writing book review antigone

Literary Theory and Criticism

Home › Drama Criticism › Analysis of Sophocles’ Antigone

Analysis of Sophocles’ Antigone

By NASRULLAH MAMBROL on July 29, 2020 • ( 0 )

Within this single drama—in great part, a harsh critique of Athenian society and the Greek city-state in general—Sophocles tells of the eternal struggle between the state and the individual, human and natural law, and the enormous gulf between what we attempt here on earth and what fate has in store for us all. In this magnificent dramatic work, almost incidentally so, we find nearly every reason why we are now what we are.

—Victor D. Hanson and John Heath, Who Killed Homer? The Demise of Classical Education and the Recovery of Greek Wisdom

With Antigone Sophocles forcibly demonstrates that the power of tragedy derives not from the conflict between right and wrong but from the confrontation between right and right. As the play opens the succession battle between the sons of Oedipus—Polynices and Eteocles—over control of Thebes has resulted in both of their deaths. Their uncle Creon, who has now assumed the throne, asserts his authority to end a destructive civil war and decrees that only Eteocles, the city’s defender, should receive honorable burial. Polynices, who has led a foreign army against Thebes, is branded a traitor. His corpse is to be left on the battlefield “to be chewed up by birds and dogs and violated,” with death the penalty for anyone who attempts to bury him and supply the rites necessary for the dead to reach the underworld. Antigone, Polynices’ sister, is determined to defy Creon’s order, setting in motion a tragic collision between opposed laws and duties: between natural and divine commands that dictate the burial of the dead and the secular edicts of a ruler determined to restore civic order, between family allegiance and private conscience and public duty and the rule of law that restricts personal liberty for the common good. Like the proverbial immovable object meeting an irresistible force, Antigone arranges the impact of seemingly irreconcilable conceptions of rights and responsibilities, producing one of drama’s enduring illuminations of human nature and the human condition.

Antigone is one of Sophocles’ greatest achievements and one of the most influential dramas ever staged. “Between 1790 and 1905,” critic George Steiner reports, “it was widely held by European poets, philosophers, [and] scholars that Sophocles’ Antigone was not only the fi nest of Greek tragedies, but a work of art nearer to perfection than any other produced by the human spirit.” Its theme of the opposition between the individual and authority has resonated through the centuries, with numerous playwrights, most notably Jean Anouilh, Bertolt Brecht, and Athol Fugard grafting contemporary concerns and values onto the moral and political dramatic framework that Sophocles established. The play has elicited paradoxical responses reflecting changing cultural and moral imperatives. Antigone, who has been described as “the first heroine of Western drama,” has been interpreted both as a heroic martyr to conscience and as a willfully stubborn fanatic who causes her own death and that of two other innocent people, forsaking her duty to the living on behalf of the dead. Creon has similarly divided critics between censure and sympathy. Despite the play’s title, some have suggested that the tragedy is Creon’s, not Antigone’s, and it is his abuse of authority and his violations of personal, family, and divine obligations that center the drama’s tragedy. The brilliance of Sophocles’ play rests in the complexity of motive and the competing absolute claims that the drama displays. As novelist George Eliot observed,

It is a very superficial criticism which interprets the character of Creon as that of hypocritical tyrant, and regards Antigone as a blameless victim. Coarse contrasts like this are not the materials handled by great dramatists. The exquisite art of Sophocles is shown in the touches by which he makes us feel that Creon, as well as Antigone, is contending for what he believes to be the right, while both are also conscious that, in following out one principle, they are laying themselves open to just blame for transgressing another.

Eliot would call the play’s focus the “antagonism of valid principles,” demonstrating a point of universal significance that “Wherever the strength of a man’s intellect, or moral sense, or affection brings him into opposition with the rules which society has sanctioned, there is renewed conflict between Antigone and Creon; such a man must not only dare to be right, he must also dare to be wrong—to shake faith, to wound friendship, perhaps, to hem in his own powers.” Sophocles’ Antigone is less a play about the pathetic end of a victim of tyranny or the corruption of authority than about the inevitable cost and con-sequence between competing imperatives that define the human condition. From opposite and opposed positions, both Antigone and Creon ultimately meet at the shared suffering each has caused. They have destroyed each other and themselves by who they are and what they believe. They are both right and wrong in a world that lacks moral certainty and simple choices. The Chorus summarizes what Antigone will vividly enact: “The powerful words of the proud are paid in full with mighty blows of fate, and at long last those blows will teach us wisdom.”

As the play opens Antigone declares her intention to her sister Ismene to defy Creon’s impious and inhumane order and enlists her sister’s aid to bury their brother. Ismene responds that as women they must not oppose the will of men or the authority of the city and invite death. Ismene’s timidity and deference underscores Antigone’s courage and defiance. Antigone asserts a greater allegiance to blood kinship and divine law declaring that the burial is a “holy crime,” justified even by death. Ismene responds by calling her sister “a lover of the impossible,” an accurate description of the tragic hero, who, according to scholar Bernard Knox, is Sophocles’ most important contribution to drama: “Sophocles presents us for the first time with what we recognize as a ‘tragic hero’: one who, unsupported by the gods and in the face of human opposition, makes a decision which springs from the deepest layer of his individual nature, his physis , and then blindly, ferociously, heroically maintains that decision even to the point of self-destruction.” Antigone exactly conforms to Knox’s description, choosing her conception of duty over sensible self-preservation and gender-prescribed submission to male authority, turning on her sister and all who oppose her. Certain in her decision and self-sufficient, Antigone rejects both her sister’s practical advice and kinship. Ironically Antigone denies to her sister, when Ismene resists her will, the same blood kinship that claims Antigone’s supreme allegiance in burying her brother. For Antigone the demands of the dead overpower duty to the living, and she does not hesitate in claiming both to know and act for the divine will. As critic Gilbert Norwood observes, “It is Antigone’s splendid though perverse valor which creates the drama.”

Before the apprehended Antigone, who has been taken in the act of scattering dust on her brother’s corpse, lamenting, and pouring libations, is brought before Creon and the dramatic crux of the play, the Chorus of The-ban elders delivers what has been called the fi nest song in all Greek tragedy, the so-called Ode to Man, that begins “Wonders are many, and none is more wonderful than man.” This magnificent celebration of human power over nature and resourcefulness in reason and invention ends with a stark recognition of humanity’s ultimate helplessness—“Only against Death shall he call for aid in vain.” Death will test the resolve and principles of both Antigone and Creon, while, as critic Edouard Schuré asserts, “It brings before us the most extraordinary psychological evolution that has ever been represented on stage.”

When Antigone is brought in judgment before Creon, obstinacy meets its match. Both stand on principle, but both reveal the human source of their actions. Creon betrays himself as a paranoid autocrat; Antigone as an individual whose powerful hatred outstrips her capacity for love. She defiantly and proudly admits that she is guilty of disobeying Creon’s decree and that he has no power to override divine law. Nor does Antigone concede any mitigation of her personal obligation in the competing claims of a niece, a sister, or a citizen. Creon is maddened by what he perceives to be Antigone’s insolence in justifying her crime by diminishing his authority, provoking him to ignore all moderating claims of family, natural, or divine extenuation. When Ismene is brought in as a co-conspirator, she accepts her share of guilt in solidarity with her sister, but again Antigone spurns her, calling her “a friend who loves in words,” denying Ismene’s selfless act of loyalty and sympathy with a cold dismissal and self-sufficiency, stating, “Never share my dying, / don’t lay claim to what you never touched.” However, Ismene raises the ante for both Antigone and Creon by asking her uncle whether by condemning Antigone he will kill his own son’s betrothed. Creon remains adamant, and his judgment on Antigone and Ismene, along with his subsequent argument with his son, Haemon, reveals that Creon’s principles are self-centered, contradictory, and compromised by his own pride, fears, and anxieties. Antigone’s challenge to his authority, coming from a woman, is demeaning. If she goes free in defiance of his authority, Creon declares, “I am not the man, she is.” To the urging of Haemon that Creon should show mercy, tempering his judgment to the will of Theban opinion that sympathizes with Antigone, Creon asserts that he cares nothing for the will of the town, whose welfare Creon’s original edict against Polynices was meant to serve. Creon, moreover, resents being schooled in expediency by his son. Inflamed by his son’s advocacy on behalf of Antigone, Creon brands Haemon a “woman’s slave,” and after vacillating between stoning Antigone and executing her and her sister in front of Haemon, Creon rules that Antigone alone is to perish by being buried alive. Having begun the drama with a decree that a dead man should remain unburied, Creon reverses himself, ironically, by ordering the premature burial of a living woman.

Antigone, being led to her entombment, is shown stripped of her former confidence and defiance, searching for the justification that can steel her acceptance of the fate that her actions have caused. Contemplating her living descent into the underworld and the death that awaits her, Antigone regrets dying without marriage and children. Gone is her reliance on divine and natural law to justify her act as she equivocates to find the emotional source to sustain her. A husband and children could be replaced, she rationalizes, but since her mother and father are dead, no brother can ever replace Polynices. Antigone’s tortured logic here, so different from the former woman of principle, has been rejected by some editors as spurious. Others have judged this emotionally wrought speech essential for humanizing Antigone, revealing her capacity to suffer and her painful search for some consolation.

The drama concludes with the emphasis shifted back to Creon and the consequences of his judgment. The blind prophet Teiresias comes to warn Creon that Polynices’ unburied body has offended the gods and that Creon is responsible for the sickness that has descended on Thebes. Creon has kept from Hades one who belongs there and is sending to Hades another who does not. The gods confirm the rightness of Antigone’s action, but justice evades the working out of the drama’s climax. The release of Antigone comes too late; she has hung herself. Haemon commits suicide, and Eurydice, Creon’s wife, kills herself after cursing Creon for the death of their son. Having denied the obligation of family, Creon loses his own. Creon’s rule, marked by ignoring or transgressing cosmic and family law, is shown as ultimately inadequate and destructive. Creon is made to realize that he has been rash and foolish, that “Whatever I have touched has come to nothing.” Both Creon and Antigone have been pushed to terrifying ends in which what truly matters to both are made starkly clear. Antigone’s moral imperatives have been affirmed but also their immense cost in suffering has been exposed. Antigone explores a fundamental rift between public and private worlds. The central opposition in the play between Antigone and Creon, between duty to self and duty to state, dramatizes critical antimonies in the human condition. Sophocles’ genius is his resistance of easy and consoling simplifications to resolve the oppositions. Both sides are ultimately tested; both reveal the potential for greatness and destruction.

24 lectures on Greek Tragedy by Dr. Elizabeth Vandiver.

Share this:

Categories: Drama Criticism , Literature

Tags: Analysis of Sophocles’ Antigone , Antigone Analysis , Antigone Criticism , Antigone Essay , Antigone Guide , Antigone Lecture , Antigone PDF , Antigone Summary , Antigone Themes , Bibliography of Sophocles’ Antigone , Character Study of Sophocles’ Antigone , Criticism of Sophocles’ Antigone , Drama Criticism , Essays of Sophocles’ Antigone , Greek Tragedy , Literary Criticism , Notes of Sophocles’ Antigone , Plot of Sophocles’ Antigone , Simple Analysis of Sophocles’ Antigone , Study Guides of Sophocles’ Antigone , Summary of Sophocles’ Antigone , Synopsis of Sophocles’ Antigone , Themes of Sophocles’ Antigone , Tragedy

Related Articles

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Antigone — Book Review: Antigone written by Sophocles

Book Review: Antigone Written by Sophocles

• Categories: Antigone Antigone Tragic Hero Sophocles

About this sample

Words: 1292 |

Published: Dec 18, 2018

Words: 1292 | Pages: 3 | 7 min read

• Lauriola, R. (2007). Wisdom and Foolishness: A Further Point in the Interpretation of Sophocles' Antigone. Hermes, 135(H. 4), 389-405. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/40379138)
• Martens, K. (2018). Reimagining heroism: A conceptual analysis through antigone and medea. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 58(4), 431-443. (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0022167816686690?journalCode=jhpa)
• Soliah, N. (2011). Conflict of Interest Between The Family and The State In Sophocles' Antigone (1912): Psychoanalytic Criticism (Doctoral dissertation, Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta). (http://eprints.ums.ac.id/15742/)
• Segal, C. P. (1964). Sophocles' Praise of Man and the Conflicts of the" Antigone". Arion: A Journal of Humanities and the Classics, 3(2), 46-66. (https://dokumen.tips/documents/sophocles-praise-of-man-and-the-conflicts-of-the-antigone.html?page=1)
• Moro, V. (2021). SAILING TOGETHER: THE AGONISTIC CONSTRUCTION OF SISTERHOOD IN SOPHOCLES’ANTIGONE. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/ramus/article/abs/sailing-together-the-agonistic-construction-of-sisterhood-in-sophocles-antigone/65DE1EC4AC8B60CB36911DA95DE375090 Ramus, 50(1-2), 109-126.

Cite this Essay

To export a reference to this article please select a referencing style below:

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Dr. Heisenberg

Verified writer

• Expert in: Literature

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

2 pages / 918 words

5 pages / 2254 words

4 pages / 1803 words

2 pages / 1012 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Antigone

Throughout Sophocles' play Antigone, the character of Haemon, the son of King Creon, serves as a crucial element in the tragic narrative. Haemon's love for Antigone, his betrothed, and his attempt to reason with his father, [...]

Antigone, a tragedy written by the ancient Greek playwright Sophocles, is a powerful exploration of conflicting principles of duty and governance. The play’s central characters, Antigone and Creon, appear to be diametrically [...]

In Euripides' play "Medea," the idea of anagnorisis, or that moment when everything just clicks into place, is huge. It's like a lightbulb going off for the characters and it shapes the whole story. One of those moments? [...]

In Sophocles' play Antigone, the character of Creon, the king of Thebes, exhibits a fatal flaw that ultimately leads to his downfall. Creon's tragic flaw is his excessive pride and stubbornness, which blinds him to the [...]

In Sophocles' play Antigone, the two sisters, Antigone and Ismene, have opposing opinions concerning which to value more - the dead or the living. Antigone places greater emphasis on her duty to honor her dead brother, [...]

In Sophocles' Antigone, Creon, the King of Thebes, is entrusted to care for Antigone and Ismene, the daughters of the deceased Theban King Oedipus. However, Creon and the strong-willed Antigone clash on the issue of the burial [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free

Introduction of Antigone

Summary of antigone, major themes in antigone,   major characters in antigone, writing style of antigone, analysis of literary devices in antigone, related posts:, post navigation.

Sophocles’ Antigone

Thomas talboy , centre for ancient drama and its reception, university of nottingham and santa catalina school, monterey, ca. [email protected].

Woodruff’s fine translation is a great contribution to the field: it serves well as an introductory text, and, delightfully, exhibits performability. While he worries that he ‘may not succeed in writing objectively’ (vii), his translation and interpretation deliver a viable dramatic piece.

Beginning with ‘What Happened before Sunrise’, Woodruff provides the reader with information about the events before the opening of the play. He continues with a discussion of the ‘Conflict’ and artfully moves into the ‘Interpretation.’ Woodruff then discusses ‘Sophocles’ Artistry’ and leads the reader through an analysis of the characters and the Chorus. He concludes his introduction with a discussion of Sophocles’ life and helpful ‘Suggestions for Further Reading.’

Woodruff’s philosophical background informs his translation and interpretation. In his ‘Interpretation’ he discusses at some length the Hegelian notion of ‘synthesis of opposing powers’ pointing out that this does not mean any ‘relaxation of tension.’ (xii) He further considers Nussbaum’s conclusion, in disagreement with Hegel, that the conflict is unresolvable. 1 Woodruff does not overwhelm the reader with the philosophical in the introduction but invites him to consider it further in the Appendix. Therein he examines the tendency of readers to ‘overlook the importance of Antigone to Hegel’s phenomenology’. (63) Moreover, he laments, because of readers’ inability to appreciate Hegel ‘they miss the subtlety of Hegel’s account of the play.’ (63) Woodruff’s discussion of the philosophical issues arising in the play is well balanced, neither off-putting to the first-time reader nor over-simplified for the seasoned reader.

Woodruff’s footnotes are helpful and informative. Some of them are complemented by endnotes. In these he offers alternative readings and discussions of more problematic manuscript readings, including the troublesome passages 663-71 and 904-20. His ‘Selected Bibliography’ is conveniently divided into sections for general readers and for scholars.

As with any translation, there are a few points that some might take issue with. His confident statement in the opening stage directions that a ‘raised platform stage’ was used conceals the uncertainty of whether such a stage existed, its size and use. Likewise, his quick discussion of the fifth stasimon may be a bit too quick: ‘The Fifth Stasimon is sung at the terrifying crisis of the play. … Why now? … Keep in mind that Dionysus was believed to preside over the theatre in which this play was performed and that the final expulsion of Antigone’s accursed and autocratic family will be a healing for Thebes.’ (xxvi) Besides overlooking the wider debate about the full relationship between the theater and Dionysus, 2 this comment is likely to lead the unsuspecting reader to believe that there is evidence in the play that ‘Antigone’s accursed and autocratic family’ is expelled.

On an intriguing point Woodruff seems to only tempt the reader without the full ramification of a solid argument. Referring to κεῖμαι of line 73, he introduces the possibility that Antigone may be possessed by ‘an incestuous longing to lie in the embrace of her brother beneath the ground’ and this is why she ‘prefers burial to marriage and a brother to a husband.’ (xvii); on the next page, he returns to the ‘remarkable’ love Antigone has for Polyneices, confirming that he regards κεῖμαι at 73 as having a sexual meaning. Unfortunately, he does not develop this idea beyond remarking that ‘this may have sent a shock through the original audience.’ (xix) Such a relationship in the context of this play, and as a stated motivating factor for Antigone’s defiance is surely worth more than a passing suggestion of controversy. κεῖμαι appears in Antigone seven times, in four of those (484, 1174, 1196, 1240 and 1289) it does not have a sexual undertone. Interestingly, besides line 73 that Woodruff mentions, line 76 and 1240 both involve Antigone: the former in relationship to Polyneices and the latter in relationship to Haemon — the very one with whom she would prefer not to lie — and with an undoubtedly sexual meaning. Space considerations may have prevented Woodruff from fully exploring this point, but perhaps it would have been better not to mention it all without more convincing arguments.

Overall, Woodruff’s translation deserves a place in translation classes — it is inviting to the reader and stirs the imagination. The beginning student can easily follow the introduction and the philosophical appendix; the experienced reader will gain from its faithful and attractive translation. Woodruff’s translation strives for, and achieves, accuracy, easily maintaining ‘the dramatic and poetic intensity of the ancient Greek play’ (xxx).

1 . Martha Nussbaum. “Sophocles’ Antigone : Conflict, Vision, and Simplification.” In her The Fragility of Goodness: Luck and Ethics in Greek Tragedy and Philosophy. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1986) 51-82.

2 . As a starting pointing, compare the articles in: J. Winkler and F. Zeitlin, eds. Nothing to Do with Dionysos? Athenian Drama in its Social Context. (Princeton: Princeton University Press 1990) and M. Silk, ed. Tragedy and the Tragic: Greek Theatre and Beyond. (Oxford: Clarendon Press 1998).

• Ask LitCharts AI
• Discussion Question Generator
• Essay Prompt Generator
• Quiz Question Generator

• Literature Guides
• Poetry Guides
• Shakespeare Translations
• Literary Terms

Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Sophocles's Antigone . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

Antigone: Introduction

Antigone: plot summary, antigone: detailed summary & analysis, antigone: themes, antigone: quotes, antigone: characters, antigone: symbols, antigone: theme wheel, brief biography of sophocles.

Historical Context of Antigone

Other books related to antigone.

• Full Title: Antigone
• When Written: Circa 442 B.C.E.
• Where Written: Athens, Greece
• Literary Period: Classical
• Genre: Tragic drama
• Setting: The royal house of Thebes
• Climax: The suicides of Antigone and Haemon
• Antagonist: Creon

Extra Credit for Antigone

World War II Antigone: In 1944, when Paris was occupied by the Nazis, Jean Anouilh produced a version of Antigone in which the audience was able to identify Antigone with the French Resistance fighters and Creon with the occupying forces.

World War II Antigone 2: The German poet and playwright Bertolt Brecht produced a version of the play in German, in 1948, which had even more obvious references to the Nazis. Brecht's version of the play begins in a Berlin air-raid shelter.

• Quizzes, saving guides, requests, plus so much more.

critical book reviews

Antigone - critical review.

Antigone, by Sophocles, is one most famous tragedies from ancient Greece and is still performed today all across the world. Sophocles was born (it is estimated) in 495BC and died in 405BC. He was thirty years younger than Aeschylus, his earlier playwright 'rival'. Notably, Sophocles had a high status in Athens and knew a lot of important people. He became general of Athens in 441BC and therefore an experienced politician: holding responsibilities and office of the city of Athens, therefore controlling the politics of around 300 thousand people. Therefore, through Antigone, we seem to see his own political philosophy coming through in the play. Notably, all these plays would be performed once a year during 'The Dionysia' in which, in theory, every male citizen was present and they would watch these plays for three days before deciding which one was the most favoured. After the three days, they would then vote on important matters of the state: for example whether to go to war. Therefore, the plays were hugely significant in influencing the politics of the region, and Sophocles clearly tries to guide people's perception of what it means to be a good ruler and attitudes to laws through his tragedy 'Antigone.' The play is set in Thebes, which is a days journey away from Athens (where it would have been performed) and was unique in the way it wasn't a port city: which creates a sense of claustrophobia and heightens the intensity of the play, since it was a city of tyrants in which the generals were not elected but instead one family held power and tried to stay on to it. Creon, literally meaning 'the ruler', is portrayed by Sophocles as an archetype of exactly NOT what a good ruler should be. He only comes into power because of Antigone's brothers both dying, and therefore does not win it through democracy (which was the method in which was taken in Athens.) Not only was Thebes geographically unique in the way it was not close to the sea, but this claustrophobia is symbolised in Antigone through having no other people from different cities, which not only makes Antigone unique to other Greek Tragedies but further exaggerates the hostility of having a dangerous ruler in Thebes since there was no influence from another city. Therefore, by Sophocles using a state in which is very confined to the ruling of a biological family, whom he suggests are not rightful rulers, accompanied by the setting of which there is no democracy and it seems no escape, Sophocles is showing the people of Athens what should be avoided and the importance of democracy and freedom. The main topic of the novel is the conflict between laws of the state in conflict with a higher, external and eternal law of the Gods. This conflict is symbolised by the two most notable characters of the play: Antigone, who refuses to go against the eternal law that one should bury their relatives' bodies, and Creon, who symbolises the importance of law you can make in the state. Therefore, it becomes a political play for what should be illegal and legal and how that is decided. Sophocles was famous for 'divided catastrophe', in which the protagonist dies in the middle but the play goes on. In Antigone, however, obviously not only are their many deaths but the most notable death of Antigone's brother Polynices happens before the play even begins: and therefore the whole play revolves around the consequences of death and if the means to get to it influences what happens after it. The fact that Polynices fights for the conflicting side of Creon makes him decide that he should be denied the right of being buried that all men are granted. Sophocles stresses the importance of this eternal law and the fact it is higher than the state not only through the character of Antigone, who refuses to submit to Creon's contrasting law but also through the Chorus. In the middle of the play, the Chorus talks about all the achievements of man: stating that man is the greatest being, however, argues that if one should forget about the Gods, then he will fall from his high place and status. This urges that although man's achievements and their existence itself should be celebrated, they should not try and overcome the laws of the Gods. This is shown through the plot by the tragic ending of Creon losing his last child and his wife, which symbolises Zeus' striking his thunderbolt at Creon, who disobeyed these unwritten laws that a higher than those of the state. Furthermore, not only does Sophocles display the importance of eternal law, but also displays the means of deciding laws of the state through the idea it should be very inclusive and democratic, which contrasts with how Creon determines rules and his failure determines that this egotistic strategy fails. Creon says that he is a strong leader and being a leader is superior to friendship, and his decision to decide that Polynices should not be buried is a way of him displaying his superiority, perhaps not only to the state but also against the Gods. He decides death sentences and laws without talking of summoning the chorus, court or any people of the state: without any core beliefs or philosophy that he uses to justify his decisions (Aristotle, in his 'poetics', argued that he was 'consistently inconsistent'), apart from his urge for power. Sophocles was very interested in how far human moral decision making affects predestined fate. Creon seems to have no predestined fate, but his tragic end is completely brought about by his attitude as a leader. Sophocles therefore, shows that humans are powerful, but not necessarily in a positive way, as they can bring out such a tragic end that not even the Gods predestined. It argues that even if humans aren't predestined life of tragedy, they can determine their own fate with this ending if they act in this hedonistic manner. In the last scene, Creon recognises this, saying that his wrong judgement causes the tragedy, which is a way of Sophocles reminding those watching of this dangerous attribute of humankind and that it can lead to destruction. This political theory of the positivity of collectively instead of individuality is further pressed by Haemon, Antigone's fiance, who it has been argued represent Sophocles views on politics the most out of all the characters. Within the play, his speech of political theory advocating the importance of rulers compromising with people and having collective agreement juxtaposes Creon's attitude to being a ruler, which ends in his destruction. Therefore, both through speech and through the plot, Sophocles reminds those watching of what it takes to be a good ruler, which is especially significant due to the aftermath events of the performances in which decisions were made about rulers, laws and wars by the people. With a teenage girl at the centre of the play, one cannot ignore the theme of gender. It is unusual to have a teenage girl at the centre of the play, especially with such authority and fighting for the importance of the immortal Gods. The Greeks believed that teenage girls suffered from almost lunacy until they were married off, and believed that their wombs attacked and affected their decisions. I thought Sophocles however, through Antigone's hysteria and crudeness, although possibly overwhelming and controversial, was him defending that they should not be dismissed as mad and unimportant, as the argument that Antigone puts forward is extremely significant. Antigone's defence of the higher natural law is at the centre of the play and therefore Sophocles was not dismissing her importance at all, but rather heightening it. He did include a sense that she was more overwrought than the other characters, especially the other female characters such as the wife of Creon, but I thought that in a sense, he was defending this lunacy view of teenage girls, through portraying her justice and her loyalty to the God's, in comparison to the ignorance of Creon. Overall, the play shows the dangers of humankind in terms of their possible egotism and strive for power. It reminds the spectators of the power and influence of the Gods, and that men should make decisions of the state together and considerably in alignment with that of the unwritten, fixed, natural laws that are universal to all states.

Learning Materials

• Business Studies
• Combined Science
• Computer Science
• Engineering
• English Literature
• Environmental Science
• Human Geography
• Macroeconomics
• Microeconomics

You may have heard of the story of Oedipus Rex , but did you know it was part of a triad known as the Theban plays? Oedipus Rex is the first play, and in the third play, we are introduced to Antigone (442 BCE). Antigone was written by the Ancient Greek playwright Sophocles for the Great Dionysias competition of 442 BCE, where Sophocles competed against other playwrights such as Euripides and Aeschylus. Keep reading for a summary of Antigone, an analysis, and more.

Millions of flashcards designed to help you ace your studies

• Cell Biology

Who wrote Antigone?

Who is Antigone's character foil?

Need help? Meet our AI Assistant

Need help with Antigone? Ask our AI Assistant

Review generated flashcards

to start learning or create your own AI flashcards

Start learning or create your own AI flashcards

StudySmarter Editorial Team

Team Antigone Teachers

• 15 minutes reading time
• Checked by StudySmarter Editorial Team
• American Drama
• A Raisin in the Sun
• Amiri Baraka
• Arcadia Tom Stoppard
• August Wilson
• Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
• David Henry Hwang
• Edward Albee
• Eugene O'Neill
• European Drama
• Fences August Wilson
• Goethe Faust
• Hedda Gabler
• Henrik Ibsen
• Jean Paul Sartre
• Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
• Lillian Hellman
• Long Day's Journey into Night
• Lorraine Hansberry
• Luigi Pirandello
• Luis Valdez
• M. Butterfly
• Murder in the Cathedral
• No Exit Jean Paul Sartre
• Oedipus Rex
• Oliver Goldsmith
• Prometheus Bound
• Pygmalion Overview
• Sean O'Casey
• She Stoops to Conquer
• Six Characters in Search of an Author
• The Cherry Orchard
• The Children's Hour
• The Glass Menagerie
• The Homecoming
• The Iceman Cometh
• The Importance of Being Earnest
• The Little Foxes
• The Misanthrope
• The Way of the World
• The Wild Duck
• Tom Stoppard
• Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
• William Congreve
• Zoot Suit Luis Valdez
• American Literary Movements
• American Literature
• American Poetry
• American Regionalism Literature
• American Short Fiction
• Literary Criticism and Theory
• Literary Devices
• Literary Elements
• Literary Movements
• Literary Studies
• Non-Fiction Authors

Jump to a key chapter

The Dionysias was a celebration held in Ancient Greece for the god Dionysus. Competitions were held to see who had the best Tragedy and the best Comedy. A jury would rank the plays they saw to see who had the best one. The first Dionysias is thought to have been held sometime between 535 and 532 BCE. Antigone won Sophocles first place in 442 BCE.

Summary of Antigone

The play begins with the chorus providing a background on the tragedy of Antigone. Oedipus had four children: Polynices, Eteocles, Ismene, and Antigone. When Oedipus dies, an agreement is made that each son will hold power on the throne for a period of one year. However, Eteocles overstays his time on the throne, and that's when the story begins.

Thebes has been brutally sieged by Polynices and his troops. A battle breaks out between Polynices and his brother Eteocles, who is defending Thebes. Polynices and Eteocles both die, and Thebes remains unconquered. The brothers had acted out a curse that was placed on their father, Oedipus. Antigone, the sister of Polynices and Eteocles, enters the scene. She is speaking with Ismene, and she is in a rage. King Creon of Thebes, Antigone's uncle, has ordered a funeral of honor for Eteocles, but the body of Polynices is left rotting outside the city walls. King Creon decrees that anyone who tries to bury the invading man will be stoned.

Antigone is upset as she wants a proper burial for both of her brothers. She tells Ismene, her sister, she will secretly bury Polynices's body, but Ismene is too afraid. Ismene warns Antigone that it is better to follow the decrees of King Creon. Word reaches King Creon that an attempt to bury Polynices has occurred when a guard notices a layer of dirt on Polynices's body. King Creon wants the guilty person to confess and hears that someone saw Antigone digging a grave. After King Creon learns it was his niece, Antigone, he orders that Antigone and Ismene be put to death by public stoning.

Haemon, the son of King Creon and Antigone's proposed fiancé, speaks with King Creon in an attempt to change his mind. They argue at length, and Haemon storms out angrily, telling King Creon he will never return. King Creon begins to see a point in his son's argument and decides that Ismene will be allowed to live. Antigone, on the other hand, will be placed into a sealed tomb where she will starve to death.

Tiresias, a blind prophet, tells King Creon that by leaving Polynices's body to rot without a proper burial, King Creon has angered the gods. The gods will punish King Creon by causing Haemon to die. Although King Creon protests the words of Tiresias, King Creon decides he will bury Polynices and let Antigone go.

However, tragedy strikes. Antigone hangs herself, and in his grief, Haemon kills himself. Queen Eurydice , the wife of King Creon and the mother of Haemon, kills herself in anguish over her son's death. King Creon is suddenly alone and enters a state of deep despair. The play ends with King Creon lamenting over the death of his wife and son while the chorus reflects on the rule, cruelty, and actions of King Creon as words of wisdom.

Characters in Antigone

There are many crucial characters in Antigone . Each character plays a specific role and often represents a character type related to the nature and behavior of humankind.

When analyzing characters in a literary work, it is essential to clearly define the character's traits, values, and actions and their relationship to other characters.

Antigone is the protagonist and the heroine of the play. Antigone is stubborn, prideful, and difficult. Antigone also believes in justice and doing what's right. Antigone plays the role of a tragic heroine and represents rebellion against authority.

The tragic heroine/hero is the character in a tragedy that, despite having sympathetic and righteous character traits, will always have tragic endings. The tragic hero/heroine typically has extraordinary or special qualities that make them stand out.

The only authority Antigone fears is the gods.

Ismene is the sister of Antigone and her complete opposite. She is beautiful and dutiful. She tries to persuade Antigone not to disobey King Creon's orders. Ismene plays the role of a character foil to Antigone.

A character foi l is a character in a literary piece that contrasts another character, usually the protagonist, to emphasize the other character's traits.

While Antigone is rebellious and headstrong, Ismene is dutiful and obeys the rules. She emphasizes Antigone's character traits.

The King of Thebes and Antigone's uncle. He is practical, set in his ways, and enjoys order. King Creon plays the role of authority and the law . Whatever King Creon demands is the law of the land. However, not even King Creon can escape the power of the gods, showing his mortality.

The son of King Creon and Antigone's fiancé. After hearing King Creon's death sentence on Antigone, he stands up to his father, for his love is stronger than his father's authority. He would rather die than live without Antigone. Haemon, wise and well-spoken, slowly changes the stubborn King Creon's mind about killing Antigone. He acts as a voice of reason to King Creon's black-and-white thinking.

Queen Eurydice

The wife of King Creon and mother to Haemon. She falls into deep anguish over the death of her son and kills herself. Her death leaves King Creon all alone.

The chorus traditionally represents the narrators and commentators in the play who appear at important plot points. They often provide instruction to the audience on behalf of Thebes. The chorus's role is to provide commentary on the nature of the tragedy , introduce characters, background, and plot points, as well as intercede in certain points of the play. Sophocles chose to use the chorus less as the commentary on plot points as traditionally was done and more as a means to display the inner emotional worlds of the characters.

Tiresias is a blind prophet that can see into the future of the Theban people and advise them. He advises King Creon that he should bury Polynices as it is angering the gods. Tiresias represents a warning sign . When he appears in the plays of Sophocles, he has come to warn a character about impending doom caused by their actions.

Analysis of Antigone

Antigone was written over 2,000 years ago and is representative of a shift in the literary tradition genre. Let's take a closer look at Antigone and analyze some key aspects of the text.

Antigone belongs to a genre of drama known as Athenian Tragedy .

An Athenian Tragedy is a type of theater from Ancient Greece that became popular in the 5th century BCE. Athenian Tragedies typically contain elements of lyric poetry and focus on a tragic hero/heroine and the unfortunate life circumstances they must face, often due to things they cannot control.

In addition, Antigone represents a shift away from the chorus and to the actual characters. Rather than use the chorus to explain plot points, Sophocles chose to show character development, conflict, and relationships through action and dialogue.

Antigone is set in Thebes, an Ancient Greek city located in modern-day Central Greece. In the play, the city of Thebes is ruled by King Creon and Queen Eurydice . King Creon has ultimate authority over the land and over religion, thereby making him the absolute ruler of the land.

King Creon becomes the King of Thebes when he banishes his brother, Oedipus, the former ruler, from the kingdom. In the story of Oedipus, Oedipus accidentally marries his mother and kills his father. For this, King Creon banishes him and establishes himself on the throne until Oedipus's sons are old enough to rule.

Thebes traditionally is a city used in drama to represent a town that sees a lot of tragedy. In the case of Antigone, Thebes once more faces tragedy due to Antigone's defiance and King Creon's pride. It shows that the city of Thebes is not cursed; rather, the people in the city are flawed and represent the worst aspects of human nature as they act with disregard to the gods.

Writing Style

Antigone is written originally in Ancient Greek and uses iambic pentameter to create a clear, smooth, and melodic rhythm in the dialogue of the text.

Iambic pentameter is a line of verse that consists of five metrical feet made of one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.

For what his own search brought to light, his eyes

Ripped out by his own hand; and Iocaste died,

His mother and wife at once: she twisted the cords

That strangled her life; and our two brothers died,

Each killed by the other’s sword," (Lines 38-43).

Read this excerpt out loud by unstressing and stressing the syllables. There is a rhythmic quality to the text that allows it to flow smoothly and clearly. Here Ismene is speaking to Antigone to warn her against burying Polynices. She is pleading that the two sisters have no one left. Their father, mother, and two brothers are now dead.

Literary Devices and Techniques

There are many examples of literary devices and techniques used by Sophocles in Antigone that help create the dynamic and engaging story, namely foreshadowing and dramatic irony.

Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is when future plot points or conflicts are hinted at prior to them actually occurring. Foreshadowing creates suspense and engages the reader in the text by adding a sense of anticipation.

An example can be found in the prologue of the text where Antigone hints to her sister Ismene that she will die and that she is not afraid of death, as honor is more important.

Many plot points are revealed throughout Antigone before they actually occur and can be found in the Prologue, Creon's speech, and the Chorus.

Dramatic Irony

Dramatic irony plays a critical role in Tragedy, as seen in Antigone .

Dramatic irony is a literary technique in which the importance or significance of a character's actions or worlds is known to the audience but is unknown to the character.

Dramatic irony is mainly found in the character of Tiresias. Tiresias is blind, yet this blindness does not prevent him from seeing into the future of the Theban people, in particular King Creon's fate. He is often not taken seriously because of his blindness, but it is his blindness that allows him to see with his mind's eye. King Creon listens to the words of Tiresias too late, and before King Creon can release Antigone, she hangs herself.

Themes in Antigone

Antigone contains many important themes, such as blindness/ human error, fate, and power. Each character in Antigone struggles with non-physical blindness that does not allow them to understand their human flaws and errors. This blindness is what leads each character to a tragic death. Antigone is defiant, King Creon is proud, and Haemon is blinded by love and loyalty. The non-physical blindness, therefore, will lead to conflicts with fate.

Fig. 5 - Non-physical blindness is a key theme in Antigone.

Fate comes into play quite evidently in the story. King Creon believes himself to be an absolute ruler and authority figure. He does not believe he is subject to the laws of the gods, who are the ultimate deciders of fate. Antigone, on the other hand, does not care for state law and fears the gods' law. Antigone believes she must bury Polynices honorably, not simply out of familial obligation but also in accordance with the expectations of the divine. King Creon decides his power, another important theme, is more significant and therefore decides to punish her. This decision, made under the influence of wanting to keep power, leads to the deaths of everyone in King Creon's household.

Quotes in Antigone

Antigone is a prime example of the height of Athenian Tragedy, and it is worth taking a closer look at some quotes from Antigone to better understand the text.

They are not merely now: they were, and shall be,

Operative forever, beyond man utterly.

I knew I must die, even without your decree:

I am only mortal. And if I must die

Now, before it is my time to die,

Surely, this is no hardship…" (Lines 363-368).

In this speech spoken by Antigone to King Creon, readers can find an example of foreshadowing and Antigone's acceptance of her fate. Antigone knows she must die, hinting at her impending death, and she is not afraid of death. Rather, she has accepted death as her tragic fate.

O tomb, vaulted bride-bed in eternal rock, Soon I shall be with my own again

Where Persephone welcome the thin ghost underground:

And I shall see my father again, and you, mother,

And dearest Polynices––" (Lines 714-718)

Upon her impending imprisonment in the tomb, Antigone alludes to the story of Persephone, who Hades kidnaped to be his bride in the underworld. However, rather than reject death, Antigone sees it as a comfort because she can be reunited with her family in death. Like Persephone, Antigone will be sent to the underworld, but unlike Persephone, Antigone sees she has a choice in the matter.

Then take this, and take it to heart!

The time is not far off when you shall pay back

Corpse for corpse, flesh of your own flesh.

You have thrust the child of this world into living night,

You have kept from the gods below the child that is theirs:

The one on a grave before her death, the other,

Dead, denied the grave.

This is your crime:

And the Furies and the dark gods of Hell

Are swift with terrible punishment for you," (Lines 841-849).

In this excerpt, Tiresias warns King Creon that if he disobeys natural laws, he will be punished. A "Corpse for corpse, flesh of your own flesh" (Line 843), signifies that if he does not bury Polynices and release Antigone, two more of King Creon's family will die. King Creon listens to this warning too late, and both Haemon and Queen Eurydice have tragic endings.

Antigone - Key takeaways

• Antigone was written by the Ancient Greek playwright Sophocles and performed at the Dionysias of 442 BCE.
• Antigone follows the tragedy of Antigone, who defies the orders of King Creon and wishes to bury the body of her brother, Polynices.
• Antigone is an example of an Athenian Tragedy and contains literary devices such as foreshadowing and dramatic irony.
• Antigone contains many themes, such as blindness, fate, and power and the interaction between all three.
• Antigone is the second play in the three-piece cycle of Theban plays, which begins with the tragic story of Oedipus Rex.

Flashcards in Antigone 2

Who wrote Antigone ?

Learn with 2 Antigone flashcards in the free StudySmarter app

We have 14,000 flashcards about Dynamic Landscapes.

Already have an account? Log in

Frequently Asked Questions about Antigone

Who wrote Antigone ? 

Sophocles, an Ancient Greek playwright, wrote Antigone .

Who is the tragic hero in Antigone ? 

Antigone is the tragic heroine in Antigone . 

When was Antigone written? 

Antigone  was written and first performed in 442 BCE. 

What is Antigone about in one sentence? 

Antigone disobeys the orders of King Creon and tries to bury the body of her brother Polynices, but she is caught and many meet their tragic end. 

Which brother was not buried in Antigone ? 

Polynices was not buried or allowed to have a burial with honor under King Creon's decree. 

Discover learning materials with the free StudySmarter app

About StudySmarter

StudySmarter is a globally recognized educational technology company, offering a holistic learning platform designed for students of all ages and educational levels. Our platform provides learning support for a wide range of subjects, including STEM, Social Sciences, and Languages and also helps students to successfully master various tests and exams worldwide, such as GCSE, A Level, SAT, ACT, Abitur, and more. We offer an extensive library of learning materials, including interactive flashcards, comprehensive textbook solutions, and detailed explanations. The cutting-edge technology and tools we provide help students create their own learning materials. StudySmarter’s content is not only expert-verified but also regularly updated to ensure accuracy and relevance.

Team English Literature Teachers

Study anywhere. Anytime.Across all devices.

Create a free account to save this explanation..

Save explanations to your personalised space and access them anytime, anywhere!

By signing up, you agree to the Terms and Conditions and the Privacy Policy of StudySmarter.

Sign up to highlight and take notes. It’s 100% free.

Join over 22 million students in learning with our StudySmarter App

The first learning app that truly has everything you need to ace your exams in one place

• Flashcards & Quizzes
• AI Study Assistant
• Study Planner
• Smart Note-Taking