The Ode to Man and The Corrupting Temptation of Tyranny

One of the most powerful passages in Antigone is the ode to man. It is the first of the choruses, or poetic interruptions by Theban elders. Since Antigone is not broken up into acts, scenes or books, the chorus serves as a necessary break in the action. Nonetheless, their commentary is not merely a mundane summary of the story, but is often philosophical and didactic in nature. They can also serve to augment and clarify a specific theme in the play.

Ode to man opens with awe: “Wonders abound, but none / more astounding than man!” (364-365). The footnotes tell us that in Ancient Greek, wonder, or ta deina, can also imply ‘terrible’. This connotation fits well with the lesson at the end of the poem. The Elders spend the next thirty-something lines exalting man’s immense power. Humans have conquered the most physically imposing creatures in the world— “He tames the mountain bull” (386)— and are also blessed with the greatest cognitive ability in the entire animal kingdom: “he has taught himself speech/ wind-quick thought, / and all the talents/ that govern a city” (388-391). Having proven this point, the Elders pivot, and warns of the folly of falling to the temptation of absolute power and control: “But reckless and corrupt, / a man will be driven / from his nation disgraced.” (409-411) They end with a somber invocation: “Let no man guilty of such things/ share my hearth or invade my thoughts” (412-413).

The connection to the play is two-fold. First, this condemnation of reckless power foreshadows the eventual cause of the tragedy—namely, Kreon’s refusal to compromise on his draconian decree. Rather than allowing for the burial of his rebel nephew, as religious law dictates, he sentences his niece Antigone to death for burying her brother Polyneikes’ corpse. Kreon is resistant to any pleading for her life, even from his own son, Haimon, who was engaged to marry her. After ordering his men to enclose Antigone in a vault, the prophet Tiresias harshly rebukes him: “Tyrants have a penchant for corruption” (1168). Kreon realizes his folly, but it is too late. Antigone commits suicide, then Haimon and finally, Kreon’s wife Eurydice. Fittingly, the play concludes with a warning against this headstrong attitude: “the huge claims of proud men are always punished—by blows that, as the proud grow old, pound wisdom through their minds.” (1515-1519.)

It is also interesting to note the context of this passage. It is found immediately after Kreon’s tongue-lashing of one his guards, who reports that Polyneikes’ burier had escaped. Before the guard even arrives, he tells Leader that “easy money frequently kills those it deludes”. Kreon remains suspicious after hearing the guard’s testimony, and believes the guard must have been bribed. He begins to decry the man’s temptation to chase money: “Mankind’s most deadly invention is money” (327), and “more men are destroyed by ill-gotten wealth than such “wealth” ever saved from destruction” (344-345). The irony of the ode to man is striking: though the reader may initially see the poem as supportive of Kreon, and as a rebuke of his potential corrupt guards, it’s Kreon himself who is revealed to be guilty of tyranny, and whose abuse of power ultimately ruins his life.