Further study
The story follows Antigone, the brave and stubborn daughter of Oedipus (the one that killed his father, and married his mother), who faces an impossible choice: obey the law of the land or honor the unwritten laws of the gods.
Although play was written before Oedipus the King, it is set chronologically after the events of Oedipus the King.
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Summary and Citations
Act 1
The story starts in Thebes. Antigone and her sister Ismene are standing outside the royal palace. They're both upset because their brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices, have just killed each other in battle.
The two brothers were fighting for control of Thebes, and it ended with both of them dead. Eteocles was defending the city, while Polyneices had attacked it.
Creon, their uncle, has taken over as king of Thebes. He says that Eteocles will get a proper burial. But Polyneices, since he attacked the city, will not be buried at all. His body is to rot out in the open, and animals can eat him.
In their culture, not burying someone is a huge deal. It means their soul can never find peace. It's a terrible insult and a horrible fate.
Antigone is furious when she hears this. She thinks both her brothers deserve a burial, no matter what they did.
She believes gods want everyone to be buried, and their rules are way more important than anything a human king says.
"It was not Zeus who made this proclamation; nor was it Justice, dwelling with the gods below, who set in place such laws as these for humankind."
She decides to bury Polyneices herself, even if it means breaking Creon's law. But when she tells Ismene her plan, Ismene is scared of going against the king. Ismene tries to talk Antigone out of it, telling her they're just women and can't fight men.
She reminds Antigone that they've already lost so much - both their brothers are dead, and their family has suffered so much already.
But Antigone is determined. She won't listen. She would rather die with honor than live in shame. So, she sneaks off to bury her brother.
Act 2
The next day, Creon gathers the people of Thebes to give a big speech. He talks about how he's the new king and how important it is to follow the law.
He believes that a good ruler has to show strength and punish anyone who disobeys. Creon explains the decision to leave Polyneices unburied. He says that he was a traitor, and he doesn't deserve to be honored.
"Polyneices, who came back from exile to consume utterly with fire the city of his fathers and its native gods, who sought to taste the blood he shared with us and lead the rest of us into slavery."
Creon wants everyone to understand that no one can go against his orders and that traitors will be punished, even in death.
While Creon is giving this speech, a guard enters, looking really nervous. The guard has bad news, and he knows Creon won't be happy.
Someone has covered Polyneices' body with dirt. In their culture, even a little bit of dirt counts as a burial. The guard doesn't know who did it, but he's terrified that Creon will blame him.
Creon is furious! He can't believe someone would disobey his direct order: "What man would dare to do this?"
He starts accusing the guard of not doing his job and even suggests that maybe the guard took a bribe. Creon says he'll be punished if he doesn't find out who's responsible for the burial.
The guard is terrified, so he promises to track down the person who did it.
Act 3
Later, the guard comes back. And he caught the person responsible. It's Antigone.
The guard explains that they caught her in the act of trying to bury Polyneices again. She was performing more burial rites, like sprinkling wine over the dirt.
Antigone admits everything. Creon is completely shocked! He can't believe that Antigone, his own niece, would defy him like this. He's even more upset because Antigone doesn't seem the least bit sorry.
She tells Creon that his law is wrong. She says that the laws of the gods are way more important than any laws made by humans, and the gods demand that everyone be buried, no matter what they've done.
"I did not believe your proclamation had such power to enable one who will someday die to override God's ordinances."
Creon is furious! His authority is being challenged, and he can't afford to look weak. If he lets Antigone get away with this, people will think they don't have to follow his orders. He decides that Antigone must be punished for breaking his law. By death!
At this point, Ismene is brought in. Creon accuses her of helping Antigone with the burial. At first, she denies it. But then, in an act of solidarity with her sister, Ismene takes the blame.
She wants to face the punishment with Antigone because they are family, and she can't bear to let her sister suffer alone. But Antigone refuses to let Ismene share the blame. She says she acted alone and tells Ismene to stay out of it.
Antigone is determined to take full responsibility for her actions, and she doesn't want anyone else to suffer because of what she did.
Creon, however, doesn't care. He orders that both Antigone and Ismene be taken away and locked up. He is determined to follow through with his decision, no matter the cost.
Act 4
Haemon, Creon's son, steps in. He is engaged to Antigone, and he's in a really tough spot. He carefully begins to argue that maybe Creon should show some mercy.
Haemon tells Creon that the people of Thebes are talking. They think that Antigone did the right thing by burying her brother, and they feel sorry for her. People believe Antigone's punishment is way too harsh, and they're starting to turn against Creon.
Haemon tries to convince his father that a good leader listens to the people and can admit when he's wrong.
"It is not right… to think that you alone are right and everyone else is wrong. Even if a man is wise, it’s a good idea to learn from others."
But Creon doesn't take this well. He accuses Haemon of being weak and putting his love for a woman above his loyalty to his father. Creon thinks that if he shows mercy, it will make him look weak, and he refuses to back down. He tells Haemon that Antigone must die, and that's final.
"The city will not tell me how I ought to rule! I am the one in charge here, and no one else!"
Haemon becomes furious. He tells Creon that if Antigone dies, then someone else will die too. This sounds like a threat, and Creon becomes even angrier. He thinks Haemon is turning against him and siding with Antigone.
Haemon storms out, heartbroken and angry.
Act 5
After the big argument with Haemon, Creon decides that instead of killing Antigone right away, he's going to lock her up in a cave. She'll be sealed inside, left with some food and water.
Creon believes that if she dies in the cave, it's not really his fault, and maybe the gods won't be too mad at him. He thinks this way, he can avoid looking weak but still punish Antigone.
Antigone is brought out, and she knows this is the end for her. She's sad because she's still so young and won't get to live a full life. She'll never get married, have kids, or experience all the things that most people do.
"Look upon me, leaders of Thebes, the last of your royal line. See what I suffer and who makes me suffer, because I gave reverence to what claims reverence."
But Antigone is not begging for her life. This is about honor, and she's ready to die for it. She may have broken Creon's law, but in her mind, she was following the gods' rules, which were more important.
"If this is what the gods want, I will learn my lesson in death. But if they are wrong, then let them suffer no worse than what they do to me."
As she's led away to the cave, Antigone compares herself to other tragic figures from Greek myths. She mentions how other women faced unfair punishments, just like her.
The chorus made up of the elders of Thebes, feels sorry for her. They talk about how sad her situation is, but no one steps in to stop it. They just watch as she's taken to her death.
Antigone keeps her head up, saying she'll be reunited with her family in the afterlife. Creon doesn't care and orders the guards to seal her in the cave.
Act 6
The blind prophet Tiresias shows up. He tells Creon that Gods are furious with him for not allowing Polyneices to be buried. The gods have shown their anger by refusing to accept sacrifices from the people.
Even the birds are acting strange, which, in Greek mythology, is always a bad sign. Tiresias says that this is proof that the gods are really mad.
"The city is sick because of your decision. The altars and hearths of the city are polluted with the birds and dogs that feast on the body of Polyneices."
Creon is too proud to listen. At first, he doesn't believe him. He thinks Tiresias is lying or that someone paid him to say this. Creon accuses the prophet of trying to trick him.
But Tiresias warns Creon that if he doesn't fix this mess, something terrible will happen. Tiresias even predicts that Creon will lose someone from his own family.
Creon is still stubborn, refusing to listen. But then the chorus steps in. The chorus reminds Creon that Tiresias has always been right in the past. They urge Creon to reconsider and to do what the prophet says before it's too late.
Finally, Creon starts to worry. He doesn't want to admit that he was wrong, but he's scared of angering the gods any further. So, he decides to fix everything.
He's going to free Antigone from the cave and give Polyneices the proper burial he deserves. Creon hopes this will calm the gods down and prevent any disaster from happening.
Act 7
As Creon is making his way to the cave, a messenger arrives with some terrible news. The messenger explains what happened.
Creon's men went to bury Polyneices. They followed all the proper burial rituals, hoping to make peace with the gods.
After they finished the burial, they rushed to the cave to free Antigone, but it was too late. Antigone had already hanged herself inside the cave. She didn't want to starve to death.
"Hanging by the neck with a finely woven noose of linen thread, she had made a noose and hanged herself."
Haemon, Creon's son and Antigone's fiancé, was there, too. He was devastated when he saw that Antigone was dead.
Haemon was so heartbroken and angry that when Creon arrived, he tried to attack his father with his sword. Creon managed to dodge the attack, but then Haemon did something even worse. In his grief, Haemon turned the sword on himself and died right next to Antigone's body.
Creon is absolutely crushed. He realizes that his stubbornness and pride led to the deaths of both Antigone and Haemon. Creon feels guilty and heartbroken, but the tragedy isn't over yet.
When Creon's wife, Eurydice, hears the news about Haemon, she's overwhelmed with grief, and blames Creon for everything. She decides she can't take it anymore, quietly leaves, and the chorus grows worried about what she might do.
The messenger soon comes back with more bad news. Eurydice has stabbed herself in despair. Before she died, she cursed Creon for causing all this pain and tragedy.
When Creon hears that his wife is dead, too, he is completely broken. Now, Creon has lost both his son and his wife.
"I have killed my son and wife out of my foolishness. I, who now have no one to live for."
Creon realizes that his stubbornness and pride have led to all of these tragic deaths. He begs for death but is told he must live with the consequences.
"Alas for me, these things are fixed and will not change. It's too late for me to change my mind now."
In the end, Creon's left with nothing but regret. His power, his family - it all crumbles because he couldn't let go of his pride. Creon begs for someone to end his suffering.
The chorus tells him that death won't come that easily, and reminds everyone that wisdom is the key to happiness and that pride leads to suffering.
"Wisdom is by far the greatest part of joy, and reverence toward the gods must be safeguarded. The mighty words of the proud are paid in full with mighty blows of fate."
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