Antigone by Sophocles

“Antigone” is a tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright Sophocles, written around 442 BCE. It deals

with Antigone’s burial of her brother Polynices (Polyneices), in defiance of the laws of Creon and the state, and the
tragic repercussions of her act of civil disobedience. 

A. Characters in Antigone

a. Antigone
She is the oldest daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta. Her name in Greek means ‘one who is of the
opposite opinion’ (anti = opposite, gnomi = opinion). She is the braver of Oedipus’ two daughters, and
believes that her brother, Polyneices, deserves a proper burial, so she sets out to do just that. Antigone
is the one that stays with Oedipus when he is banished, a blind man, from Thebes.
b. Ismene
She is the youngest daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta. Her name in Greek means ‘to linger towards’
(eis = towards, mene = linger). She warns Antigone that trying to give their brother a proper burial
would surely lead to her death and declares that she wants nothing to do with the whole idea. After
Antigone is captured by Creon, Ismene states that she helped because she wants to be executed with
her sister. Antigone states that she is innocent, and therefore, Ismene is set free.
c. Creon
He is Jocasta’s brother and the ruler of Thebes. He is also Haemon’s father. Creon exiled Oedipus
from Thebes after Oedipus killed his father and married his mother. Creon also declared that
Polyneices would not receive a proper burial because he committed treason against his own city.
Creon punishes Antigone to death.
d. Haemon
He is Creon’s son. Haemon is supposed to marry Antigone, however, when Creon banishes Antigone
to her death, Haemon runs off. He is later found, dead by her side, after committing suicide for his lost
love.
e. Polyneices
He is the eldest son of Oedipus and Jocasta. Although he supposedly is the next in line to receive
power to the throne, Eteocles takes over and banishes Polyneices from Thebes. Polyneices then
gathers and army and attacks his brother. He ends up killing his brother, and being killed by his
brother in battle.
f. Eteocles
He is the younger son of Oedipus and Jocasta, and is the younger brother to Polyneices. He takes over
the throne when he is old enough, and banishes Polyneices from Thebes. When Polyneices attacks
Eteocles for the throne, Eteocles kills him, and is killed by same, simultaneously, in battle.

B. Antigone Setting
The setting of this tragedy takes place in the city of Thebes. Oedipus, who was supposed to be the ruler of
Thebes, was banished by Creon because he killed his father and married his brother. Creon was the ruler until
Oedipus’ sons were old enough to take the throne.

C. Antigone Plot Summary

Oedipus was banished from Thebes, when the prophecy of patricide and incest was proven true. Oedipus left
Thebes a blind and broken man. Creon took over the throne because Oedipus’ two sons, Eteocles and
Polyneices, were too young to become rulers. As time passed, and the two sons aged, Eteocles claimed the
throne for himself, exiling his older brother Polyneices. Polyneices then gathered a giant army and attacked
Eteocles for the throne. Neither of the two sons won because they both ended up killing each other in battle.
 Creon then resumes power and declares that Eteocles will have a proper burial; however, Polyneices’ body
will be left for the dogs and vultures to eat, as a punishment for his disgrace. Antigone, Polyneices’ sister, then
learns of such news and decides that she must give her brother a proper burial. Her sister, Ismene, warns her
against the dangers and consequences and states that she will not have any part in helping her sister with her
scheme. Antigone then goes to her brothers’ guarded body and pours dirt and sand over him, performing the
proper burial rights.

As guards brush the dirt off the body, she reveals herself willingly. Creon is enraged and imprisons both
Antigone and Ismene, who he believes to be an accomplice. Creon’s son, Haemon, pleads with his father to
release Antigone, his bride-to-be. Creon ridicules Haemon for his ridiculous thoughts of freeing Antigone.
Haemon then runs off, crushed that his father would treat his so badly. Creon then states that Ismene’s
innocence is clear and that only Antigone should be punished, so he takes Antigone to a cave outside the city
and buries her alive. Teiresias, the blind prophet then warns Creon that the gods are unhappy for the lack of
proper burial and that his son’s death shall be the punishment. Creon mocks Teiresias, but the chorus reminds
Creon that the prophet has never been wrong. Now worried for his son’s life, Creon performs the proper burial
rituals for Polyneices’ body. Creon then rushes to free Antigone, but it is too late, she is dead, and Haemon has
killed himself for her. A broken man, Creon returns to the kingdom only to learn that his wife, Eurydice, has
killed herself after learning about her son’s death. Creon is then lead away by the chorus, lamenting in his own
self misery. (BookRags, Antigone)

D. Themes in Antigone
A major theme evident within this tragedy is pride. (BookRags, Antigone) Oedipus’ sons, Eteocles and
Polyneices, were both too prideful because they both wanted the power that came from taking over the throne
at Thebes. As a result, it led to both of their self-destructions, as they killed each other in a battle for power.
Antigone is too proud to let her brother’s body be eaten and destroyed by the dogs and by the vultures. As a
result, she goes against the very strict law that Creon placed within Thebes. In a way, one could argue that it
was Antigone’s excessive pride that led to her own demise and that if she had just followed Creon’s laws then
she wouldn’t have been executed. Creon’s pride for Thebes is what caused Polyneices to be known as such a
villain. If Creon had just buried the body properly, then he could have spared his son’s and his wife’s lives.
Also, Creon’s pride within his own laws caused him to look past the prophet’s warning. By the time Creon
finally realized that it was the gods who held the highest power, it was too late. Creon also states that his son is
like a slave to Antigone and mocks his son for not respecting his power. This causes Haemon to rush off,
dejected, and later causes him to commit suicide. It is only after Creon is humbled, that he realizes the grave
mistakes he has made. By this time, however, it is too late to fix anything and he has lost everything.