[Antigone] shall bury him.
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And if I have to die for this pure crime (Sophocles 69-70).
She views the burial as a “…pure crime…” which eventually leads to her demise (Sophocles 70). This act demonstrates her disregard for Creon’s law and her willingness to disobey authority.
The theme of individuality, which is symbolically Antigone versus society, is represented by Creon because he governs society and is critical to the conclusion of Sophocles’ play. Haemon tries to convince his father not to kill his fiancé by using this theme, but it does not help his cause. He believes that if he convinces Creon to acquit Antigone of her crime, then he can convince Creon that his subjects do not see him as a weak man because they themselves do not approve of her condemnation. Haemon reasons:
He [the common citizen] will not say, before your face, what might
Diplease you; I can listen freely, how
The city mourns for this girl. ‘No other women’.
So they are saying, ‘so undeservedly
Has been condemned for such a glorious deed’ (Sophocles 691-695).
This scene is significant because it displays how Creon sets himself apart from society; he views himself above it. If he were part of society, he would have the same opinion as the Thebians do, which, consequently, does not work to Antigone’s advantage. Finally there is the act of burial by Antigone which defies her society. Antigone does not view what she has done as a crime, but rather as an act the gods wanted her to carry out. However, Creon argues:
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She is the only one that I have found
In all the city disobedient (Sophocles 654 – 655).
With Antigone’s will and her “pure crime”, Creon seals her fave which is supposed to be left to the gods.
The central theme, along with the theme of civil disobedience and the role of the individual versus society, changes Creon’s attitude and consequently affects the conclusion of the play. Centuries later, Anouilh maintains the main theme of the superiority of man’s law to gods’ law, but he also includes two additional themes that change the outcome of the play; in this instance he uses Creon as a pawn.
Anouilh’s themes include that of gods’ law being more viable then man’s law, however, he also adds the themes of the impurity of happiness and the absurd duty. Creon says “…life is nothing more than the happiness you get from it” (Anouilh 41). Creon orders Antigone to be happy, but she feels she does not understand nor is capable of accepting Creon, his society, and his definition of happiness. Her emotions support the theme of her disjointed relationship with society. Because of her distant relationship with society, this scene marks the beginning of Antigone’s downfall. Antigone adamantly pursues her cause to bury her brother, almost to the point of obsession—it is her absurd duty. When asked for whom she is burying Polyneices, she replies “…for nobody. For myself” (Anouilh 33).
The different themes that are included in each play are important to the development and conclusion of Antigone, and both Sophocles and Anouilh use Creon as a tool to express these ideas to the reader. Creon is the main causes of Antigone’s death in
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both plays, although only Sophocles’ Creon seems to comprehend this. Once back at the palace Creon sings in anguish:
The guilt falls on me alone; no one but I
Have slain her; no other shares in the sin (Sophocles 1308 – 1309).
With Antigone’s death, Anouilh’s Creon seems to express little concern for what he has done, he says “Cabinet meeting. Then we had better go along to it” (Anouilh 52). Anouilh’s last scene shows Creon giving little regard to the events that have just occurred, a drastic alteration from Sophocles’ ending. The conclusions of the plays differ significantly because the themes influence them differently. Without Anouilh’s added themes, Creon is responsible for Antigone’s death. In contrast to Sophocles, Anouilh develops the assertion that Antigone subconsciously wants to die. Creon’s family dies because it is the will of the gods, and in both plays, the will of the gods can not be changed.
The intent of this paper was to explore how two supporting themes as well as the most common theme influenced Creon’s reaction and consequently the conclusion to both plays. Anouilh believed in non-conformity, evident through his character and his play Antigone. He felt that it was important to be an individual in society, whereas Sophocles believed in moderation. Moderation is a key consideration to Sophocles’ Antigone because it relates to the approach the protagonist should have chosen. Sophocles’ and Anouilh’s personal views tie both plays together because both playwrights have Creon adopt their views, subsequently changing the original conclusion.
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Significant is that Sophocles’ themes and Anouilh’s additional themes, the common question that remains: Is man’s law higher then the gods’ law?
