Response to Antigone Questions

1.  “But as for his blood brother, Polynices,who returned from exile, home to his father-city and the gods of his race, consumed with one desire–to burn them roof to roots–who thirsted to drink his kinsmen’s blood and sell the rest to slavery: that man–a proclamation has forbidden the city to dignify him with burial, mourn him at all. No, he must be left unburied, his corpse carrion for the birds and dogs to tear, an obscenity for the citizens to behold!”

When I see this part, I can know that Creon took the body of Eteocles and gave him a great burial as a hero of the country. However, He thinks that Polynesque is a betrayer who led the foreign army and invaded Thebes. He commanded to leave the body in the field to become the food of the beast and a proclamation has forbidden the city to dignify him with burial, mourn him at all.

Creon believes that the conscience of an individual does not prevail over national law. If a person’s conscience prevails over the law of the state, and if each person violates the law of the state by challenging the law with his or her own conscience, the law will lose control over the people and the state will be disordered. That is why Creon punishes the Antigones that violate the laws of the country according to the laws of the country.

2. “My countrymen, he ship of state is safe. The gods who rocked her, after a long, merciless pounding in the storm, have righted her once more.”

In this sentence, Creon is saying that ship of state is safe. The ‘ship of state’ that Creon is referring to is firstly ‘government’. In other words, it means Thebes. Creon thinks that the government is a ship and his duty as a ruler is to save and protect the ship(government) despite of heavy waves and storm. I would say it is one of metaphor. In my opinion, however, it also can be thought as his ‘kingship’ because Eteocles and Polynices who were supposed to be a king of Thebes are all died so he could become only person who has a sovereign power and he thinks that it would be safe.

4. Even though Antigone and Creon are obviously in conflict in the play, there is also similar point between Antigone and Creon. They are carrying their´s point somewhat extremely. Antigone stands for personal conscience, and Creon represents the strict law of the state and the country. While Antigone is trying to defend her conscience by putting into action what she believes to be right, Creon does not tolerate Antigone’s disobedience because he thinks that society will be disordered if people violate the law and disobey the state. I would say both have stubbornness.