The Eternal Tea Party

            At the end of Sophocles’ tragedy the Antigone, Creon is left with almost no relations or friends left. He is without a wife because she, in anguish after seeing and hearing of her son’s death, has killed herself. He is without any sons because Haemon, after seeing Antigone’s body and failed to kill his father, had also committed suicide. His second son Megaron was killed, due to the inevitability of ‘Greek fate’, defending the 7 gates of Thebes. His niece is dead because she, in a final act of defiance, hanged herself rather than to suffer from Creon’s punishment and starve to death in a cave. It was Antigone who triggered all of this because she insisted on heedlessly breaking Creon’s decree about not allowing anyone to bury the dead Polynices, but Creon has also acted very stubbornly, was quick to anger, and could not admit his mistakes and faults. They both have a share for the play’s tragic end. 

            Antigone never fully realized the danger of her actions, and the consequences. Didn’t she? Well, if she did, she must certainly be very brave indeed, especially because ancient Greek was a man’s world, and women were, as always, treated as second-class. In many ways, the Antigone is one of the world’s first pieces of feminist literature, although I am hardly an expert on that matter. Antigone did not listen to her sister Ismene at all and acted meanly towards her sister, who was one of the few [persons that loved and cared for her. This, of course, also led to Antigone making no attempts to be subtle and plan the burial carefully. ‘What? You’d bury him – when a law forbids the city?’, ‘Dear god, shout it from the rooftops. I’ll hate you all the more for silence…’
            When Antigone came back to the body, she made no attempts to try and cover up her actions or to remain unseen. Instead, she went to Polynices’ body in broad daylight, almost asking to be caught. ‘…the sun stood dead above our heads, a huge white ball in the noon sky… and then it happened – suddenly, a whirlwind! …And after the storm passed…there, we saw the girl!’
            Not only did Antigone not listen to Ismene, but she also neglected Haemon, her fiancée, completely. She did not speak to him about her burial plans (which shows how she distrusts Haemon because he is the king’s son), nor did she talk about/to him after her arrest. She could have relieved Haemon’s grief and thus prevented his big argument with Creon.
            Antigone was too rude and too aggressive, which provoked Creon. She may have been right but she would also have a higher chance of survival if she did not insult Creon and the city’s laws. She could also have tried to trick Creon (although this, if found out, would have made him even angrier) into believing that she did not really want to bury the body, or was not ware of the decree Creon had set up. She, as a much more sensible approach, cold also have gone to Creon and complained of his decree before setting off on a crude and foolish plan, and just bury Polynices all by herself. ‘…were you aware a decree had forbidden this?’, ‘Well aware. How could I avoid it? T was public.’, ‘Nor did I think your edict had such force that you, a mere mortal, could override the gods…if my present actions strike you as foolish, let’s just say I’ve been accused of folly by a fool.’ Perhaps Antigone was just too proud to do something as base as lying or covering up what she did…?
            When she was led to the cave she was to be put into, Antigone cursed Creon and his followers, provide that she was right, and also said that if she was wrong, her punishment would be near. Since we know, with hindsight, that Antigone was right in supporting divine laws rather than human laws, her curse came to effect. Also, as a last act of defiance, or even spitefulness, Antigone committed suicide inside the cave, when she should have starved to death (but don’t ask me how the heck she did it…there’s nothing for a rope to hang on inside a cave really!). This triggered a chain reaction because when Haemon discovered Antigone’s hanging corpse, he killed himself too and that led to the suicide of his mother, Creon’s wife. ‘…once I suffer, I will know that I was wrong. But if these men are wrong, let them suffer nothing worse than they mete out to me…’, ‘Haemon’s gore, his blood spilled by the very hand -…His own… raging mad with his father for the death -‘

             Creon, from the very beginning of the play, to the end, has chosen to support the laws of the city (plus, he made most of them) and, although still pious, he neglects the divine laws. He, like Antigone, was not completely aware of the consequences of his decisions and was unyielding to everyone opposing the laws, claiming that he, as the king of Thebes, must be obeyed at all times. Creon ordered Polynices’ and the other Argive soldiers’ bodies to be left unburied and declared it a law that nobody must attempt to bury or mourn them, under pain of being stoned to death within the city walls. Creon firmly believed that nobody should break the laws of the state but, at the same time, he was breaking divine laws. ‘…as for his [Eteocles] blood brother, Polynices… he must be left unburied, his corpse carrion for the birds and dogs…’, ‘The city is the king’s that’s the law!’
            Creon is too arrogant and too proud to be able to change his mind. He constantly fears embarrassment no matter how slight his mistake was, which stops him from accepting any advice that goes against his doctrine of absolute loyalty towards the state (remember that Sophocles wrote during the Peloponnesian war, which was proving extremely costly for both Athens and her citizens). Antigone, Haemon, and the chorus, could not convince him to retract his decree or to give Antigone a fairer punishment. His sheer stubbornness prevents many remedies for mistakes taking place (e.g. to let Antigone out of her cave, acting in a more friendly way towards Ismene and Haemon, and thinking before acting). He even refused to listen to Tiresias himself, even though he claims he still believes in Tiresias’ prophecies, until the chorus, with his own fear, finally managed to persuade Creon to follow Tiersias’ advice, although it was too late by then. ‘…but resist now? Lay my pride bare to the blows of ruin? That’s dreadful too.’, ‘But good advice, Creon, take it now, you must’, ‘ Disasters sent by the gods cut short our follies in a flash.’ That second quote seems to come straight from Yoda. :-)
            Creon is very much similar to Oedipus when it comes to controlling one’s temper, i.e. he has no control. Creon is easily provoked, has a short stub, will react violently, and is hard to calm down. He adopts the ‘never forgive, never forget’ policy, and acts bitterly against his own son and nieces when he used to be quite friendly. He clearly values the city-state (which was seen as paramount to many ancient Greeks, especially Spartans) over family and friends, and does not like to listen to public opinion either, even when he fears that the citizens of Thebes will mock him. In fact, he puts the state and its laws above everything, even the gods, but at the same time, he tries to be (or so he tells the audience) a caring and pious king. It was Creon’s hostility and stubbornness that caused Haemon to threaten Creon with his own suicide. Creon, being slightly paranoid, thought that the threat was towards him. ‘But the man who rears a brood of useless children…Nothing but trouble for himself, and mockery from his enemies laughing in his face.’, ‘then she will die…but her death will kill another.’, ‘What, brazen threats? You go too far!’
            Creon’s paranoia is best revealed when he, for no reason, holds Ismene partially responsible for the attempted burial of Polynices and therefore she has helped Antigone, when she in fat did not. His distrust of other people also prevents him from following advice. ‘They’re both mad, I tell you, the two of them.’, ‘Yours did, when you chose to commit your crimes with her.’
            Creon firmly believes in the superiority of men and could not bear to accept Antigone’ view or his son’s defence of Antigone. He made them both very angry and frustrated when there was an opportunity to pacify them. ‘This girl was an old hand at insolence… I am not the man, not now: she is the man if this victory goes to her and she goes free.’, ‘…you soul of corruption…woman’s accomplice!…Don’t flatter me with Father – you woman’s slave!’
            One of Creon’s final mistakes was to delay his response to Tiresias’ advice. If he had acted faster, he and his followers cold have gotten to Antigone’s cave in time and prevented her suicide. ‘Do it now, go, don’t leave it to others.’

             Antigone and Creon may both have committed several grave mistakes but Creon, although his mistakes are no worse than Antigone’s, is more responsible for the tragic events of the play. This is because he is the king, holds all of the responsibility, and it is up to him to decide which decisions to make. He is much more powerful than Antigone, who was quite helpless throughout most of the play (she did have full control over her own life, however) and could have altered the course of the play easily. Creon did not take the opportunity to set things right because he chose not to, while Antigone did not take the opportunity to set things right because she could jot and had not much choice, which makes Creon more responsible.

Boy, these Greek tragedies sure are depressing... who wants home-made Prozac with icecream??? :-D