Antigone | Summary & Characterization | Play by Sophocles

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Antigone | Summary & Characterization | Play by Sophocles

Antigone by Sophocles

MAIN PLOT 

Antigone by Sophocles

Antigone's brothers, Polyneices and Eteocles, had fought great battles with each other for the throne of Thebes. But they were killed by each other. After their deaths, their uncle Creon became the new monarch of Thebes. But he declared Polyneices a traitor and did not allow anybody to give him proper funeral rites. He found Eteocles a good ruler and gave him a proper funeral rite. On the other hand, Polyneices and Eteocles' sister, Antigone, defied his command and tried to bury her brother Polyneices (Bury means here to give a proper funeral rite). Her act of disobedience made Creon angry. So, he ordered his attendant to put her alive in the vault. His son, Haemon, requested that Creon forgive her (Haemon was in a love affair with Antigone). But Creon did not change his order. The blind prophet Teiresias also warned Creon that his act was against all divine laws. But his effort to make Creon realise his mistake went in vain. But Ehorogus is the one who brought Creon on the right track, but it was too late.

Being angry with his father's decision, Haemon left the palace and went to meet Antigone in the cave where Antigone was placed inside the vault. He mourned there over Antigone's suicide. He became so angry with his father's decision. While searching for Haemon, Creon also reached the cave.

But angry Haemon charged Creon with his sword but missed his sword and killed himself. After that, Creon returned to his palace to meet his wife Eurydice, but she had already died hearing her son's (Haemon's) suicide. Then Creon lamented for his misdeeds. The play ends with Choragus commenting on Creon's boast.

COMPLETE SUMMARY 

Antigone by Sophocles

Scene I

Both Antigone and Ismene were two daughters of Oedipus. Their brothers Polyneices and Eteocles had killed each other while fighting for the rule of Thebes. After their deaths, their uncle Creon became the king of Thebes. He provided proper funeral rites to Eteocles but refused to give that rite to Polyneices. He announced that Polyneices was a traitor. For him, Polyneices was a rebel because he attacked Thebes with the help of others, i.e., his father-in-law.

But Eteocles and Polyneices' sister, Antigone, challenged Creon's order. She tried to bury her dead brother, Polyneices. She thought that she should bury her brother because it was her responsibility for her kinship as well as the law of God.

Actually, Antigone had consulted her sister Ismene earlier to give funeral rites to their brother, Polyneices. But Ismene didn't dare to violate Creon's order because she thought that it was the command of Theban State. So she thought that they did not have any power to challenge the state's decision.

In the first scene, Creon, among his people, declared Eleocles a brave man who died fighting for his country (actually, he had fought with his own brother Polyneices). But for Creon, Polyneices was a criminal and traitor who brought the army to destroy his own motherland. So, he declared him a rebel and a traitor and didn't allow anyone to give him a proper funeral rite of burying him. All Thebans accepted King Creon's decision. In the meantime, a sentry came there hurriedly and revealed to Creon that someone tried to bury Polyneices. Creon became angry with the sentry and accused him of his disloyalty to the state. According to Creon, the sentry didn't guard the place properly where the Polyneices' dead bodies were kept (in the open sky). Then Sentry returned to the same place where he had been guarding Polyneices' dead body.

Scene II

In scene two, the sentry was successful in arresting the culprit. He brought Antigone to court, where he claimed that he had arrested Antigone on the spot while she was trying to bury her brother, Polyneices. Antigone defended her actions, saying that both of her brothers are equal, and she has just tried to do her duty to her blood relative by giving a proper funeral to her brother Polyneices. But Creon was quite rigid in his law and order. So he wanted Antigone to be put in prison. Moreover, he called innocent Ismene and blamed her for having concealed Antigone's plan. So she was accused equally of participating in Antigone's crime.

Ismene changed her mind and accepted her involvement with her sister Antigone in burying Polyneices. But Antigone had not participated in that work.

In this act, there were also hints of a love relationship between Haemon and Antigone. Actually, Antigone was the fiancee of Haemon.

 

Scene III

In Scene 3, Haemon appeared in front of King Creon and requested that he change his decision. But Creon abused Haemon, saying that he was supporting a woman who broke the law of Thebes. Haemon replied very cleverly, saying that he was not supporting a woman but rather trying to make him realise God's desire.

But Creon was determined in his decision, and he told him that he would not kill her but lock her alive in a vault of stone.

 

Scene IV

Now, Antigone was taken to the hall. She was ready to face her death. Now, she realised that her father's' crime and his curse upon her brothers ruined all her family members, and due to her family's sin, she was also obligated to face the present bad situation.

Scene V

Like in Oedipus Rex, the immortal blind prophet, Teiresias, appeared to the king Creon and warned him, saying that the gods were not happy. He told the king to take his decision back and not to punish Antigone. He added that the gods were happy with Antigone's action of burying her brother, Polyneices, but for his decision, the gods were angry. But Creon, instead of accepting his prophecy, doubted his soothsaying.

Now Teiresias, in anger, declared that Creon would be punished by the god for his action and had to pay the heavy price of a corpse (of Antigone) for a corpse (blood for blood). Now Teiresias has left. Then his prophecy a little bit troubled Creon. When Creon was in a sad state due to that forecast, there appeared Choragus, who alerted the king. He suggested that he should free Antigone to get rid of that prophecy. Creon suddenly realised his mistake and ordered his people to dig out the tomb where Antigone had been buried.

Exodus

Creon, realising his mistake, went to bury Polyneices' dead body. And his men were also trying to take Antigone from the vault where she had been placed alive. But it was too late because Antigone herself had killed feeling her public insult. When Haemon knew about his beloved's death, he lamented heavily and finally killed himself with his sword. When Creon's wife, Queen Eurydice, knew about her son's death, she also killed herself. Now Creon realises his past mistake and laments heavily. But his lamentation couldn't do anything because he had already lost the three people-Antigone, Haemon, and Eurydice. Finally, the play ends with Choragus' philosophical dialogue:

 

Choragus: "There is no happiness where there is no wisdom;

No wisdom, but in submission to the goods

Big words are always punished.

And proud men in old age learn to be wise."

 

The above lines mean: big words mean vainly proud. A person who is proud of his power faces the same problem because such a person knows his mistake late (into his age).

CHARACTERIZATION 

Antigone by Sophocles

Major Characters

Antigone:

Antigone is the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta. She moves against her uncle, Creon, and tries to bury her brother, Polyneices. Later, Creon puts her alive in the vault. She feels her insult and kills herself inside the vault. In the play, she has represented the true relative as well as the follower of divine law. She followed divine law and tried to bury her brother. She also represents the Catholic faith because it asserts that after the death of someone, he or she should be buried by a relative. Furthermore, her acts of defying Creon's order are equal to an individual's challenge to state for the sake of a relative.

 

Creon:

He is the brother of Jocasta, the husband of Eurydice, and the father of Haemon. After the deaths of his two nephews, Polyneices and Eteocles, Creon wears the Theban crown. After becoming king, he refuses to give a proper funeral to his nephew, Polyneices, whom he thought was a traitor. So, he orders his people to keep his dead body unburied. But he declares Eteocles a good king and a good citizen and gives proper funeral rites. Later, Antigone dares to bury her brother, Polyneices. Antigone's act makes Creon furious, and he leads her to death. From Teiresias, we learn that his act of not giving proper funeral rites to Polyneices was against divine law. In this sense, he defies divine law, so he had to participate in the loss of his own family.

 

The Chorus:

They are a group of old people from Thebes. They had participated in the former civil war held between Eteocles and Polyneices.

Now, they long for peace and stability. In the play, Sophocles' character Chorus comments on the major conflict that occurs between Antigone and Creon, or an individual and a state, respectively.

Minor Characters

Haemon:

Haemon, who is Creon and Eurydice's son, loves Antigone. He requests his father not to give cruel punishment to Antigone. But all his effort goes into the sand. Later, Haemon kills himself with his sword in Antogone's tomb.

 

Ismene:

She is the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta and the elder sister of Antigone. Initially, she kept fearing her uncle Creon. So, she does not want to participate with Antigone to bury her brother, Polyneices. But later, when Antigone is arrested by Creon's sentry for her attempt to bury Polyneices, Ismene changes her mind and says that she had also participated in Antigone's guilt. But Creon does not believe her words, thinking that she is temporarily mad.

 

Teiresias:

He is the blind and immortal prophet of Thebes. He has watched every activity of the royal family. When Thebes faces some problems, he always forecasts to Theban King to save his honour. In the play Antigone too, he comes to warn Creon that his activities of not giving a proper funeral rite to Polyneices and his decision to punish Antigone are against divine law. He also prophesizes that his crime will have dire consequences for an eye for an eye (blood for blood).

 

Eurydice:

She was the wife of Creon and mother to Haemon. She is a minor character who appears on the stage only once. when she hears the news about her son, Haemon. She commits suicide.

 

The watchman (sentry):

In scene one, the watchman comes to inform Creon that someone has tried to bury Polyneices' dead body during the night. Creon accuses him of neglecting his duty. Then he returns to the same place where Polyneice's dead body was kept. Later, he succeeds in arresting Antigone and bringing her in front of King Creon.

 

The first messenger:

From this messenger, Eurydice knows about her son's suicide.

 

The Second Messenger:

From this messenger, King Creon knows his wife Eurydice's death.

 

Choragus:

Choragus means the leader of the chorus. In the play from Choragus, Creon realises his mistake and goes to save the life of Antigone. Choragus also gives philosophical thought at the end of the play.

"Big words are always punished" (2nd line of the play)

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