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In the play Antigone, Sophocles poses many different themes and moral lessons. The specific component I would like to focus on is selfishness and its effects. Through the characters various actions and ultimate fates, Sophocles teaches us that selfish, self-serving motives lead to destruction, loneliness and loss. Two characters that exemplify the consequences of selfishness are Creon, the King, and Ismene, Antigone's sister. Antigone, of course, being the heroin of the story reinforces this lesson by contrast. While Ismene and Creon are punished for their selfish acts, Antigone is honored for her pure intentions.
In the beginning, Creon depicts a moral stand on politics by refusing the burial of Polynices, Antigone and Ismene's brother, and a traitor to the state. His first relevant address as the new king begins with an honorable notion, I could never stand by silent, watching destruction march against our city nor could I ever make that man a friend of mine our country is our safety, (p. 68, lns 207 - 211). However, this noble speech quickly proves its true nature. It is, so to speak, a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Polynices he must be left unburied, his corpse / carrion for the birds and dogs to tear, /an obscenity for the citizens to behold. (p. 68 lns 222 - 231). With these powerful words and the vigor with which theyre spoken, it is clear that Creon is not solely concerned with the well being of the state. The vengeful passion expressed by this verse could only be born from a man with a desire for revenge. Revenge is the initial driving force behind Creon's stubbornness regarding Polynices burial. Revenge for the infiltration on his home, and revenge for the loss of beloved family members and friends during the savage war brought on by the band of rebels.
Although he tries to maintain that his concern is for the good of the state, as the play progresses, it becomes increasingly clear that his motives are selfish. Reason presents itself after the report of the ritual burial of Polynices, when the leader of the chorus states, My King/Ive been debating in my mind, /could this be the work of the gods? (p. 72 lns 314 - 316). In ancient Greece, the gods were the most powerful, influential beings in everyday life. Citizens, as well as royalty, worshipped them and fully believed in their power and the need to be faithful and true to the divine laws.
Unfortunately for Creon, he does not listen to the foreboding words of the Leader, because his intentions are clouded with selfish notions. To this wisdom he scornfully replies, You, youre senile, must you be insane? /You say-why its intolerable-say the gods / could have the slightest concern for that corpse. (p. 73 lns 318 - 320). In truth, the Leader makes more sense than Creon might have you believe. Divine laws, such as the right to a proper burial, resulting in that souls return to the gods, were every mans birthright.
Defying divine law was an offense greater than any traitorous act. Creon knows this and only refuses to yield because his motives are not pure. This is made evident after he discovers the hands of Antigone did the work. When Haemon, Creon's son and Antigone's betrothed, tries to plead with his father to lessen the charges, Creon replies, I caught her in naked rebellion/ Im not about to prove myself a liar, /not to my people Im going to kill her! (p. 94 lns 731 - 734). With this statement, Creon reveals the main driving force behind his tyranny. While revenge begot his savage ruling, pride carried it through.
As Creon states, he could never be rated / inferior to a woman, never. (p. 94 lns 760 - 761). Even when Haemon, his only remaining son, pleads with him using the voice of the people Creon claims to be defending, [Antigone] deserves a glowing crown of gold! /So they say, and the rumor spreads in secret (p. 95 lns 782 - 83), Creon refuses to yield. He finally solidly renounces his initial claim that the country is his main concern with two simple lines, Am I to rule this land for others- or myself? /the city, it is the Kings- thats the law! (p. 97 lns 823 & 825). These two lines confirm Creon's selfish intentions and seal his fate. In the end, Creon is left alone, proving the words spoken by the prophet Tiresias, The chariot of the sun will not race through so many circuits more, before you have surrendered one born of your loins, your own flesh and blood, a corpse for corpses given in return, since you have thrust to the world below a child sprung for the world above (p. 115 lns 1182 - 1186). After Tiresias speaks these words, Creon once again shows his true colors and realizes his own folly, Oh, its hard / giving up the hearts desire but I will do it-/no more fighting a losing battle with necessity. (p. 117 lns 1228 - 30).
However, Creon is too late to save himself from his own mistake as Antigone has already taken her own life. After Haemon realizes the death of Antigone, he kills himself, only after attempting to kill his father. When the Queen hears of her sons death, she too takes her life, dying with a curse on her lips directed toward Creon. With this, Creon was left alone to face a second attack on Thebes, a successful one this time (Knox, 1982).
While Ismene's offense isnt as blatant as Creon's, still her character is meant to reinforce this valuable lesson. Ismene's selfishness comes with her refusal to help Antigone bury their brother, even though shes knows it is the right thing to do. As stated in the introduction, the funeral rights were, in an ancient Greek household, the duty and privilege of the women. (Knox, 1982). Even knowing this, Ismene still refuses her duties as one of the last remaining women in her lineage, all for fear of her life.
She fears death and is not willing to make a moral stand to defend her family's honor. She is selfishly thinking only of her own life, not the rights and privileges of her brother, or the will of the gods. While Ismene does not have a large role in the play, there are a few lines that show her motives. One example comes during her first plea with Antigone, Oh, my sister, think- think how our own father died, hated his reputation in ruins now look at the two of us think what a death well die (p. 62 lns 60 - 71).
This argument presents the idea that Ismene is concerned with the consequences of their actions in relation to how the public would view them after defying the King. After her refusal to aide Antigone, she enters again after the deed has been done and then tries to share the consequences. While at first, her actions seem noble, selfish motives are again made apparent when she states, What do I care for life, cut off from you? (p. 87 ln 618). Ismene realizes now, that Antigone is her last family member and only changes her mind to willingly accept death when she realizes she will be alone. This, in fact, is Ismene's ultimate fate for her selfish acts throughout the play. She cannot share the glory of death with her sister, but must instead live out the rest of her life in solitude, denied any family relations.
Antigone, in contrast to the teachings posed through the characters of Creon and Ismene, proves Sophocles lesson by tireless devotion to her pure intentions, resulting in her fate of public honor and a return to all those she holds dear. As one critic states, She is motivated both by a love for her brother, and by the conviction that Divine Law has been disobeyed. (classic notes. com, 1999). During her first confrontation with Creon, she passionately states, it wasnt Zeus, not in the least, who made this proclamation- not to me nor did I think your edict had such force that you, a mere mortal, could override the gods These laws- I was not about to break them, not out of fear of some mans wounded pride, and face the retribution of the gods. (p. 82 lns 499 - 511). Antigone proves from the beginning that her motives are not self-serving, but intended to uphold the will of the gods. She is also very dedicated to her family.
As described in the introduction, Antigone's dedicated loyalty to the family ismene than a private code of conduct. (p. 39, Knox, 1999). In Athens, at that time, family loyalty was only held second to reverence for the gods. Never during her struggle with Creon and her own mortality, does Antigone sway from these values and beliefs. Even when she is lead to her deathbed, while speaking to Creon, she states, I alone, see what I suffer now /at the hands of what breed of men-/all for my reverence, my reverence for the gods. (p. 107 lns 1032 - 34). In regards to her family devotion, she says, I go, cherishing one good hope: my arrival may be dear to father, dear to you, my mother, dear to you, my loving brother I honored you- the decent will admit it- well and wisely too. (p. 105, lns 985 - 994).
She holds fast and proves that her original stated motives are indeed her true motives. Never swaying, in the end she receives her ultimate reward- death. Today, death may not seem like an appropriate reward for such heroism, but you must realize that during this time, and even more so in Antigone's case, death for a purpose- especially one so noble as upholding divine law and defending your family's honor- was an admirable thing. In the end, it is clear that Antigone has received the greatest reward.
Upon her death, she is reunited with all those she holds dear, her mother, her father, her brothers and even her betrothed, Haemon. The fact that Haemon takes his life after Antigone's death solidifies the idea that the gods truly are rewarding Antigone. While her family members are already present in the underworld, her death robbed her of her beloved husband to be and Denied [her] part in the wedding songs (p. 102 ln 906), but this denial is undone upon the death of Haemon. Creon and Ismene, with their selfish intentions, are both left alone and are ultimately punished for their self-serving actions. While both experience the loss of beloved family members and must live out their lives in solitude, Creon's punishment is perpetuated by the fact that his people lose respect for him and shortly after, his kingdom is taken over by a second rebel war, leaving his life in complete ruin.
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