Critical Analysis of Antigone

Antigone is a play similar to Oedipus Rex in its dark tone, mythical themes, and tragic story. However, Sophocles' writing seems clearer in this play, and Antigone is much more character-driven with complex, well developed characters. Through Sophocles' brilliant characterization of people at war with themselves, Inner conflict emerges as the central theme of the play. The play is all about conflict including the obvious themes like man's rules versus divine law, and pride versus honor; as well as the deeper subtext of each character's internal conflicts.

Kreon for example, is caught between his duty to the gods and his pride. His character has changed dramatically from the time of Oedipus to the events of Antigone. He is still aware of the power of the fates and the vision of Teiresias but he is corrupted by his power as king and blinded by his stubbornness and pride. Much like Oedipus, Kreon brings about tragedy and sorrow because of his own arrogant foolishness. He is tainted by the power he never wanted, and by the time he realizes this, it is too late.

In clear conflict with Kreon is his son Haimon. Like Antigone, Haimon is loyal to the gods more than the state:

Haimon: You have no right to trample on god's right. ( 2.3.110)

Haimon's loyalties are divided, however, because his devotion to the gods and to Antigone puts him at odds with his father. While he is similar to Antigone in terms of his opposition to Kreon's unjust rule, Haimon is less obstinate. Where Antigone is openly defiant, Haimon uses more reason. His attempt to reason with Kreon is in part due to the fact that he feels a sense of loyalty toward his father. This is the central conflict of Haimon's character-he wants to do what is ethically right, but he wants to obey his father:

Haimon: I am your son, father. You are my guide.

You make things clear for me, and I obey

you (2.3.10)

The multi-layered, conflicted characters make the play fascinating and entertaining to read. Most interesting is Antigone herself, because she is very complex. Many who analyze this play simplify her character by saying that she is a hero representing honor and virtue. However, Antigone is not simply a hero, a villain or a victim she is a person in conflict between faith and hopelessness, and between righteousness and dishonor. She represents a strong sense of righteousness and loyalty to the laws of god above the laws of man, but it is questionable whether her actions are all in the name of doing what is right. When she has done the deed for which she will be executed, her speech is full of sorrow for her own forthcoming death, but she seems to almost embrace it at times:

Antigone: . . .Soon I shall be with my own again where Persephone welcomes the

Thin Ghosts underground: And I shall see my father again, and you, mother, and

dearest Polyneices.(3.4.60)

Antigone is sorrowful for the loss of her life that will result from her actions, but she seems to welcome the idea of ending a life that has been filled with so many hardships. She appears somewhat eager to become a martyr. It would seem that because her life is haunted by the specter of family sin, the notion of honor in death is a welcome one-a sort of atonement for the sins of the father. Her words clearly express that she feels she is tainted by the shame of her family and cannot escape it:

Antigone: Unspeakable, horror of son and mother mingling: Their crime, infection

of all our family . . . The blasphemy of my birth has followed me.(3.4.40)

The burden of Oedipus' curse weighs so heavily on Antigone that she feels that she must make a grand gesture in penitence. Her actions are in part an act of morality but also an attempt to reconcile her struggles with the tragic circumstances of her life. Clearly the title character in this play is complex; she is at once the hero, the victim, and a conflicted soul seeking peace in a life of turmoil and honor in a life stained by the sins of the past.

To conclude, Antigone is a play with many themes, which can be interpreted many different ways. A casual review of the text might indicate themes that are political and social in nature, or some might see it as simply a story of Greek myth. In truth, however, the play is a much more complex psychological narrative exploring human complexities with underlying themes of inner conflict.