Doc Yoder's Notes
Antigone by Sophocles (441 BC)

• Antigone tells Ismene of Creon's decree
• Ismene refuses to help, pleading that they are women and underlings, and cannot violate the laws of the state; instead she'll beg forgiveness from the dead (70-80)
• Antigone frames the issue as divine law vs state law (86-92)

• Chorus greets the sun and recounts how the army of Argos, led by Polynices, descended on Thebes like an eagle (127), but was resisted by the "Dragon none can master - Thebes" (138)
• They describe the battle with the involvement of Zeus and Ares on the side of Thebes, and how the 7 captains fought at the 7 gates, and how Polynices and Eteocles killed each other (160-3)

• Enter Creon, who makes a speech about the "ship of state" (180-1, 199, 212), and how he is taking command
• Creon pronounces the decree concerning Eteocles and Polynices (215-235), stressing the dishonor to Polynices
• Chorus Leader concedes, a bit reluctantly, and Creon suggests that some may be bribed into disobedience
• Sentry enters and after some delay reports that someone buried the corpse of Polynices
• Creon assumes a man did it (281, 346-7); he assumes that the gods agree with his decree (317-27); he assumes that the disobedience is personal (328 332), or perhaps the entire sentry patrol was bribed, rants against money (333-44, 365, 370)
• Sentry, glad to get away with his life, swears never to return

• Hymn on the greatness of man, who, because of his intellect, masters the sea in ships, the earth in farms, animals in hunting; man who has fashioned language and laws and shelter from the elements
• But man cannot stand against Death
• Man is great when he "weaves in the laws of the land, and the justice of the gods," but he who "weds himself to inhumanity" will never have the support of the city

• Sentry brings in Antigone -- there was a whirlwind, and then Antigone appeared and covered the body with dust and poured 3 libations; the sentry was glad to bring her in to clear himself
• Creon dismisses the sentry and asks if Antigone was aware of the decree (giving her a chance at leniency, 495-6)
• Antigone insists that she was aware, but placed the law of the gods above the law of "a mere mortal" which cannot "override the gods" (504-5); she says that she is not concerned about "some man's wounded pride," and accuses Creon of being a fool (510, 524-5)
• Chorus Leader says that Antigone is like her Father
• Creon describes Antigone as a "slave" to him as "master" (534-5), and sets the dispute in terms of wounded pride and gender: "I'm not the man, not now; she is the man / if this victory goes to her" (541-2)
• Creon arbitrarily accuses Ismene of complicity and sends for her
• Meanwhile, Creon and Antigone argue; Antigone says that the citizens would agree with her if they were not afraid of Creon (561-70), and she insists that the dead deserve equal treatment (584); Creon brings it back to gender: "While I'm alive, no woman is going to lord it over me" (592-3)
• Enter Ismene: Ismene tries to claim a role in Antigone's crime, but Antigone denies it; Antigone does not grudge Ismene's survival: "Your wisdom appealed to one world - mind, another" (628); Ismene brings up the fact that Antigone is engaged to Creon's son Haemon, but Creon says that "there are other fields for him to plow" (642)
• Creon orders them imprisoned, in gender terms: "They'll act like women" (652)

• Ruin decreed by the gods passes from one generation to the next
• No one can stand against the power of Zeus
• We may dream, but finally our fate is in the hands of the gods

• Enter Haemon, who says that he would not choose a marriage over his father
• Creon launches into a long speech on good children (713-22), a warning against women (723-36), equating running a home with running the country (737-45), and gendering Anarchy "the greatest crime on earth" as a woman (752-61); he also says that the man in authority, "his orders must be obeyed, large and small, right and wrong" (748-51)
• Haemon responds that it's not up to him to contradict his father, but he has heard the public opinion that Antigone's action was right; Haemon invokes the ship of state metaphor (800-3)
• Haemon and Creon argue; the dispute is set in terms of: age vs youth (813-6); Creon's defiance vs public opinion (820-26); woman vs man (827-30); father vs justice (832-33); state vs gods (834-35)
• Haemon says Antigone's death will bring another; Creon is visibly upset, slips and forgets that he has released Ismene (865), and says that he will wall up Antigone with short rations to protect the city from blame for her death

• Hymn to the power of Love / Aphrodite, the all powerful, "you mock us for your sport" (894)

• Enter Antigone; Chorus says that even they would rebel at this point
• Antigone and Chorus talk; dirges instead of wedding songs; Antigone compares her sorrow to that of Niobe; invokes the family curse
• Enter Creon who is impatient to have Antigone gone; Antigone makes a long speech about meeting her parents in the grave, the opposition between the marriage bed and her grave, and blaming Creon and the Chorus, and then she goes to walled in the vault

• Chorus recounts the stories of Danae, Lycurgus and Cleopatra, all of whom were walled up alive in a tomb; sets Antigone in a context

• Enter Tiresias who tells of the gods' refusal to kindle the burnt offering, and he urges Creon to relent regarding Antigone
• Arguing with Tiresias, Creon opening defied Zeus (1152); accuses Tiresias of taking bribes (1161, 1171, 1178-80)
• Tiresias predicts the death of Haemon: since he killed an innocent and kept a body from the underworld, the underworld will take one from the living; Tiresias predicts great anger rising against Creon
• Chorus Leader says that Creon should listen to Tiresias; Creon is shaken, but finds it hard to relent and sacrifice his pride (1218-21), but with encouragement from the Leader, he goes to free Antigone and bury Polynices

• Chorus calls on Dionysus/Bacchus to come to Thebes and bring the dance

• Messenger tells Leader and Eurydice about what happened: Creon went to bury Polynices first; then they heard a wailing from the tomb of Antigone; she had hanged herself; Creon begged Haemon to leave the body, but Haemon tries to kill Creon, misses, and then kills himself
• Exit Eurydice
• Enter Creon with Haemon's body; he has "learned through blood and tears" what justice means (1401-2)
• Messenger informs Creon of Eurydice's suicide and her dying curse on Creon; the body is brought out
• Creon is reduced to his lowest point: "I don't even exist - I'm no one. Nothing" (1446)
• Creon is led off stage, and the Chorus acknowledges the wisdom of reverence toward the gods

• Pity / Terror: Catharsis
• Unities: time, place, action
• Hamartia: not tragic flaw

• Third actor on stage
• Scene painting
• Increased chorus from 12 to 15

• Storm / Ship of state
• The grave replaces Antigone's wedding bed; she will marry death.