honored. The other characters were strongly affected by her. Some sided with her, including the gods. Creon was heavily punished and became miserable partly due to her, and Haemon took his own life out of sorrow over losing her. Many occurrences throughout the play were dependent on her. It's difficult to know what would have occurred without her character, if any of it would have. She was also the role model in the play. The morally right character that viewers and readers are meant to root for.

4.

The learning modules did help in writing this play analysis and choosing the play I wanted to write about. Because of the learning modules about Greek theatre and "Oedipus Rex" I knew more about the story leading to "Antigone" and could better understand it. The first story was very interesting so I wanted to know more and what happened after. I also chose "Antigone" because the first monologue I performed in the beginning acting class was a modern version of the classical "Antigone" titled "Another Antigone." I liked the character of Antigone, and that she was standing up for what she believed in. After reading about Sophocles in the text I was interested in choosing one of his plays because he was so highly regarded and well known for his tragedies, and I wanted to read a Greek tragedy because that was their favorite and most impressive genre. Knowing more about Greek theatre and their styles and mythology helped me better understand the story and know how important things were to each character. For instance; just how important it was for Polyneices to be buried. It wasn't only because it was a loved one who passed and Antigone wanted him to be properly taken care of. It was also because it was a way to show your familial love and ties and to send the dead off into peace because the Greeks believed the soul of an unburied body would never find

peace.