Character and Communication Analyses of Antigone

The following article was written as an assignment for the Theater: The Collaborative Art class.

---

A man in the power always plays a big and tragic role in Greek tragedies. Especially in Antigone, the play written by one of the great Greek playwrights Sophocles around 440 B.C., the main antagonist Creon suffers tremendously due to his own attempts to fulfill his need for approval as the king of the Thebes. In this paper, analysis on his character and confrontation with others reveal the main theme of the play about how he fails to establish his own legitimacy of being the king.

The plot of Antigone can be described as a chain reaction of tragedies. Creon, who has just taken the power of the Thebes, orders to ban the burial of Polyneices who betrayed the state. This is Creon's first trial to show his power to the people he governs. However, Antigone defies his order and holds a funeral for his brother. Creon orders to send her to the prison. There she hangs herself. Following her death, her fiancée and Creon's son Haemon kills himself, too. Out of despair, Haemon's mother and Creon's wife Eurydice also kills herself. Creon is terribly shocked at realizing that his orders have ended up in this way. Besides these characters, Antigone's sister Ismene, the prophet Teiresias, and the Chorus, which represents the citizen's voice in Thebes, sometimes encourage, sometimes discourage the characters' intentions, and influence their decisions throughout the drama.

Sophocles

The key character of Antigone is not Antigone, but Creon and the key points are how he has tried to establish his legitimacy of being the king and how his attempts have failed. First, he thinks that Polyneices does not deserve to be buried properly because he betrayed his own country. Later Creon changes his mind and compromises with the others around him on his first policy. This occurs simply because his legitimacy of being the king is not concrete at the beginning and he completely fails to establish it at the end. He became the king of the Thebes by accident based on the two facts (“when Oedipus righted the city and when he was destroyed, you [Chorus] still continued with steadfast thoughts toward their children.” (166-169), “I hold all the power and throne according to nearness of kin to the dead.” (173-174)). He tries to apply his governing principles to confirm his legitimacy with the people around him. He tries with his son Haemon by applying son’s royalty to a father (“Yes, you should always be disposed this way [...] to assume your post behind your father's judgments in all things.” (640), “[Sons] may both repay an enemy with evils and honor the philos equally with the father.” (643-644)). However, Creon cannot persuade Haemon with this reasoning. Instead, he is rebutted by his own son from the governed point of view of his subject. Haemon tells him what his subject say in the state about his policy. To Antigone, Creon repeatedly uses the tactic of gender discrimination against her to show his legitimacy. (“While I am alive, no woman will rule me.” (525), “We could not be called "defeated by women"--could not.” (680), “You abomination who trails after a woman.” (746)). Antigone totally refuses Creon's attempts to legitimize himself by regarding Gods as a higher power than him and positioning herself as a pious devotee to them. These conflicts between Creon and other characters clearly show the main theme of the play about the power game regarding the legitimacy between governor and the governed, and how they conflict with each other in different logics.

A scene from Antigone

The same theme can also be found through the character analysis on the Chorus in the play. The Chorus group of Theban Elders has kept a neutral stance toward Creon throughout the whole play. They seem to be obedient to the king, but are very careful not to be seen totally on his side. For example, at the beginning Creon asks the Elders to be the “watchers of my orders” (215), but they refuse his offer by suggesting “Set forth this task for a younger man to undertake” (216). They also objectify Creon's statement by telling what Haemon says also makes sense (“Lord, it is fair, if he says something to the point, for you to learn, and in turn for you from him. It has been well said well twice.” (724-725)). By keeping a fair distance from the king and at the same time keeping good relationship with him, they finally succeed in persuading Creon, making him dependant to them, and changing his mind (“You are right.” (771), “What ought I to do, then? Tell me. I will obey.” (1099), “You advise this? It is best for me to yield?” (1102)). Even the governed Elders, who are supposed to give him legitimacy as a king, would not let that happen. At the end, Creon completely loses his credibility as a king and sees himself as “a useless man” (1339). In a sense, their neutral position toward the king is intended only to damage his prestige and lead him to the tragic end implicitly.

What Creon shows in Antigone is how one's attempts to fulfill one's need for approval in a community can easily fail. One has to use different kinds of value systems, logics, social hierarchy, and principles such as father-son relationship and gender roles to persuade others and build one's legitimacy of being in the power. The play shows how often these attempts are likely to go wrong. In a sense, the play illustrates how difficult it is even in the Greek era to acquire and keep the legitimacy of the governor.