Antigone is a highly self-assured character determined to do what she feels is right despite the repercussions. For most of the play she shows no sign of doubt about whether or not she is in the right and seems unconcerned about whether her actions will lead to her death. She believes that the gods’ laws should be obeyed even when they contradict human laws, and this is one of the major motivations behind her actions. She also wants to honour her brother and uphold her own reputation, and she believes it is her duty to bury family members. Her attempt to bury Polyneices can be seen as either brave or foolhardy, depending on personal opinion. She may also be regarded as selfish, since she does not seem to consider Ismene’s happiness once she dies and Ismene is left alone. Despite her conviction earlier in the play, when she is sentenced to death she moans about her miserable fate and hardly seems to face death heroically. Nevertheless, Antigone remains one of the few examples of women in Ancient Greek literature determinedly, unapologetically and intentionally rebelling against men.
Antigone is seen to go against her traditional role as a woman right from the beginning of the play, since she goes outside alone with Ismene in order to have a discussion. (Antigone: “ That’s why I’ve brought you out here, Ismene; to tell you about it, secretly and alone.”) Women, particularly rich women, were usually not to go outside their home unescorted in Ancient Greece, so Antigone is going against her traditional role here.
The most obvious way in which Antigone rebels is by going against Creon’s order and burying her brother, Polyneices. Creon was a man in authority, and women were always expected to obey male authority figures. Furthermore, Antigone’s father is dead and she isn’t married, meaning that Creon is her closest male relative and therefore her male guardian. A male guardian had almost absolute control over the women in their care, and women were expected to be particularly obedient towards them. Therefore, Antigone is defying her role as a woman by rebelling against Creon. In fact, she is going so much against what women were expected to do that when Creon hears that someone has tried to bury Polyneices he assumes it is a man. He doesn’t even consider it could be a woman because it isn’t the sort of thing that a woman did. (Creon: “Which man has the audacity to do such a thing?”)
On the other hand, in Ancient Greece women from rich families were expected to be in charge of religious matters, and this included organising the burial of dead family members. Therefore, it could be argued that by burying Polyneices, Antigone was actually complying with her traditional role as a woman.
When Antigone kills herself at the end of the play, this could imply that she, as a woman, has lost to male authority. There is nothing left for her to do but kill herself. Women were often seen as having no power to do anything themselves, so given Antigone kills herself rather than planning to escape (as a male hero may have chosen to do) it could be argued that she is fulfilling her traditional role. On the other hand, Creon’s punishment was for her to stay in her stone tomb until she died, probably from hunger or thirst. By killing herself, Antigone denies Creon this punishment: she takes her death into her own hands. Therefore, she is defying her male guardian even to the end, which could be thought of as rebelling against her traditional role. Furthermore, Antigone’s death causes the death of Creon’s wife and son. By killing herself, perhaps it is Antigone who wins the conflict and gets her revenge. Succeeding in getting revenge is quite a male trait and not one common in women of the time. It was often associated with heroism.
Antigone’s major conflict is with her uncle, Creon. Creon forbids anyone from burying Polyneices, because he sees him as a traitor who shouldn’t be honoured. Antigone, as his sister, is determined to bury him despite this because that is what the gods want. The conflict eventually ends with Creon sentencing Antigone to death. This is a family conflict, since Antigone and Creon are niece and uncle. It could also be regarded as gender conflict, since it involves a man and girl arguing about what a woman’s role is: Antigone thinks her role is to respect her dead family members and ensure a proper burial, Creon thinks it is to obey living male relatives and the ones in charge. This conflict is also generational, since it is between people of different generations. Finally, this is a hierarchical conflict, since it involves a conflict between someone with more power than the other. Antigone (with less power) is questioning and rebelling against the rule of Creon (who has the most power).
It can be argued that Antigone behaves heroically by trying to bury Polyneices: she bravely protects her own reputation and the honour of the gods even though doing this puts her life at risk. (Antigone: “I knew that my death was imminent, of course I did and even if it came sooner, I would still think it a good thing because when one lives in such a dreadful misery why should he not think death to be a good thing?”) On the other hand, Antigone doesn’t face her death very heroically later on in the play, since she cries about never marrying and moans about her awful fate.
Antigone’s heroism doesn’t result in her own happiness because it results in her suicide. It also causes the unhappiness of Haemon, Eurydice, Creon and Ismene. On the other hand, it could perhaps be argued that Antigone is happy when she dies, because she can meet her family in the underworld and can face them without dishonour, since she has sacrificed herself for the reputation of her brother. (Antigone: “My death will be sweet once I bury him, because I will be lying next to him in the underworld, having committed a sacred, a blessed crime.”) She can face him without shame. Furthermore, since Antigone’s actions helped to convince Creon to finally bury Polyneices, and by burying Polyneices Creon prevented other catastrophes from visiting Thebes due to the anger of the gods, Antigone’s heroism certainly caused the happiness of the people of Thebes. When writing an essay on this topic, it can be helpful to analyse the hero’s impact not only on their own situation, but also the situation of those around them.
Antigone makes the decision to bury Polyneices, and this impacts the outcome of her life. The chorus seem to believe that this means Antigone’s downfall was caused by her own free will. (Chorus: “And it’s your own unbending will that has destroyed you!”) Antigone, on the other hand, believes that her tragedy was caused by the family curse that affected her brothers, Polyneices and Eteocles; her father, Oedipus; and her grandfather, Laius. (Antigone: “You’ve brought up my bitterest memories, my deepest woes about his thrice ploughed anguish of my father’s Fate, of the fate of his lineage, the famous house of Labdacus! (Labdacus was Laius’s father, so the house of Labdacus means Antigone’s own family)”) She believes her life has been controlled by fate. This shows differing views on the potential causes of Antigone’s downfall.
As a leader, Creon inherited quite an unstable situation: Thebes had just emerged from a brutal civil war that divided the people. In the face of this tragedy, Creon tries his best to be a strong, stable leader. He has the best of intentions and does his best to be fair. He believes that no one should avoid punishment for wrongdoings, even if they are loved ones of the king. However, Creon is also easily provoked to anger and is, for most of the play, unable to change his mind even when he is advised to do so by everyone around him. These personality traits, along with the fact that Creon has disrespected the gods and argued with the prophet Tiresias, are the reasons for the deaths of everyone he loves.
As someone easily provoked to anger, Creon has conflict with a number of characters in the play. One of his major conflicts is with the prophet Tiresias. Tiresias tells him that all the signs are saying that the gods are unhappy with the fact that Creon has refused to bury Polyneices. He says that unless Creon buries his nephew, disaster will be brought on the city. Creon thinks Tiresias has been paid off by someone to say these things. This is primarily a religious conflict, since Creon is questioning the legitimacy of prophets, who were religious figures in Ancient Greece. (Creon: “The whole race of prophets loves money.”)
Creon also has a minor conflict with his wife, Eurydice. Eurydice kills herself because both of her sons are dead. She blames Creon for the death of both of them, one who was killed when Polyneices tried to take over Thebes, the other (Haemon) who killed himself after finding out that Antigone was dead. This is family conflict, since it is between a man and wife. However, there may be a distinction drawn between this type of family conflict and blood-related family conflict, since Creon and Eurydice aren’t actually related to one another.
In the beginning of the play, Creon states that he believes a ruler should be fair and impartial, and should always work in order to benefit the people. He says that he won’t put anyone above the state. This means that he will punish even his loved ones if they have gone against Thebes. (Creon: “And if a man places anything above his city in friendship, that man I think is worthy of disdain.”) He then supports his words with actions, by stating that he will leave his own nephew, Polyneices, unburied, because he tried to rebel against Thebes. Here, Creon is trying to be fair, which is usually a sign of a good leader. On the other hand, Creon is disobeying a basic divine rule, that every Greek should be buried. As we find out later in the play, the people of Thebes want to respect the gods and their laws, and support Antigone’s course of action. They don’t think she should be punished. (Haemon: “I, on the other hand can hear secretly how the citizens grieve about this woman (Antigone).”) Therefore, it could also be argued that this is bad leadership on Creon’s part, because he isn’t doing what the people want. Furthermore, Creon should be aware that by disrespecting the laws of the gods he is likely to pollute Thebes, which will cause further catastrophes for his people. This also suggests that Creon is showing bad leadership, because his actions are likely to have a negative impact on his people. However, it should also be acknowledged that Creon became King just after one of the previous rulers had started a rebellion against the other, meaning there was likely still a lot of unrest in the city. Creon’s harsh punishment of the previous rebel may have just been a ploy to ensure the city wouldn’t erupt into chaos once more. (Creon: “For a while now there have been some people around here who tolerate my decree only with mutterings and by shaking their treacherous heads! No! They did not want to bend their heads and place it into my yoke, as justice demands it! They did not want to obey me!”) Therefore, there is still evidence to suggest this is good leadership.
Creon also demonstrates poor leadership by allowing himself to be controlled by his emotions. In particular, he is influenced by his short temper. When Tiresias tells him to bury Polyneices and free Antigone, Creon immediately becomes enraged and accuses Tiresias of taking bribes to say that. (Creon: “The whole race of prophets loves money.”) If Creon had remained calm and thought about the situation logically, he may have realised that there was merit to Tiresias’s argument and would have done what the prophet said in order to avoid tragedy. Therefore, this is bad leadership because Creon is unable to remain calm and make logical decisions that most benefit his people. Of course, it could be argued that as the older and the wiser of the two Tiresias should have remained calm, rather than intentionally saying things to further anger Creon.
The same cannot be said of Creon’s treatment of Antigone, who is only a young girl. Again, Creon allows his anger to control his words and actions rather than discussing the situation calmly with his niece, by which the two may have been able to reach an understanding. (Creon: (to Antigone) “The soul of those who scheme of evil deeds in the cover of darkness and shadows are often disclosed even before those deeds are accomplished.”) Creon’s actions led to poor choices (sentencing Antigone to death) that created further tragedy for his city, showing again that this is poor leadership on Creon’s part.
Finally, Creon also becomes incredibly angry with his own son, Haemon. (Creon: “Arrogant boy! Servant to women!") Unlike the other two cases, Haemon does nothing to antagonise Creon and even tries desperately to avoid this. Creon is unable to accept Haemon’s very sound advice because of his pride and anger. If Creon had followed Haemon’s advice to listen to the people and free Antigone, he could have avoided disaster and done what the people wanted. The fact that he didn’t do this suggests he is a bad leader. A leader who can’t listen to their advisors is typically the poorer for it, as shown in this example.
Creon is finally able to change his mind, choosing to free Antigone and bury Polyneices after spending some time thinking over Tiresias’s argument and listening to the opinions of the chorus. (Creon: “I’ll do so reluctantly but I will do it! Yes, I’ll go back on my word. No one should fight against what must happen.”) This shows good leadership, because Creon is able to change his mind when it seems his people disagree with his decision. However, by the time Creon has made this decision it is too late to save Antigone, Haemon or Eurydice. Therefore, this could be regarded as bad leadership because while Creon eventually made the right decision, he didn’t make the decision fast enough. Quick decision making is often considered an important characteristic for a leader.
Haemon can generally be seen as a sensible and responsible character, torn between his respect for his father and his love for his wife-to-be, Antigone. He gives Creon good advice, telling him to respect the will of the people (who don’t want Antigone to be punished) and not to be so stubborn as to be unable to change his mind. This advice is meant in good faith, and if Creon had followed Haemon’s advice he would have avoided catastrophe, proving that Haemon’s point of view was the right one. Haemon clearly tries to avoid arguing with his father, but equally is unafraid to challenge him if he believes another course of action would be better. While challenging Creon, he remains logical and calm, unlike most of the other characters Creon conflicts with. He is also deeply faithful to Antigone, and loves her so much that he is eventually driven to suicide.
Haemon’s only conflict in the play is with his father, Creon. Haemon and Creon argue because Creon is determined to sentence Antigone to death, and Haemon believes this would be a bad idea. Haemon believes that Creon should do what the people want, and that since the people don’t want Antigone to die Creon should let her go free. He believes that good leaders should be able to change their minds. This is primarily a family conflict between father and son. The familial relation between them affects the nature of the conflict, since Creon is enraged that his own son would dare to question his father. (Creon: “Most evil boy! Are you fighting your father?”) Haemon, on the other hand, is very careful not to upset his father, although of course he eventually fails at this. (Haemon: “I, father, value no other concern more than I value your happiness.”) It is also a hierarchical conflict since there is a power difference between the two, and Haemon is challenging Creon’s authority. Furthermore, it is a generational conflict, because Creon is of an older generation than Haemon. This is another reason Creon is so enraged: he thinks that Haemon, as a young man, shouldn’t question the wisdom of his elders. (Creon: “At our age? Should we allow a young little rooster to teach us wisdom?”)
While Haemon isn’t a leader himself in Antigone, he does make some interesting points on the nature of leadership. Haemon states that while the people are too afraid to say so in front of Creon, their King, he hears them disagreeing with his father’s decision to kill Antigone. He says that a leader should do as the people want him to. (Haemon: “One man alone can only govern an empty city.”) He also believes that a leader should be able to admit they were wrong and change their mind. (Haemon: “On the contrary, it is no shame for even a wise man to continue learning. Nor should a man be obstinate.”) This can generally be described as good advice for a leader, since if Creon had listened to his son’s advice in Antigone he would have avoided disaster.
Ismene can be described as Antigone’s foil. A foil is a character who emphasises another character’s personality by being their opposite. This can be seen in Ismene: her actions and personality are in many ways directly opposed to Antigone. While Antigone is determined to bury Polyneices, going against Creon’s orders, Ismene believes this is a bad idea. Ismene believes that the rule of law is absolute, so as Creon’s subjects they are duty bound to obey his commands. She also believes that women have no power to do anything by themselves, and certainly not to betray their male guardian. Depending on one’s viewpoint, this can be seen as either cowardly or realistic: after all, Antigone doesn’t get very far in trying to bury Polyneices before she is caught. Furthermore, Ismene thinks that the family curse has gone far enough, and that as the only two surviving members of Oedipus’s family they should do their best to survive. Therefore, it could be argued that Ismene is simply trying to avoid the tragedy at the end of the play. After Antigone is sentenced to death, Ismene tries to die with her. This shows that she is highly loyal to her family, and isn’t too afraid of death.
Ismene’s major conflict in the play is with Antigone. Antigone and Ismene disagree about whether they should go against Creon’s orders in order to bury Polyneices. Ismene believes they should obey Creon, and that as women they wouldn’t be able to go against his orders if they tried. (Ismene: “I can’t see how I can go against the city either!”) This is clearly family conflict, since it is between sisters. It can also be described as religious conflict, since Antigone and Ismene are arguing about the importance of burying a family member, which was an important religious matter to Ancient Greeks. Finally, this is a gender conflict, because Antigone and Ismene are two women arguing over the correct role of a woman in Ancient Greek society: Antigone thinks women should respect dead family members, Ismene thinks women should obey living men.
Compared to Antigone, Ismene in many ways complies with her traditional role as a woman. She is determined to obey Creon, her male guardian, even though this means leaving her brother’s corpse unburied. She doesn’t believe it is possible for women to successfully disobey men. (Ismene: “After all my darling sister, don’t forget, we are mere women, we can’t fight men!”) Even when Antigone has been sentenced to death, all that Ismene can do is ask to die with her, rather than making a plan to rescue her sister or trying hard to stop her death. (Ismene: “But, Antigone, in such troubled times I feel no shame in sharing the dangerous journey with you.”) Throughout the play, she is certain in her belief that she can do very little as a woman, and that she shouldn’t go against the king’s authority. On the other hand, it could be argued that Ismene is, in a certain sense, going against her traditional role, because it is a woman’s job to bury male relatives and she is not doing this. However, it is also important to mention that she is leaving Polyneices unburied because she was forced to by her King, not out of her own free will.
