Greek literature: Antigone
Antigone at her brother's grave, from the Louvre
When Oedipus was married to his own mother, Jocasta, they had four
children – two sons, Polyneices (polly-NICE-ees) and Eteocles,
and two daughters, Antigone (ann-TIG-oh-nee) and Ismene (iss-MAIN-eh).
The children were cursed by their fathers’ curse and so nothing
good could happen to them. After Oedipus died, his two sons were supposed
to rule Thebes together, but they began to fight over who would be in
charge. They had a big war, and Polyneices and his brother were both
killed. The people chose Creon (CREE-on) for their new king.
Creon had been on the side of Eteocles.
Polynices’ sister Antigone was very upset by this order. She wanted her brother to be buried right! So early the next morning, Antigone sneaked out of the city and buried Polynices with her bare hands. When she got back, her sister Ismene tried to convince her to lie about it, but she said no, that would be wrong.
When Creon found out that Antigone had buried Polynices, he was very angry. And he was even more angry when she said she wasn’t sorry at all. Antigone argued that it was more important to obey the law of the gods (to bury your brother) than to obey the law of the king. But Creon said the king decided the law, and everyone had to obey it. He ordered his guards to kill her by shutting her up in a cave with nothing to eat or drink.
What do you think? Was Antigone right, or Creon? Should you obey the law, even if you think it is wrong? Even if God says that law is wrong? Is it ever right to break the law?
To find out more about Greek plays and Antigone, check out these books from Amazon.com or from your local library:
Greek Theatre, by Stewart Ross (1999). For kids.
Greek and Roman Theater, by Don Nardo. For teenagers.
Antigone (Dover Thrift Editions) by Sophocles. The play itself, very very cheap ($1.50).
Readings on Antigone, also by Don Nardo (1999). For teenagers. A collection of different interpretations of the play, edited for younger readers. Rave reviews.
Greek
Tragedy: A Literary Study, by H. D. F. Kitto (reprinted 2002). A
classic discussion of the meaning of Greek tragic plays, by a specialist.
More Sophocles
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