Antigone: Family or State?
Young Adult Story Analysis
Written by Sky Enchantress
Sophocles’ tragic play Antigone, raises one very important question whose answer is anything but simple.
“Which is more important, one’s obligation to her family or one’s obligation
to her state?”
In the play, Creon represents the law of the land, “the State is the King” (Scene 3, ll. 108) as he so proclaimed. Antigone, on the other hand, represents loyalty to her family; she marches forth in the face of death with no fear, standing proud and accepting the consequences imposed upon her, because she defied the law to give her brother, Polynices, a proper burial.
Right away, the audience can understand that Antigone’s main priority is her family, particularly her brother, and that the State reigns second on her list.
However, Creon dismisses the fact that family should come before the State. In his address to the Chorus, he clearly states that any man “who sets private friendship above the public welfare” (Scene 1, ll. 27-28) is not fulfilling his duty as a citizen to the State.
In fact, he goes on to say that “friends made at the risk of wrecking our ship are not real friends at all” (34-35). In a sense, Creon views friends as enemies and a threat to the State. And the only way to keep them in check is to see them only as fellow plebeians obligated to obey the law.
To assure the audience that law-abiding citizens shall have his utmost respect, he tells the Chorus that “whoever shows by word and deed that he is on the side of the State, - he shall have [his] respect while he is living and [his] reverence when he is dead” (54-56).
The opening scene quickly establishes Creon’s standpoint and his drive to carry out the law at whatever cost. Clearly, family obligation holds no meaning in his eyes and it becomes more evident when he sentences Antigone to death, regardless of the fact that she is part family.
In Scene 2, Antigone is presented, already being charged of treason to the State. When her actions are questioned, she is quick to confess, “denying nothing” (53) and further stating that if she “had left [her] brother lying in death unburied, [she] [would] have suffered” (70-71).
In ancient Greek tradition, it was customary to give the dead a proper burial in order to ensure their passage into the underworld of Hades. It was believed that if such an act was not done, then their spirits would wander aimlessly around forever.
Taking into consideration this fact, it becomes more clear as to why Antigone chooses to defy Creon. She cannot bear the guilt of having her dead brother lie as bait for the wild, savage beasts. She would rather risk her life and know her brother has been laid to rest in peace than bear the guilt of leaving him to rot.
One important fact that should also be pointed out here, is that because Athenians were raised to believe that burials ensure the deads’ entrance into the underworld, then it can also be said that tradition, as well as family, plays a key role in the play. Both coincide with one another and become the basis for Antigone’s decision to defy Creon.
As a whole, the play chooses family obligation to take precedence over State obligation. It is no wonder, then, why the play rallies Athens’ citizens to side with Antigone. However, their fear of Creon keeps them quiet. In one episode, Antigone tells Creon that Athens would “praise [her] were their lips not frozen shut with fear of [him]” (Scene I, ll. 99-100).
Even Creon’s son, Haemon, believes that Antigone should not be sentenced to death, primarily because he is her fiancé. His attempt to persuade his father to let Antigone go free indicates that Haemon is also putting family before the State. If he believed that the State should preside above family, then he would side with his father and agree with Antigone’s sentence.
But just like Antigone loved her brother and felt he deserved better, Haemon also loves Antigone and feels she has been wrongly sentenced. He tries to reason with his father, pointing out that a King must not only listen to his voice, but also listen to the voices of others. He tells Creon that if he were to open his ears, then he would realize that even Athens’ citizens believe she has been accused wrongly. He repeats their whispers to Creon by stating:
“...I have heard them muttering and whispering in the dark about
[Antigone].
They say that no woman has ever, so unreasonably died so shameful a death
for a generous act:
’She covered her brother’s body. Is this indecent?
She kept him from dogs and vultures. Is this a crime?
Death? -- She should have all the honor that we can give her!’”
(Scene 3, ll. 61-68)
The voice of the play comes not only from the citizens of Athens and Haemon, but also from the Chorus. At the start of the play, after Creon has made his opening speech, declaring his penalty for anyone who dares to give Polynices a proper burial, the Choragos (the leader of the Chorus) tells Creon that “if that is your will... then you have the right to enforce it” (Scene I, ll.57-58). Though in the beginning of the play, the Chorus sides with Creon, eventually they’re swayed to take the side of Antigone and constantly try to persuade Creon to see “reason”.
However, though the Chorus eventually sides with Antigone, it is not because they perceive that family should come before the State. Rather, their decision is based on “reason”, not obligation. They fully acknowledge that citizens must follow the law, but what they disagree about is how Creon went about carrying out his law.
In the dispute between Haemon and Creon, the Choragos steps in to make his own comment by stating to them both: “You do well to listen to him, King, if what he says is sensible. And you, Haemon, must listen to your father,” (Scene 3, ll. 92-94).
This statement gives a clearer indication on where the Chorus stands on this issue. They are the voice of “reason” and believe that both father and son should listen to each other and come upon a compromise. Unfortunately, such compromise never takes place and the final result is the deaths of Antigone, Haemon, and Creon’s wife, Eurydice.
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For the most part, the play sides with Antigone, believing that family should preside over the State. Athens’ citizens, for one, believe that no injustice has been committed in burying Polynices. Rather, they honor her and feel what she did was right.
Haemon, who is Creon’s son, must follow in the footsteps of his father and agree with his decision. However, the play shows that in this case, that is not so. He too is torn between family and the law, and it is his love for Antigone that causes him to try to persuade his father that he should rethink his sentence. In short, he puts family before the State.
The Chorus offers a slightly different view on the situation. Though they side with Antigone, it is “reason” that their opinion is based on, and not family. They respect Creon’s law but firmly believe that he his wrong in the manner that he carried out the law.
Finally, there is the blind prophet Tiresias, who warns Creon to take back his decision but also fails to enlighten him before it’s too late.
From the beginning, the play questions, “Which is more important, one’s obligation to family, or one’s obligation to the State?” By the conclusion, the play’s many different voices answer back in unison:
Family obligation.
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