Tragedy vs. Stubbornness? Antigone vs. Creon? Eteocles vs. Polynices? Tiresias vs Creon? Creon vs Haemon? Antigone vs. Ismene? Creon vs. World? Where does it end? Antigone (a link to a version of Antigone)
Tragedy in the Greek sense stems from a character flaw or what may be your destiny. Oedipus was "destine" to kill his father and marry his mother, so to undo the prophecy he was taken as a baby, by his real parents, to the hills to die; only to be rescued by a shepherd, oops. The shepherd took the baby to the king and queen in the next kingdom... later Oedipus finds out about the prophecy (he loves his parents and doesn't want to kill them) and he takes matters in his own hands and leaves the kingdom, oops. He finds himself in the neighboring kingdom and, you guessed it he killed the King, "dad" and then married the Queen, "mom" in hopes to bring harmony back to the kingdom, oops. He fathers 4 children, two boys and two girls, oops, "Eteocles, Polynices, Ismene, and Antigone." Oedipus is feeling pretty good about life and thinks he has beaten the prophecy, but it wouldn't be a tragedy if there is a happy ending and oh yeah, NOBODY beats the "gods." Oedipus finds out the the king and queen he thinks are his parents are not his real parents (this proves you should always tell an adopted child they are adopted), oops, and the king he killed was actually his real dad, oops, and he did in fact marry his mother, double oops. Oedipus then kills himself the queen mother kills herself and the boys are left to rule the kingdom. The boys decide they will take turns being the king and Eteocles decides he'll go first, he soon finds out "it is good to be the king," and when it is his brother's turn to rule he says no "I'm the king and you are not I like being king so I have changed my mind you do not get a turn at being king, SORRY." So, Polynices did the only thing any "self respecting heir to the throne" could do, he amassed an army and fought his brother for the throne. Irony has a way of coming full circle, and there are many examples in history of this, but that's another story, the brothers killed each other in battle and now NEITHER is king. Enter Creon, who now becomes king by default. His first declaration as king is to give Eteocles a full state burial fit for the king he was and to leave Polynices on the battlefield to rot and be eaten by wild animals, an act that will punish the traitor for eternity. Here is where our story begins, Antigone loved her brothers and wanted them both honored or at the very least given a proper burial. She asks her sister to help her bury Polynices; Ismene says the king's law forbids it (line 53) Creon has said, NO! line (line 58). Antigone says, Creon does not have the right to keep me from doing it (line 59).
The rest of the play is spent with Antigone trying to do what she feels is the right thing and ends up being punished for it, but I think the real story lies with Creon's actions. Creon is advised many times by different people to do the right thing and let Antigone bury her brother. He is even told no good can from his punishing Antigone. The prophet advises him, his son begs him, and I think even his wife offered council about how he should treat his niece, Oh did I forget to mention that Creon was family, sorry. All of these things are what the Greeks emphasised in their plays, "tragedies," a lesson to be learned. A tool of education, a story about how when people don't do what is right and how they lose everything is suppose to teach us that if we don't do what is right we risk the same. All of this caused me to keep coming back to one thought, what is good advice? and why do we choose not to listen? As a child everyone has been burnt by the hot stove or pan, and YES everyone of us was warned by a parent or sibling, NOT to touch it. Yet touch we do, we later learn that the very people that warned us did not head the advice when it was given to them and they too touched and were burned. WHY? Why do we need to feel the depth of pain before we realize we should have just listened. I don't want to debate all that Creon lost or if what Antigone did was right, but would rather leave you with a parting quote. " Life is too short to make all the mistakes yourself, learn from others."
