Antigone by Sophocles | Summary & Analysis

Summary

The script summarizes the plot, characters, symbols, themes, and motifs of Sophocles' Greek tragedy Antigone. It details the conflict between Antigone, who wishes to properly bury her brother Polynices against her uncle King Creon's orders, and Creon, who sentences her to death. Their battle represents devotion to the gods versus obedience to the state. Antigone accepts her tragic fate with courage and conviction, while Creon's arrogance and stubbornness causes him to lose his family.

Takeaways

• 😀 The play begins with Antigone and Ismene discussing the deaths of their brothers in battle
• 😟 Antigone is outraged that Creon has forbidden the burial of her brother Polynices
• 🤔 Antigone believes the gods' laws are more important than Creon's laws
• 😠 Antigone is caught burying Polynices and brought before Creon, who condemns her to death
• 😢 Creon refuses to listen to warnings from Tiresias and others to spare Antigone
• 😱 Antigone kills herself in her tomb as Creon's son Haemon witnesses in horror
• 💀 Haemon then kills himself in grief over Antigone's death
• 😓 Creon's wife Eurydice also commits suicide upon hearing the news
• 🤦‍♂️ Creon realizes too late that his arrogance and refusal to bend has destroyed his family
• 😞 The play highlights the conflicts between divine law, family devotion, and duty to the state

Q & A

Who are Antigone's two brothers that died fighting each other?

Antigone's two brothers are Eteocles and Polynices. Eteocles fought for Thebes while Polynices fought for Argos.

What decree does Creon make regarding the brothers?

Creon decrees that Eteocles will receive an honorable burial while Polynices' body will remain unburied without funeral rites.

Why does Antigone defy Creon's decree?

Antigone believes Creon's decree is unjust since the gods decree that every mortal must receive proper burial rites. She feels honoring the gods is more important than mortal laws.

What punishment does Antigone face for burying Polynices?

The punishment for interfering with Creon's law is being publicly stoned to death.

How does Haemon react to his father's punishment of Antigone?

Haemon, who is engaged to Antigone, tells Creon he disagrees with Antigone's punishment, as do most citizens who view her as a hero and martyr.

How does Tiresias advise Creon regarding Antigone?

Tiresias warns Creon the gods are furious and advises him to free Antigone before it's too late to avoid tragedy.

What happens when Creon arrives at Antigone's cave?

When Creon arrives at the cave, he witnesses his son Haemon's suicide after finding Antigone had hanged herself.

How does Eurydice, Creon's wife, react to the news of Haemon's death?

Hearing the news of Haemon's death, Eurydice returns to the palace and kills herself.

What is the meaning behind the chorus's final ode?

The chorus sings that obeying the gods and staying humble is key to gaining wisdom, underscoring the theme of hubris leading to tragedy.

How does the family curse affect Antigone's fate?

Even as Antigone tries taking her fate in her own hands, the chorus says she'll ultimately pay for her father Oedipus' tragic actions.

Outlines

00:00

🎭 Plot Summary of Antigone

The paragraph provides a plot summary of Sophocles' play Antigone. It introduces the main characters Antigone, Ismene, Creon, Haemon and outlines the key events - Antigone's determination to bury her brother Polynices against Creon's orders, her imprisonment and eventual death, Haemon's suicide, and Creon's regret.

05:02

😃 Main Characters in Antigone

The paragraph discusses the main characters in Antigone - Antigone as Oedipus's daughter who defies Creon to bury her brother, her sister Ismene who refuses to help, Creon as the stubborn and arrogant new king, his son Haemon who is engaged to Antigone, and the Chorus that comments on the action.

10:05

💡 Main Themes and Symbols in Antigone

The paragraph examines the major themes in Antigone - the conflict between divine law and human law, Antigone's unbending loyalty to the gods and family over civic duty to the state, Creon's refusal to bend leading to tragedy, and the symbolic meaning of birds and burials in the play.

Keywords

💡Antigone

Antigone is a central character in Sophocles' play, representing the conflict between divine law and human law. She defies King Creon's decree that her brother Polynices should not be buried because she believes in honoring the gods' laws above those of mortals. Her actions set the play's tragic events in motion, illustrating her strong conviction and willingness to face death for her beliefs. Antigone's defiance and its consequences serve as a critique of rigid authority and highlight the importance of individual moral integrity.

💡Creon

Creon, the king of Thebes and uncle to Antigone, embodies the conflict between state law and personal morality. His decree against the burial of Polynices, and his subsequent punishment of Antigone for defying this law, exemplify his belief in the absolute power of the state over individual beliefs and divine laws. Creon's character arc from rigid authoritarian to a tragic figure, who realizes too late the consequences of his hubris, serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of tyranny and the importance of humility and wisdom in leadership.

💡Divine Law vs. Human Law

This theme is central to the conflict in 'Antigone,' contrasting the immutable, sacred laws of the gods with the changeable laws created by humans. Antigone represents divine law, insisting on performing burial rites for her brother as decreed by the gods, while Creon represents human law, prioritizing the edicts of the state above religious duties. This dichotomy raises questions about the nature of justice, duty, and morality, and challenges the audience to consider where true allegiance lies.

💡Burial rites

In the context of 'Antigone,' burial rites are not only a religious practice but also a symbol of respect for the dead and a duty towards the divine laws. The conflict over whether Polynices should receive burial rites serves as the catalyst for the play's tragic events. Antigone's determination to provide her brother with these rites, despite Creon's prohibition, underscores the theme of individual moral conviction standing against the dictates of authority.

💡Hubris

Hubris, or excessive pride, is a key concept in 'Antigone' and Greek tragedy in general. Creon's refusal to heed warnings and his insistence on enforcing his laws, despite the moral and religious implications, demonstrate hubris. This arrogance leads to his downfall, illustrating the Greek belief that hubris invites divine retribution and tragedy. The play thus serves as a moral lesson on the dangers of overestimating one's power and the importance of humility.

💡Fate

Fate plays a crucial role in 'Antigone,' reflecting the Greek belief in predestined outcomes that are beyond human control. The characters' actions, especially Antigone's defiance and Creon's stubbornness, are seen as part of a larger, inevitable chain of events leading to tragedy. The concept of fate in the play highlights the limits of human agency and the idea that some forces, such as divine will or ancestral curses, are inescapable.

💡Tragedy

Tragedy in 'Antigone' is manifested through the characters' suffering, ethical dilemmas, and the eventual downfall of Creon and the death of Antigone. The tragic elements underscore the consequences of human flaws, such as pride and stubbornness, and the harsh realities of confronting power and moral truth. The play uses tragedy to explore complex themes of justice, duty, and the human condition, offering insights into the nature of suffering and redemption.

💡Moral Integrity

Moral integrity is exemplified by Antigone's unwavering commitment to what she perceives as a higher moral law, despite the personal and societal costs. Her actions contrast with Creon's adherence to state law, reflecting a clash between personal conscience and authority. Antigone's moral integrity challenges the audience to consider the importance of standing up for one's beliefs and the potential consequences of such steadfastness in the face of opposition.

💡Tiresias

Tiresias, a blind prophet in 'Antigone,' represents wisdom and the ability to see beyond the physical realm into the future. His warnings to Creon about the consequences of his actions introduce the theme of prophecy and divine intervention in human affairs. Tiresias' role emphasizes the importance of heeding wise counsel and the dangers of ignoring the gods' will, highlighting the limits of human understanding and power.

💡Loyalty

Loyalty is a recurring motif in 'Antigone,' explored through the characters' allegiance to family, the gods, and the state. Antigone's loyalty to her brother and the gods leads her to defy Creon's law, while Ismene's initial refusal to help reflects a conflict between familial loyalty and fear of authority. Creon's demand for loyalty to the state above all else ultimately leads to his isolation and tragedy, illustrating the complexities and consequences of divided loyalties.

Highlights

Antigone is enraged at Creon's proclamation that Polynices is not to receive a burial or funeral rites.

Antigone claims Creon's law is unjust since the gods decree that every mortal must be given a proper funeral.

Antigone reminds Ismene that their family has suffered enough tragedy.

Guards catch Antigone when she revisits the grave she's prepared for her brother.

Antigone defends her actions by claiming she has honored the gods whose laws are more important than mortal laws.

Haemon tells Creon that he loves him, but disagrees with Antigone's punishment.

Tiresias arrives and warns Creon that he saw in a prophecy that the gods are furious with him.

In the play's climax a messenger arrives and announces that Haemon killed himself after he found Antigone hanging dead.

In the falling action, Creon is miserable finally realizing he's brought all this tragedy on himself.

In the resolution the chorus sings an ode about obeying the gods and staying humble to gain wisdom.

Birds appear symbolically as scavengers, protectors and agents of prophecy.

Antigone's courage is based on her convictions. She stands firm against Creon's edicts and blatant disdain for women.

Antigone seems even more determined when Creon declares he'll never let some woman beat us down.

Creon loses everyone he loves due to his arrogance and hubris.

Unconsumed sacrifices come to represent the rottenness of the city Creon leads by putting himself above the gods.

Transcripts

[Music]

let's review the plot summary of

Sophocles Antigone in the introduction

to Antigone Thebes has been invaded by

Argos during the battle two of Oedipus's

sons died fighting on opposite sides

atiek leaves for thebes and Polynices

for Argos Creon their uncle emerges as

the new leader of Thebes the play opens

with Oedipus's two daughters Antigone

and Ismene II discussing the deaths of

their brothers in the rising action of

the play Antigone is enraged at Crayons

proclamation that Polynices is not to

receive a burial or funeral rites

while Atia Cleese is to be given an

honorable funeral

Creon has also decreed that anyone who

interferes with this law will be

publicly stoned to death and tne claims

that Crayons law is unjust since the

gods decree that every mortal must be

given a proper funeral she tells his

Monnaie that she plans to bury their

brother's body and give him his funeral

rites

even if she's punished his bday refuses

to help fearing Creon's punishment she

reminds Antigone that their family has

suffered enough tragedy Antigone

disagrees claiming not to care if she's

punished she would welcome death in

exchange for standing up for her beliefs

guards catch Antigone when she revisits

the grave she's prepared for her brother

brought before Creon she freely admits

what she's done and welcomes punishment

she defends her actions by claiming she

has honored the gods whose laws are more

important than mortal lungs Creon is

enraged at her defiance and confirms her

death sentence even though she's engaged

to his son

Heymann his many lies to Creon claiming

to be her sister's accomplice Creon

declares that he'll have them both

killed

but Antigone refutes his manase story

Heymann tells Creon that he loves him

but disagrees with Antigone's punishment

as does most of thieves who view

Antigone as a hero and martyr they argue

heated they

heman disowns crayon and warns him that

Antigone's death were result in another

death and take any laments that she'll

never Wed and that she'll die alone

friendless and without help

Creon has her led away to be entombed

alive in a cave the blind prophet

Tiresias arrives and warns Creon that he

saw in a prophecy that the gods are

furious with him he urges Creon to free

Antigone before it's too late

Creon is outraged at Tiresias his advice

accusing him of taking a bribe in

retaliation Teresa tells him now it's

too late

Creon will be punished by having his

sons taken away from him Creon realizes

that tiresias is serious and acts

quickly to do as he advised in the

play's climax a messenger arrives at the

palace and announces that Heymann killed

himself after he found Antigone hanging

from a noose in the cave

Creon had arrived at the cave just in

time to witness his son and he's

inconsolable Crayons wife Eurydice

emerges from the palace to hear the

messengers story then returns to the

palace and silence a distraught Creon

returns carrying Hemans corpse the

messenger emerges from the palace and

informs Creon that Eurydice has killed

herself and the place falling action

Creon is miserable finally realizing

he's brought all this tragedy on himself

in the play's resolution the chorus

sings an ode about the importance of

obeying the gods and staying humble in

order to gain wisdom

[Music]

let's review some of the characters in

Sophocles Antigone Antigone is Oedipus's

daughter and the niece of Creon who is

the new king of Thebes Antigone is also

engaged to Creon son Heymann she defies

Crayons

order that her brother Pauline I seize

his body remain unburied even though the

punishment is death

she believes that honoring the gods is

more important than mortal laws and she

admits that she's prepared to die for

this belief after she's caught burying

her brother she defies Creon who

sentences her to be shut in a cave and

left to die human comes to rescue her

but she has already killed his men a

Antigone sister refuses to help Antigone

bury their brother for fear of the

punishment attached to disobeying

crianza Proclamation

she believes enough tragedy has befallen

their family but when Antigone has

caught burying and giving funeral rites

to Polynices isn't a falsely confesses

to having helped her she does this out

of loyalty and love for her sister

Antigone refuses to let this life stand

as it might offend the gods Creon is

Oedipus's brother Antigone and Ismene

A's uncle and Hemans father he is also

the newly appointed king of Thebes and

he believes that his laws are the

ultimate authority he disagrees with

Antigone's justifications for burying

her brother and his arrogance results in

the deaths of everyone he loves

Heymann son of Creon and Eurydice

Heymann is engaged to marry Antigone

Heymann advises Creon to be lenient with

Antigone since the citizens of Thebes do

not support Creon's decision Heymann

ultimately disowns his father and dies

by his own hand angry and distraught

over Antigone's death the chorus

composed of a group of elderly male

citizens and a leader who speaks for

them the chorus offers narration and

judgments about the characters actions

at first deferential toward the new king

the chorus eventually tries to persuade

him to moderate his harsh rulings and to

heed Tiresias

and fight

let's review the main symbols in

Antigone Tiresias points out the

situational irony to Creon that he has

chosen to bury Antigone alive

underground while he allows her

brother's corpse to remain unburied

above ground

Tiresias highlights the unexpected

juxtaposition in Creon's decision to

flout the law of the Gods which decrees

that bodies are to be given proper

burials and funeral rites

not only does Creon refused to honor the

gods decree but he has also buried a

living person someone whose disobedience

comes from following the God's will so

he is quite wrong when he states that no

person has the power to pollute the gods

on the contrary by insisting on strict

adherence to his laws

Creon brings pollution on Thebes both

literally by allowing a corpse to rot

and metaphorically by incurring the

wrath of the gods who punished not only

Creon but also Thebes as a whole in this

way burials become symbols of the place

central conflict between religious

devotion and civic duty

birds appear in the place symbolically

as fierce scavengers protectors and

agents of prophecy the chorus mentions

that since Polynices body is left in the

open his corpse will be torn apart by

birds the guard also paints a vivid

picture of Antigone as looking like a

bird when she hovers over the corpse of

her brother trying to protect his body

lastly

Tiresias tells a vivid tale about

Crayons future when he hears two birds

fighting one killing the other he

mentions that these are the very same

birds that are feasting on Polynices

corpse let's review the main themes of

Antigone

Creon orders Polynices body to remain

unmarried and without funeral rites

which is a direct disobedience of the

God's will

Creon believes that the only way the

citizens will respect him is if he

upholds the laws he creates Antigone on

the other hand believes that Creon's law

is unjust and she honors the gods by

honoring their law and burying her

brother properly

she claims my honors for the dead must

last much longer than for those up here

meaning that her loyalty is greater to

the gods and her family than to the

ruler of her city-state

Creon ultimately comes to realize that

his law has only served to anger the

gods they punish him with his own son's

death from the beginning it's clear that

Antigone has an unbending devotion to

family and to the gods this devotion

surpasses civic duty to the leader of

her state or his laws her sister is many

illustrates the struggle that arises

when spiritual devotion is set against

loyalty to government Creon the source

of is manase call to civic duty is as

unbending in his adherence to mortal law

as Antigone is in her devotion to the

gods

Creon believes that disobeying his laws

results in a just punishment and this is

his rationale for sentencing Antigone to

death he's blind to familial and divine

devotion in his desire to secure his

people's loyalty to him

[Music]

Antigone's courage is based on her

convictions she stands firm in the face

of her tragic fate and against Creon's

edicts and blatant disdain for women

Antigone's fate reflects the tragic

curse of her father

Oedipus even as the chorus applauds

Antigone for trying to take her fate

into her own hands it understands that

she ultimately will pay for her father's

actions crayons laws mean nothing to

Antigone when they fly in the face of

her devotion to family and to the gods

Creon seems even more determined to

punish Antigone when he declares that

he'll never let some woman beat us down

Antigone who has been called an early

feminist hero scoffs as such statements

fearless in the face of anything she

views as unjust neither Antigone nor

Creon shows flexibility in the play

while Antigone's and flexibility may be

based more on strong convictions than on

stubbornness

Creon stubbornness is hard to deny above

all else he demands to be obeyed even

when he places himself above the gods by

showing some flexibility

Creon might have saved himself and his

family he loses everyone he loves

due to his arrogance and hubris and even

though he hopes that gods have set

things right again

in the end it's too late the wheels of

fate have already been set in motion

let's review the main motifs in Antigone

Tiresias advises Creon that there is

still time to avoid tragedy when

Tiresias cautions Creon that his luck is

once more on fates razor edge this image

suggests a precarious position

if Creon fails to appease the gods and

his actions his delicate balance on

fates razor edge will falter many

characters in Antigone make metaphoric

references to ships and sailing the Seas

Creon introduces the metaphor in Episode

one and he says after much tossing of

our ship of state the gods have safely

set things right again

Creon sees himself as the caretaker and

captain of that ship and though is

reference to the gods hints that he

understands they are the ultimate

overseers his respect for their

authority lessons from this point onward

the chorus also makes many references to

men sailing stormy seas in order to gain

more knowledge and power but they

cautioned that this knowledge is not

always used for good Creon son Heymann

also attempts to use the metaphor of the

ship as state to caution Creon that

sailors who keep their sails stretched

tight never easing off make their ship

capsized sadly Hemans warning comes true

and Creon pays for his arrogant

decisions

because the gods are displeased with

crayons actions regarding the burial of

Polynices and the punishment of Antigone

they refused to accept sacrifices or

prayers from the city of Thebes these

unconsumed sacrifices come to represent

the rottenness of the city that is led

by a man who puts himself above the gods

Antigone risks the displeasure of Creon

and her personal safety to honor the law

of the Gods by burying her brother when

she sees his bare body she casts

handfuls of dirt onto him in this way

the dirt shows her devotion to her

family and a religion above her devotion

to the state that is forbidden has

burial

blindness comes up in both physical and

abstract ways throughout the play

Tiresias is a blind prophet though he

can't see the future with his own eyes

he can foretell it by paying attention

to other signs

Tiresias gives Creon advice that Creon

seems blind to until it's too late

even though Creon can't see with his own

eyes that his decisions are costing him

the trust of his citizens and the love

of his family

Creon symbolic blindness causes him to

seal his tortured and miserable fate

because he will not open his eyes and

time to effect

[Music]

in almost every case the incest of

Oedipus and Jocasta leads to the

destruction of the family tree through

suicide or choice Antigone hangs herself

Eurydice and humans stab themselves and

Polynices and Atia Cleese die fighting

each other

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