According to Aristotle, “tragedy is a representation of an action, which is serious, complete in itself, and of a certain length, it is expressed in speech made beautiful in different ways in different parts of the play; it is acted, not narrated; and by exciting pity and fear it gives a healthy relief to such emotion” (Lucas 25). This definition categorizes Sophocles’ Antigone as a model tragedy. Aristotle also states that ” a tragedy must include pain and sorrow, and a tragedy goes from happiness to misery” (Leech 33).
The main idea throughout the play is entrenched in the conflict between Antigone and Creon, the two protagonists, on the basis of morale and justice. Antigone’s actions are out of eros, or love and Creon’s actions are based on state laws and hubris, or pride. In Sophocles’ Antigone, tragedy predominates the drama from the beginning of the story when Polynices and Eteocles, two brothers, fight in a battle for the throne of Thebes. Although the city of Thebes has won the battle, the two brothers have killed one another and Thebes has no king. The brothers uncle, Creon, assumes position of king of Thebes.
Under his first decree Creon declares that no man will be allowed to bury Polynices since he brought an outside army from Argos to battle against Eteocles in Thebes. Antigone, Polynices and Eteocles’s sister, ignores Creon’s decree and gives Polynices a proper burial to honor the gods in spite of Creon’s decree. Now the battle between Antigone and Creon begins, and they are the focal point of the drama. Antigone and Creon have totally opposite views of justice. Creon feels that justice is given in regards to the state whereas, Antigone goes against the ideas of Creon and sets with the laws of the gods.
She appeals to the “justice that dwells with the gods below” (Sophocles 135), and she is ready for her fate, which is death. Antigone is unreasonable and unsensible, and she insist that sometimes justice is more important than the laws set by man. Since she defines her own laws, she must suffer the consequences for trying to disobey the laws of the state. Antigone makes no effort to conceal her deed and challenges Creon’s right to make laws that are in conflict with the will of the gods. Creon is an example of an authority figure who is too rigid an inflexible to admit his mistakes and errors in judgment until it is too late.
Eventhough Creon sets the laws of the state higher than the laws of the gods by denying Polynices a decent burial, Antigone knows that she must please the gods by burying Polynices. Antigone and Creon not only struggle on the basis of laws but also on family matters. Antigone not only lost her two brothers, but she will lose her respect for her family and the gods if she does not bury Polynices. Creon does not let his relation with Antigone as her uncle affect his dealings with Antigone in any way. He swears to punish her even if she is a “sister’s child or closer in blood”( Sophocles 784).
His job now is to protect and serve the people of Thebes in any way he possibly can, but most of all he must uphold the laws of the state. If he does not punish Antigone, he will look as though he is a weak ruler. Since Creon is related to Antigone, he must carry out the punishment of Antigone so the Thebians will see him as a strong and powerful king. Antigone goes alone to bury Polynices because Ismene, her sister, will not disobey Creon’s law. Ismene says “I do them no dishonor, but to defy the city, I have no strength for that” (Sophocles 771).
Ismene pleads with Antigone to change her mind because Ismene has no other immediate family besides Antigone. Ismene asks “how can I live alone, without her? ” (Sophocles 789). The disagreement between Antigone and Ismene is between their views of “idealism and realism” (Webster 88). Ismene tries to persuade Antigone to change her mind and to remember “that we are women we’re not born to contend with men” and “we must submit”( Sophocles 61). Antigone’s strong will ignores Ismene’s pleas for her to change her mind, and she buries Polynices to satisfy the gods.
When Creon finds out that Antigone has disobeyed him and only wants to die, he tries to argue with her, but she remains arrogant and says “if you think I am behaving like a fool, it is perhaps a fool calling me a fool” (Sophocles 135). Immediately, Creon realizes he cannot argue with Antigone and says “while I live, no woman shall rule me” (Sophocles 135). This statement suggests the motive of Creon as hubris, or excessive pride. Antigone declares that “is not my nature to share in hating, but to share in loving” (Sophocles 135). Antigone’s motive of eros, or love is evident.
Creon’s attitude expresses his fear of being controlled by a woman and makes that known to his son, Haemon, who cares for Antigone. To conquer his fear he must follow through with his decree to punish Antigone. Antigone sees her womanhood as a source for strength and accepts her role to die as an act of audacity. Unlike Creon, Antigone does not the support of anyone but herself. Haemon, the son of Creon, does not want Antigone to die for what she has done. He attempts to convince his father that he should change his view about Antigone going against Creon’s decree.
Creon tells him that he is young and is blinded by the fact that he is the “woman’s champion” (Sophocles 137). Haemen does not want to displease his father, but he is not willing to back down from what he believes is right. He want to marry Antigone someday and in his opinion his father is interfering with his life all because of a decree. Creon gets angry and says “bring forth that hated thing, that she may die forthwith in his presence–before his eyes–and her bridegroom’s side” (Sophocles 137). Haemen leaves his father’s side and dies beside his true love, Antigone.
Aristotle’s happiness to misery concept is now being unleashed on Creon in an extreme. He loses his son and soon will lose his authority over Thebes. The Family curse has finally taken the course on Antigone and her fate is beginning to be sealed ( Adams 57). Creon has not yet stated a death punishment in Antigone, but in order to portray his strong leadership image he must execute his decree even if Antigone is his niece. When Antigone enters before Creon again she is ready to pay the price for her actions against Creon’s decree.
Antigone compares her destiny with Niobe’s, the wife of a former ruler of Thebes, because Niobe was turned into stone and Antigone will be isolated in a stone cave. Also, Niobe’s children were taken away from her, and Antigone will never get to experience having a family with Haemon, Creon’s son. In the end Antigone feels deserted by everyone including the gods, who she honored by burying Polynices. Now Antigone must die alone like the “typical Sophoclean tragic hero” ( Adams 55). Creon regains his authority over Antigone by finally sentencing her to death.
Now he is assured of his power because he places the state before his own kin. But his own fate is being quietly sealed because he has put his own aspirations and goals higher than his reverence for the gods. In Sophoclean tragedy, the divine laws are always more prevalent then man’s or state’s law. By exposing Antigone to isolation Creon is not human but animal-like. Antigone and Creon accept their fates very differently. Antigone has “accepted death heroically” (Sophocles 138) while Creon has not acknowledged his fate until he has to suffer immensely for sentencing Antigone to death.
Now their roles are reversing in that Antigone strongly accepts her fate and Creon weakens at the sight of his fate. Creon is blinded by his hubris until it is too late, and Antigone understands the price she will pay for the eros of Polynices. In Antigone, there are many different antitheses and conflicts, and this state of conflict is embodied in the presence on stage of two protagonists, each diametrically opposed to the other (Segal 62). Antigone receives her punishment through death, but Creon will receive his chastisement when he is exiled from Thebes from the gods.
Antigone’s “self-accepted death is the source of what is beautiful and heroic in the play” (Segal 85). The main conflict in Antigone revolves around what is right and what is wrong. Of the two protagonists, Antigone stands on the correct laws and morale. She believes in divine law and not human law as Creon did. “Antigone feels her duty is to the gods, and Creon feels his duty is to the state (Webster 88). The death of the tragic hero, Antigone, brings Aristotle’s idea of a tragedy to life.