Tragic Consequences of Defiance in Antigone

2. Main Characters: Background Characters: • Antigone • King Creon • Ismene • Guard • Haemon • Tiresias • Messenger • Eurydice • Polynices • Eteocles

3. Background Info: Antigone’s brothers, Polynices and Eteocles, had fought a battle for the throne of Thebes. At the beginning of the play, they are both dead, having killed each other in combat. Creon, the new monarch, has decided to honor the memory of the younger brother, Eteocles, by giving him a state funeral. During his lifetime Eteocles had broken his pact with Polynices, according to which the two brothers had agreed to take turns at ruling Thebes. This enraged Polynices, who brought an army of Argives to fight against Eteocles and the Thebans. Creon had supported Eteocles in this dispute. After the civil war has ended, Creon brands Polynices a “traitor” and proclaims that anyone who attempts to bury Polynices’ body will have to face death.

4. Plot Summary: *At the beginning of the play, Antigone attempts to get her sister, Ismene, to help her defy Creon and bury her brother, Polynices. *The guard of Polynices’ body catches her and brings her to King Creon where she does not deny performing the burial rites. *Ismene comes to Creon and states that she helped Antigone and accepts the penalty. However, Creon dismisses her, considering her behavior inconsistent with her personality. *Antigone condemns Ismene for trying to suddenly take credit in the burial of their brother.

5. Antigone stands firm against Creon, stating that she has done the right thing by honoring the laws of the gods, even if it meant defying his orders. • Ismene mentions Antigone’s engagement to Creon’s son, Haemon, and pleads with Creon to not deny his son his future bride. • Creon speaks with his son who does not defy his father. However, he argues that Antigone is very noble for staying true to her beliefs and points out that Creon is being stubborn. He reminds Creon that it is not shameful, but wise, for a man to reconsider his argument. He also mentions that the citizens of Thebes support her efforts. • Creon is going to bury Antigone alive in a cave, but with food and water so that it will not technically be murder and he will not have blood on his hands. • Tiresias, the prophet, warns Creon that the god’s are not accepting their sacrifices because he did not allow the proper burial rites for Polynices and is now killing Antigone for abiding by holy law.

6. Creon finally asks the Chorus (citizens of Thebes) what he should do and they quickly tell him to yield to holy law and release Antigone as soon as possible. • A messenger brings news to the chorus and consequently to Eurydice (Creon’s wife, Haemon’s mother) that Haemon has killed himself. • Haemon went to the cave to unearth Antigone only to find that she had hung herself. When Creon gets there to also unbury her after being persuaded to do the right thing, he finds Haemon there mourning her death. Haemon charges Creon with his sword but misses and falls onto the sword, killing himself. • Upon returning from the cave and witnessing the death of his son, a 2nd messenger appears only to tell Creon that his wife Eurydice has also killed herself • At the end, Creon curses himself for causing all of this misfortune and is led away into his palace.