Sophocles Use Of Dramatic Irony In Antigone

Sophocles' Way of Communication

“Old age and the passage of time teach all things” (Sophocles). Sophocles wrote things in his time that had a different meaning than what he actually said. All of his old ways of saying certain things with different meanings, teach people in our time irony. Throughout Sophocles’ Antigone, he writes using irony, which is a literary technique. Sophocles expresses irony through Antigone and Creon. Antigone is a very headstrong, sarcastic, bitter and careless character. Antigone believes in certain things and won’t do the opposite. Creon is also a very headstrong character. Along with being headstrong, Creon is very oblivious to things happening throughout the play.

Sarcastically, Antigone tells Ismene “Go

away… Leave me my foolish plan” (Prologue, line 86), using verbal irony. Although Antigone said to leave her alone, she said it sarcastically. Antigone wants her sister’s help, but Ismene made it seem like she didn’t want to help with the burial of their brother. Antigone says to leave her her “foolish” plan, because she thinks Ismene thinks her plan is foolish. Antigone doesn’t honestly think her plan is foolish, she just said that to Ismene for affect.
Bitterly, Antigone says to Ismene “I should not want you even if you ask to come” (Prologue, line 54-55), using verbal irony. Antigone has been asking for Ismene’s help this entire time, but Ismene doesn’t want to break the rules of Creon. Eventually, Ismene comes around and agrees to help with the plan, this is when Antigone uses the verbal irony. Antigone wants Ismene’s help, but after Ismene hesitated on wanting to help, Antigone says bitterly to her “I should not want you even if you ask to come”, expressing the verbal irony.
Oblivious to the reality of who could be capable and willing to go against his rules, Creon refers to the person that messed with Polyneices body as “the man” ( Scene 1, lines 43, 60, 85, and 136-138), which is dramatic irony.

As Creon is so oblivious to who the person could be, he is missing that it could be someone as close to him as Antigone. Also, Creon doesn’t think anyone but a man would go against him. Creon realizes his oblivious thinking when he is told that Antigone is the one that messed with Polyneices body. This is dramatic irony, because the audience knows that Antigone is the one that went against Creon’s ways, even when Creon, along with many others, refer to the person as “the man”.

Disregarding the outcome of what may come from her actions, Antigone avoids Creon’s rules and demands for not burying Polyneices. Antigone affectionately chooses to give her brother a burial instead of him being left to rot where he died. Antigone realizes by disregarding Creon’s rules, her actions will result in her death. Carelessly, Antigone decides she will risk her life to be able to give her brother a burial, which is situational irony. This is situational irony, because her small act of love to her brother, is leading her to her

death.
Throughout Sophocles’ plays he used irony in many ways, whether it be dramatic irony, situational irony, or verbal irony. Sophocles used irony in Antigone to express what he meant without actually saying it. Throughout time many people, including us, learn many things from Sophocles. “Old age and the passage of time teach all things” (Sophocles).