Antigone Analysis

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It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong, states Voltaire. According to Voltaire, if the subordinates disagree with the established power, they will be punished for it. The situation described above usually occurs in kingdoms ruled by a king, dictator, or tyrant because the monarchs need to ensure absolute power. Sophocles' Antigone deals with a ruler who disciplines his subject for disobeying his orders even though her opposition is within reason. His unwillingness to listen to reason will lead to his ultimate downfall while her self-wisdom puts her in favor of the gods.

Antigone, the main character of the play, is a bad subject in the eye of her mortal ruler, but not the gods. She acts against the decree of Creon, king of Thebes, by burying her brother, Polyneices. Creon orders the city against giving Polyneices a proper burial because he is a returned exile, who sought to burn with fire from top to bottom his native city…. and lead the rest of us to slavery (17 1). But Antigone has other feelings for her brother. Despite his waging war against against his native city, Antigone still loves him and will not prove false to him (5). By disobeying Creon, she is a good sister and a good human being. Knowing that the god of death demands these [burial] rites for both [Polyneices and Eteocles] (570), she decides that Creon's orders do not weigh as much as the gods' do. Thus, she pleases the immortals first, proclaiming to be a criminal [against Creon] but a religious one… in order to not cast dishonor on what the gods have honored (84 8). After she is caught and put before Creon, she argues her case unsuccessfully by saying, These are the laws whose penalties I would not incur from the gods, through fear of any man's temper (46 50). But she does earn favor from the gods for her actions because they punish Creon for sentencing her to death (116 117). By being a loyal subject of the more powerful ruler, her death is not in vain.

Creon, acting as both subject and sovereign, succeeds in neither of those positions. Although he rules over the citizens of Thebes, he is subordinate to the gods. Creon forbids any opposition, the man … in authority must be obeyed in small things…. There is nothing worse than disobedience to authority (70 77). Without order and obedience, there will be cities destroyed and homes demolished (78 7). He threatens the death of his guards if they do not find out who buried the body of Polyneices. He also tries to bring in all that are suspected of treason, mainly Ismene, the sister of Antigone. In his mind, Ismene must be involved in Antigone's opposition too. Therefore, both of them must suffer his punishment of death. When he has the obedience of all the citizens, he will be confident that he is a good ruler. However, in trying to do what he thinks is the best for the city, he forgets the fundamental laws of the gods about respecting the dead. His obstinacy makes him stick to his decision until it is too late and his pride makes him refuse to give in to the young. Even upon the advice of the chorus, he does not listen to his son, Haemon, saying, should we that are my age learn wisdom from young men such as he is? (784 785). He finally listens to the respected Teiresias, a blind prophet, who prophesies that Creon will not outlive many cycles more of this swift sun before [he] give in exchange one of [his] own loins bred, a corpse for a corpse (11 115). Teiresias goes on to explain that Creon's sentence of Antigone are acts of violence and in requital the avenging Spirits of Death itself and the gods' Furies shall…lie in ambush for [him], and in their hands [he] shall be taken cruelly (1144 1148). But when he finally decides to abdicate Antigone, it is too late.

Creon is wrong in trying to put down oppositions just to ensure power and order. He makes his decision on the fate of Polyneices' body without consulting the people. As a result, Antigone is not alone in her disagreement with Creon. According to her, there are others disagree but keep their mouths shut for the fear of [Creon] (555-556). But since she is the only one who clearly acts against him, Creon feels threatened. The place that women occupies in society is explicit in Ismene's speech to Antigone, we are only women, not meant in nature to fight against men, and that we are ruled, by those who are stronger (70 7). Thus, when a woman acts against her leader when no male dares to, Creon punishes Antigone more severely. The relationship between ruler and the ruled turns to a competition between the female and the male, I swear I am no man and she the man if she can win this and not pay for it, says Creon (58 5). He goes on to add, We cannot give victory to a woman; if we must accept defeat, let it be from a man; we must not let people say that a woman beat us (71 74). From his point of view, the worst kind of disobedience comes from a woman. Even when Haemon expresses the voice of the people, who mourns for this girl; they think she is dying most wrongly and most undeservedly of all womenkind, for the most glorious acts, Creon does not relent (747 74).

The stubborn Creon represents the typical ruler and Antigone represents public opinion. Creon's punishment by the gods acts as a warning to all rulers. Sophocles uses the play to explain the disadvantages of a monarchy and promote the ideas of a democracy. Haemon is right in saying that There is not city possessed by one man only (78 7). In a democracy, the rulers listen to the opinions of the people before making his decisions instead of making the laws and then punishing the people for disobeying them. There are numerous ways to obtain a well-disciplined city, but not in a dictatorial way. Without listening to public opinion, the leader is more likely to make a wrong decision. Therefore, a good government is one that considers the views from all sides and then rules.

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