When Antigone is caught by the sentry, her dialogue with Creon, king of Thebes, further exemplifies her desire to be revered:
Give me glory! What greater glory could I win than to give my own brother’s decent burial? These citizens here would all agree, they would praise me too if their lips weren’t locked in fear (Sophocles 84.561).
At this point in the play, Antigone has become extremely absorbed in carrying out her plan. The first half of this dialogue seems almost like a plea, a demand to give her the admiration she desires. The latter part suggests that Antigone strongly thinks that she will be admired for her actions, for if she dies because of the beliefs they shared, she will be proclaimed a martyr. Antigone’s persistent attitude toward fulfilling her desires inhibits her ability to think reasonably. This is seen when she deliberately breaks the law established by King Creon, and embraces the idea of the impending and grim consequences. As with modern-day governments, disregard for the rules results in punishment. This is the sentence that the irrational Antigone faced, and she welcomed it with open arms. Her passion to achieve acclaim mixed with indifference toward any opinions but her own served as precursors to her exile and her death.
Creon’s dialogue throughout the play shows that his role as ruler of Thebes was entirely focused on self gain. Creon’s first appearance in the play is in the form of a monologue where he ponders the meaning of becoming king. His speech is condescending and superior from the very beginning of the piece, especially when Creon proclaims that he will “now possess the throne and all its powers” (Sophocles 67.193). Creon’s tone of this statement, and of the whole monologue, sounds greedy. He only speaks of what the title of king can bring him, and how he will handle opposition to his authority. He becomes fascinated with the amount of control he has, and becomes adamant about keeping the position. Creon maintains his power by threatening to punish all those who pose appear to threaten him. This is seen when he tells the sentry that if he fails to find the person responsible for burying Polynices, “simple death won’t be enough for [him]” (Sophocles 74.348). He is so taken in by the power he has been given that his ability to compromise is non-existent. He is completely unresponsive to any opinion but his own. He believes that the city belongs to him, and that if his people should act as an opposition to his reign, he can kill them.
Creon refuses to listen to anything anybody has to say about his actions; he even disregards the advice of his son, Haemon. The conversation between father and son starts politely, but turns hostile as soon as Haemon urges his father to listen to public gossip. Creon rebukes this advice by saying that the people should have no effect on his actions, that “the city is the king’s – that’s the law!” (Sophocles 97.825). The title of king has gone to his head so much that he has forgotten the purpose of the position altogether. Instead of governing over the city, he uses the privileges given to him as a means of maintaining his title of king. As the dialogue between Creon and Haemon progresses, Haemon criticizes his father’s actions. Feeling opposition stemming from his son, Creon starts to verbally attack him, claiming that Haemon is a “soul of corruption, rotten through – [he is a] woman’s accomplice!” (Sophocles 98.836). Creon accuses people of conspiring against him, when they are only trying to help the longevity of his reign. Those who try to assist him become angry, and in the case of Haemon, his frustration towards his father’s stubbornness causes him to take his own life.
Tragedy is characteristic of Sophoclean drama. The play “Antigone” demonstrates this theme in its two main characters. Perhaps an underlying theme specific to this play is the idea that the characters bring tragedy upon themselves. Both characters, although presented in very different lights in the play, shared one characteristic of their personalities that contributed to their misfortune. Antigone and Creon were both incredibly headstrong individuals, so confident in their convictions that they were unable to comprehend the consequences of their actions. Her logic corrupted by the prospect of martyrdom, Antigone glorified the idea of death instead of fearing it. In the end, Antigone hung herself in order to escape her insanity; it was not in the name of her principals. The throne possessed a great deal of power, and Creon used this to enforce rules and actions that would ensure his survival as king. Unfortunately for Creon, his behavior lead to the suicides of his son and wife. Perhaps it is the element of tragedy that has kept people intrigued with this play. The need for respect is something that all people can identify with, as humans have an inherent need for attention. People watch this need expand tenfold in these characters, and cannot help but sympathize with them. Antigone and Creon’s stubborn behavior triggered their respective tragedies in this Sophoclean drama, a concept that has held the attention of the general public since the time of Ancient Greece.
Works Cited
Glassman, William E. Approaches to Psychology. Philadelphia: Open University Press. 2000.
Sophocles. “Antigone.” New York: Penguin Books. 1984.
“Antigone”: Illustrating the Concept of Self-Inflicted Tragedy
Allyson Aquino
October 31, 2002
Cultural Foundations I
