Book Review: Antigone

“All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil. The only crime is Pride”

Ooo, Greek tragedy. And it’s a juicy one! Antigone is the daughter of an incestuous relationship, between her father Oedipus and Jocasta. Anyone remember the story of Oedipus? Yeah, that car crash. You know the one where Oedipus kills his own father and marries his mother? Then when all is revealed he gouges his own eyes out. Well, this play takes place in the aftermath of the war of the Seven Against Thebes in which Antigone’s two brothers, Eteocles and Polynices, were at war with each other. They had, before the war, agreed to rule together each taking it in turns for a year. However, the brothers quarrelled and Polynices was expelled from Thebes. Naturally Polynices gathered an army and, well, all hell broke loose, and the brothers died in the ensuing war. The tragedy of Antigone is another epic chapter in an ensuing family drama. Her family cannot seem to catch a break; indeed, it may even go back to King Laius, father of Oedipus, who’s abduction and rape of Chrysippus foretold the punishments that his family and the city of Thebes would soon suffer at the hands of the Gods. And boy, do they all suffer.

King Creon, the new ruler of Thebes decides to set a precedent, he chose, on pain of death, that no one will do sacred burial rites for the ‘traitor’ Polynices, because Polynices had betrayed the city of Thebes. Well, as you can imagine, Antigone defies Creon’s orders and performs burial rites for her brother. Her sister Ismene neither agrees no disagrees with Antigone that rites should be performed, but she obediently decides to go along with Creon’s edict. When Antigone returns one morning, having disappeared for the night, Ismene questions her fearing that Antigone will try and bury Polynices. However, our heroine Antigone has already done so.  Unbeknownst to Antigone, Polynices body is watched day and night; guards had been placed along the city walls to keep an eye out for anyone daring to defy Creon. If there is anyone who will defy Creon, it is Antigone. She is the antithesis of Ismene, and defiantly argues with Creon when she gets caught. She argues that the actions of Creon are against the nature of the gods themselves and that the crime of not adhering to burial rites is by far the greater crime. Creon, in a fit of maddening hubris, decrees that Antigone should be buried alive. Creon’s son, Haemon, argues that his arrogance will be the undoing of him and typically Creon believes his son to be weak for siding with a woman. It maybe the hubris of Creon that brings about the disaster that makes this such a monumental piece of theatre, but we also must have a look at the arrogance of Antigone. Is arrogance not her hubris? True she turns out to be completely right in the end (find me a woman who isn’t) but her sister Ismene does have a point in fearing for her sister. Antigone’s impulsive behaviour and fiery demeanour causes a lot trouble because the juxtaposing characters of Antigone and Creon are like oil and water, they don’t mix. Antigone’s refusal to submit to Creon’s edict and his overall authority is the lighted match to a room full of gunpowder. Her only misstep was the act of killing herself in the end. True it is an act of defiance, that she would rather die than not observe the rites for her brother. But imagine how delicious an ending it would’ve been if, when Creon has a change of heart and buries her brother, to have her see a deeply humbled and penitent King. I wish we had a moment of Antigone saying, albeit a much more graceful version of, ‘I told you so’. But that wouldn’t make this a memorable tragedy. Instead, the prophet Tiresias warns Creon that what he has done has angered the Gods; Fate will not be kind to those he holds dear. In fact, his sacrilegious act will culminate in the death of his own son. But being a King, why should Creon answer to the Gods? What’s the worst that could happen? When Creon decides to bury Polynices he, along with some guards go to the place where Antigone was buried alive to free her. But they discover that Haemon is already there, distraught at the lifeless body of Antigone. And, before Creon could stop him, Haemon commits suicide. And true to the tragic, self-destructive blood bath we have going on here, Creon’s wife, and the mother of Haemon, Eurydice (not the one loved by Orpheus) also commits suicide after hearing of her son’s death. Sophocles take a bow. 

This play reminds me of ‘Othello’ and like ‘Othello’ it was like watching a train crash in slow motion. You knew it wasn’t going to end well. For no one. It’s a great piece of theatre, revolutionary at the time and its one of the few surviving pieces of Greek theatre written by Sophocles, of which there are only seven. My only suggestion is that you should pick your version to read with great care. In the English translations you lose a lot of the original ancient Greek rhythms and rhyming schemes, therefore you lose some of the meaning. So, unless you can read ancient Greek, proceed with caution. And have alcohol near, you’ll need it.