Great Works of Literature I (Fall 2016)

Throughout the story, we are told that Kreon, the king of Thebes, is the one whose authority determines the law. The play revolves around a major issue regarding the burial of the brothers who killed each other—Eteokles and Polyneikes—who are also Antigone’s brothers. Eteokles was given an honorable burial, “according to law and custom” since he died fighting to protect Thebes. However, Polyneikes died ravaging Thebes and consequently did not receive the same treatment. Instead, Kreon issued a law prohibiting anyone in Thebes from mourning or burying him and whoever who chose to violate this law would be sentenced to die.

Antigone, enraged at this, went ahead and gave Polyneikes a proper burial anyways, for that is required according to the gods. Once she is caught, Kreon orders for her to be locked up in a cave underground until she dies.  Kreon’s son, Haimon, who is engaged to marry Antigone, urges his father to stop for he is committing a huge mistake. However, Kreon–thinking he’s all powerful– refuses to listen to his son and does not attempt to fix his mistake until he hears from the Prophet Tiresias, but it is too late. Antigone has hung herself, Haimon kills himself at the sight of his vengeful father, and Kreon’s wife kills herself upon hearing of her son’s death.

Before being sent to her death, Antigone states:

It wasn’t Zeus who issued me

this order. And Justice—who lives below—

was not involved. They’d never condone it!

I deny that your edicts—since you, a mere man,

Imposed them—have the force to trample on

The god’s unwritten and infallible laws.

This passage, as well as what ultimately happens in the story emphasizes whose authority determines the law. It is evident that the gods have the final say in what actions must and must not be performed—this being because they have the greatest power and rule over all human beings. Kreon attempted to issue a law that contradicts the gods wish and suffered extreme losses as well as deep pains. Although the gods did not directly interfere with the how the events played out, they ensured Kreon got what he deserved. Law in Antigone, can be described as the gods will. No human being has the power or authority to issue anything that does not coincide with the gods views and ultimate desires. If they do so, they are being disrespectful and foolish and will be extremely punished.

In Antigone, law can be divided into two “authorities”: the gods and Kreon. Laws relating to family ties, although considered their own, are related to the gods. Zeus is the defender of bonds between family members and thus is the authority for this set of laws. The line “our laws” is repeated throughout the story by different characters, and yet their definitions of “our” are not quite the same. While Kreon and his men mean Kreon’s laws, it is evident that Antigone and eventually Haimon are referring to the laws of the gods.

Both Kreon and Antigone use the law as the reason behind their actions and expect nothing bad to happen to them since they are following the law. After her sister refuses to help her, Antigone says “defy/laws that gods expect us to honor” (93-94). Even though the law Kreon has set is extremely clear, to Antigone the laws that have governed them for years prevails anything else. Additionally, when she is being led to her deathbed, Antigone states, “Tell me, gods, which of your laws did I break?” (1014). She believes that she has broken no laws, since by the god’s laws bodies are supposed to be clean, dressed, worshipped and buried so that they can enter the Underworld. She is questioning why she is being punished if she hasn’t broken any of the god’s laws.

On the other hand, Kreon uses his own law to defend his treatment of Polyneike’s dead body as well as punishing Antigone for having touched his body. Ultimately though, after hearing of his son and his wife having committed suicide, Kreon’s use of “our laws” flip around to refer to the laws of the gods.

By the end, we realize that the gods had always determined law, even when Kreon believed himself to be all-powerful and created his own laws that contradicted those of the gods, he got punished for it.

Creon has sentenced Antigone to capital punishment for disobeying his orders. After learning that Antigone was about to face death, the Chorus, a group of old men, are used to remind the audience of the similarities between Antigone’s fate and the fate of her father, Oedipus. Both have been cursed by God. The Chorus states that “For once the gods attack a family, their curse never relents” to show that because of a wrongdoing, an ancestral curse has been created by the gods, which will be passed down to each generation of the house of Oedipus (631-633). Each child thereafter will have inherited the guilt for wrongdoings committed by his or her ancestor. The Chorus believes that the curse began with Oedipus and his wife/mother. Then it moved down to Oedipus’ sons and finally Oedipus’ daughters. A domino effect of death has been created. The Chorus does not blame Antigone for her actions, but rather sees her actions as a result of the family curse brought upon her by god.

The Chorus begins to pray to Zeus as he is the omnipotent and can curse families for generations. However, the opinion of the Chorus differs from that of Antigone. Antigone herself does not believe that god is the main root of her suffering. She believes that because she has followed the law of the gods by burying her brother, she should have less suffering when she enters Hades. The main root of her problems lies in Kreon, a “mere man” who attempts “to trample on the gods’ unwritten and infallible laws” (490-492). The Chorus is used to show that even if god is set to be the cause of all fates, god is never seen as a villain and never suffers any bad judgment. (Which contrasts from The Odyssey, where mortals seem to blame god for all their problems)

Although most of the choral ode explicitly mentions Antigone and the family curse, the last two paragraphs implicitly relate to Kreon. It foreshadows his future downfall. The Chorus states “evil seems noble—early and late—to minds unbalanced by the gods, but only for a moment will such men hold off catastrophe,” which means that if god wishes to guide a man to ruin, that man will see the good in evil, but will soon see catastrophe (684-691). The audience can imply that the Chorus is foreshadowing the downfall of Kreon because Kreon has seen the good in evil. Kreon believes that by burying Eteokles, and not burying Polyneikes, he is honoring his city and committing a good deed. It is not until the death of every member in his family that he realizes that he has disobeyed gods law by not respecting the god, and has done evil by leaving Polyneikes’ body for dogs and crows.

In the second choral ode about family curses, the Chorus is used to relate the tragic history of Oedipus’ family. Moreover, it is able to add foreshadowing and a new perspective on the relation between god and human.

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.

Love, particularly familial love, is a very strong theme in Antigone.

 Antigone, the sister of Polyneikes, wants to give Polyneikes a just burial. Kreon, King of Thebes and the uncle of Antigone, does not allow Polyneikes to be buried due to the nature of his death. Antigone buries him, but not after a quarrel with her sister, Ismene, who advises her not to do so. Kreon catches Antigone, and Ismene makes a strong effort to share the blame with Antigone.

To Kreon, Ismene says “I confess it – If she’ll let me. I accept my full share of the blame.” Antigone counters with “Justice won’t let you make that claim, sister! You refused to help me. You took no part.” (Antigone. 581-584) This excerpt from the conversation between Ismene and Antigone demonstrates a quote from the Elders, on love: “You wrench even good men’s minds/ so far off course that they crash in ruins.” (Antigone.872-873) Ismene makes an effort to share in the blame for an action that her sister committed, an action that she adamantly disagreed with, that was done out of love for her brother. Knowing full well the repercussions of her actions, Ismene tries to share in the blame of Antigone’s actions. Ismene does so out love for her sister, even though it could result in her downfall.

The overarching theme of the speech about Love from the chorus, was ‘Love wins in the end’. They say “Love, you win all your battles!” (Antigone.945-946) and “No god can outlast you/ No mortal outrun you/ And those you seize go mad” (Antigone. 869-871). Antigone buries her brother, out love and respect for him. She does so betraying, Kreon, her uncle, and father of the man that she was engaged to marry, Haimon. She had a glorious life planned out with Haimon, one where she could have achieved happiness and lived out her romantic fantasies, but she sacrificed it all for love and loyalty to her brother. In the end, she is jailed by Kreon, and kills herself in isolation. Although it is not the loving ending that she envisioned for herself, her demise is full of love and loyalty – to her brother.

As the king, Kreon has power and authority in what he thinks is lawful. According to Kreon, “An man who keeps his home in order will be perceives as righteous by his city. But if anyone steps out of line, breaks our laws, thinks he can dictate to his king, he shouldn’t expect any praise from me” (734-9). He thinks that as king, his interpretation of what the kings tell him are the law of the land. Antigone directly tells tells Kreon that the Thebans do not agree with the laws of Kreon because “To please you they bite they bite their tongues” (550). Despite her honesty towards him, he thinks his word is the law of the land that the Thebans follow.

The actual law of the land is the word of the gods. The elder warns that this who follow the laws of the land “soar with his city” but those who do not will be “driven away from his nation disgraced” (405-411). The elder also says, “One law of yours [Zeus] rules our own land and future time, just as it rules the past: Nothing momentous man achieves will go unpunished” (671-5). In lines 490-2, Antigone tells Kreon, “I deny that your edicts- since you, a mere man, imposed them- have the force to trample on the dogs’ unwritten and infallible laws.” In these 2 lines, both Antigone and the elder acknowledge that the unwritten laws of the gods rule the land for an infinite amount of time, not those of Kreon, the mere man. Antigone once again announces her disregard towards the Kreon law when she says, “Tell me, gods, which of your laws did I break?” (1014)

One might think that Kreon is the highest authority because he consistently claims that his rules are the law of the land. On page 766, Kreon has an argument with his son Haimon who calls out his unsupported laws. Once again, he brings up the fact that the Thebans do not support his governing laws because he acts like a dictator and abuses his power. During their argument, Haiman also says, “What is it you protect by protecting the gods?” (822), indicating that when his father enforces these laws of his, it goes against the infallible ones of the gods.

1) What law? Whose law?

In Antigone, law is ultimately determined by the gods. At first glance, it might appear that law is determined by Kreon, the king, but after examining the details of the play, it is clear that law is determined by the gods. In the beginning of the play, he decrees a new law making it a crime to bury or mourn Polyneikes, justifying it by saying that he “will never / tolerate giving a bad man more respect / than a good one” (753). The leader supports his decision by saying that Kreon has “all the authority [he] need[s] / to discipline the living and the dead” (753). However, this new law he enacts is based solely on his moral values alone, not the Theban moral values as a collective, meaning Kreon has no authority to create laws based on his judgment, even if he has support from the leader of the chorus. In lines 30-31, Antigone points out how Eteokles was buried according to law and custom, illustrating how there are already preexisting laws the Thebans abode by regarding burial rituals. However, these laws are not mere laws created by mortals, in line 94, Antigone says that these laws are ones that the gods expect the Thebans to honor. This further justifies that laws in Thebes are determined by the gods. Also, because Kreon chose to defy the gods’ laws for his own selfish views, he had to pay the price with the death of his family: his niece: Antigone, his son: Haimon, and his wife: Eurydike. This shows that his laws are nothing compared to the laws of the gods.

Antigone provides insight into the complex mind of a lawmaker who creates legislation that is predicated on projection of personal insecurities. Creon makes his stance on governmental intervention clear: “For I believe that who controls the state / and does not hold to the best plans of all, / but locks his tongue up through some kind of fear, / that he is worst of all who are or were.” This statement perfectly contrasts that of Antigone to her sister Ismene “I shall hate you more / if silent, not proclaiming this to all.” The law is determined by the individual: Creon’s stance that respecting the dead does not supersede his rule is for Ismene. In contrast, Antigone sees the gods as having the final word, so she chooses death to bury her brother over life to disgrace his corpse.

Creon clarifies what is ultimate justice: “Never shall I, myself, / honor the wicked and reject the just. The man who is well-minded to the state / from me in death and life shall have his honor.” This indicates that, despite the fact that Polyneices is kin to Creon, the law-maker has one golden rule: loyalty gets absolute honor, treachery receives the greatest disgrace. The chorus initiates the first deconstruction of Creon’s rule directly to his face: “Lord, while he spoke, my mind kept on debating, / Isn’t this action possibly a god’s?” Creon completely rejects the proposal. But it is clear that the chorus is alluding to some uncertainty in the order of law. Perhaps the gods do want Polyneices buried even though he “…came / to burn [the gods’] pillared temples and their wealth, / even their land, and break apart their laws.” Creon mentions the laws of the gods to contextualize his decree: since Polyneices had attempted to break the laws of the gods, Creon is going to break the law of convention and respect for that same man. This is an instance of ‘an eye for an eye.’ Further, the Chorus subtly alludes to Creon’s downfall: “When he honors the laws of the land and the gods’ sworn right / high indeed is his city; but stateless the man who dares to dwell with dishonor.” Ostensibly, the second half of this statement is about Polyneices. However, when put in the greater context of this play, it is clear that the chorus is referring to Creon’s ultimate demise. Instead of contemplating the values of the gods, he focuses on his own and projects them as the will of the gods. Creon is truly stateless, for he dwells with dishonor.

Antigone goes further than the chorus had: “For me it was not Zeus who made that order. / Nor did that Justice who lives with the gods below / mark out such laws to hold among mankind. / Nor did I think your orders were so strong / that you, a moral man, could over-run / the gods’ unwritten and unfailing laws…And if you think my acts are foolishness / the foolishness may be in the fool’s eye.” Antigone topples the law system on its head by making one thing clear: even if you kill me for burying my brother, your justice is not the god’s justice, and you are the fool.

All becomes abundantly clear when Creon says to Antigone: “No woman rules me while I live.” It is clear that what lies at the core of Creon’s will is not justice, but insecurity of his power, and possibly his masculinity. He is being brought down by a woman. So much so that he exclaims “Slaves, take them in. They must be women now.” That is to say as if they threatened his power like a man would. Creon goes on later to say “So I must guard the men who yield to order, / not let myself be beaten by a woman. Better, if it must happen, that a man / should overset me. / I won’t be called weaker than womankind.” Haemon encourages his father to be open to learning new things. Yet, heaven forbid a man should learn from a woman. The chorus even supports Haemon’s words. And Haemon points out further that the townspeople disagree with Creon’s decree. Everyone is fighting against Creon, who is getting offended and defensive. So much so that he yells at his son, “Your mind is poisoned. Weaker than a woman!”

The chorus completes the allusion to Creon’s impending demise: “You twist the minds of the just. Wrong they pursue and are ruined.” His rule is undone, and Creon has been made the fool for his injustice.

By the power of his crown and the authority of his title, a king is the rightful law bringer. But who put that king into power? Kreon’s role is largely the result of Fate. The prophecy about Oedipus has come true and he is in exile, and then the double murder of the next two heirs occurs (205-206), and only Kreon is the next male left in line. These are no coincidences.

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In Antigone, mortal and immortal law clash. The laws in question surround traitors and burial, with human politics focusing on the dead’s traitorous actions and godly authority focusing on the importance of a proper burial.

Kreon uses his power as king of Thebes to deny Antigone and Ismene their spiritual right to bury their brother Polyneikes. As the play opens, Antigone begins testing the tension between duty to the state and to the heavens, defending her crimes as “honorable” (86) and “blameless” (89) with the reasoning “It wasn’t Zeus who issued me / this order. And Justice—who lives below— / was not involved” (487-489). For Antigone, “the gods’ unwritten and infallible laws” (192) trump Kreon’s decree. After all, her time on the earth under the law of Thebes is limited, and her time in Hades beside the ghosts of her family is forever.

Antigone’s struggle ends in tragedy. Kreon stands by his decree in an effort to maintain his authority over the city, but he loses sight of his position in the power hierarchy: as a mortal, he is under the jurisdiction of the gods. The justice system fails when it goes against natural justice. Antigone dies as Kreon commands, but her death, which she welcomed, is not a punishment meant for her. Because Kreon’s law defies the law of the gods, and they punish him by taking his niece, his son, and his wife, as well as turning the people against him.

Kreon is humbled, realizing “There’s no one I can blame, / no other mortal. / I am the only one” (1472-1474). He passed the law murdering three members of his family, but his specific mention of mortal blame implicates the immortal gods’ hand in the affair. As the play ends, the leader of the chorus urges Kreon to tend to his stately duties—“We / must deal with the present. / The future will be shaped / by those who control it” (1489-1492). On one hand, this refers to Kreon’s power as king, but it also highlights how powerless Kreon truly is. He cannot keep his family safe; he cannot keep his city in line; he cannot control the future. He, the highest authority in Thebes, is at the mercy of the gods.