Today, the theme of our article will be the antique tragedy, or rather its analysis and summary. "Antigone" is a play by the ancient Greek playwright Sophocles, who borrowed the idea of a plot from the Theban mythical cycle.
Foreword
The scene of the work is the ancient Thebes. However, you should refer to the preface before starting to outline the summary. "Antigone", as noted above, is built on the plot of an ancient myth. But this is not the only work of the author on a mythological basis. We can say that the playwright wrote a whole series devoted to these legends. And Antigone is far from the first work in it. That is why a brief background of what happened before the start of our tragedy was required.
This cycle tells the story of Theban king Oedipus. This was a man who combined wisdom, sinfulness and martyrdom. A lot of suffering fell on his lot - he, unaware, killed his father, and then married his widow, that is, his mother. Upon learning of this, he punished himself by gouging out his eyes so as not to see the world around him, just as he had not seen his crime.
These events are described by another tragedy of Sophocles. The Antigone, a summary of which will be presented below, refers to events that occurred after Oedipus was forgiven by the gods. In addition, the protagonist of our story is the daughter of the sinful union of Oedipus with her mother. Also, Antigone had two brothers - Polynik and Eteocles, as well as a sister - Ismen. After the death of his father, Etheocles becomes king, but Polygonist rebels against his power. The result of this military conflict is the death of both brothers.
From this moment, the events described in our tragedy begin.
Sophocles "Antigone": a summary
After Polynicus and Etheocles perished, Creon, who was an adviser to Oedipus and brother of his wife, took control of Thebes. By the first decree, the new ruler orders with all honors to bury the rightful king Eteokles, and to throw Polynik who rebelled against him to be torn to pieces by vultures and dogs, for he brought the war to his own country. This was a terrible punishment, since it was believed that the soul of the unburied was doomed to eternal wanderings and could never again enter the afterlife. It was also believed that it was unworthy to take revenge on the dead, such an act defames people and is objectionable to the gods.
However, Creon was not thinking about gods or people. He was more concerned about the retention of power and the prosperity of his new state.
Antigone
We continue to describe the summary. Antigone - the daughter of Oedipus, unlike Creon, thought about honor, and about the gods, and about people. She had the same brother as Etheocles, so it was her duty to take care of his body and soul. And for this she is ready to disobey the order of the king.
Antigone calls Ismen to himself. But the sister does not agree to go against the state, because she is just a weak girl. Then Antigone decides to act alone. In this scene, Sophocles shows strength, courage and loyalty to the gods, which carries a fragile, but bold Antigone.
The summary describes the appearance of the choir of Theban elders, in whose voices there is glee - now Thebes is saved, the state will not fall victim to angry gods. Towards the elders, Creon emerges, who announces his decision: to bury the hero and betray the villain. If someone breaks the decree, death will await him.
At this moment, a guard appears, he reports that the decree has just been violated. The servant did not have time, the corpse was sprinkled with earth.
Wrath of Creon
Not always unambiguously evaluates the actions of their heroes Sophocles. "Antigone" (a summary is being presented at the moment) is a classic tragedy that is replete with choral inserts in the narrative. So, when the furious Creon demands to find the criminal, the choir sings. The song speaks of a powerful man who, despite conquering the land and sea, can only be judged by one measure - “he who honors the truth is good; who fell into a lie is dangerous. ” And it is not clear - the choir sings about the criminal or the king.
The Guard leads the captive Antigone. The girl admits her deed and does not repent at all, believing that the truth is behind her. Ismena appears, she is innocent, but is ready to share the fate of her sister. Creon tells them to lock both of them.
Sentence
It is difficult for Creon to issue a decree of death, which is well illustrated by the summary. Antigone is not only his niece, but also the bride of his son, the future king of Thebes. Therefore, he calls the Tsarevich to himself and talks about the accomplished violation. However, the son objects - if Antigone is wrong, then why the whole city sympathizes with her and grumbles at the cruelty of the new king. However, Creon is adamant - the girl will be walled up in the dungeon. To this, the prince replies that his father will never see him again.
Execution
Prepares for the execution of Antigonus. A summary of the chapters tells about the deplorable state of the girl. Her strength is leaving, her life is over, but the heroine does not regret anything. The crying girl echoes the song of the choir, which refers to the strength of her pious deed, for which she will be remembered and honored. Antigone fulfilled the divine law, neglecting the law of people - for this she is glory. However, the girl asks why she should die if she did everything right, but still does not receive an answer. Her last words are addressed to the gods, let them judge. If she is guilty, then Antigone will accept her punishment and redeem him. If the king is wrong, then reckoning awaits him.
The guard leads Antigone to execution.
Judgment of the gods
Dead Antigone. Sophocles (a summary of the chapters confirms this) leaves behind the scene the death of his heroine. The viewer does not see how the girl is walled up, the consequences of this event appear before his gaze.
God's judgment begins. Tiresias, a blind soothsayer and favorite of the gods, comes to the king. He reports that it’s not only the people who are ready to rebel against Creon, the gods are also unhappy - the fire does not light on the altars, they refuse to give prophetic birds signs. However, the king does not believe in this - man does not have the power to defile God. To which Teresius answers, Creon violated the laws of the gods: he threw the dead man unburied, and locked him alive in the grave. Now there will be no prosperity in the city, and the king himself will pay the gods, having lost his own son.
The king ponders the words of the blind man - Teresius once predicted the future of Oedipus, and everything came true exactly. Creon backs away from his decision. He orders the release of Antigone, and the body of Polynik interred.
The choir calls for the help of the god Dionysos, who was born in Thebes, so that he would help fellow citizens.
Denouement
However, it turns out to be too late to change anything. Antigone is dead. The girl hanged herself in an underground tomb, and the prince hugged her dead body. When Creon entered the crypt, his son attacked him. The king managed to pull back, and then the prince plunged a sword into his chest.
The princess, the wife of Creon, silently listens to the news of the death of her son. When the story ends, it unfolds and, without uttering a word, leaves. A moment later, a new servant appears on the scene, telling the terrible news - the queen committed suicide, unable to bear the death of her son.
Creon is left alone on the scene, mourning for his family and blaming himself for what happened. The play ends with the choir’s song: “Wisdom is the highest blessing ... Haste is the execution of the archer”.
So ends the tragedy of Sophocles "Antigone." The summary thus came to an end, now we proceed to the analysis of the play.
The image of Antigone
Sophocles endowed his heroine with such traits as willpower, loyalty to ancient traditions, devotion to his family, courage. Antigone is absolutely sure that the truth is on her side, and this gives her strength. Therefore, she is not afraid of King Thebes, because behind her are the truth of the gods, much more powerful than earthly power.
The girl consciously goes to death, realizing that she has no other choice. But, like any person, she bitterly part with life, especially at such a young age. She did not have time to become either a wife or a mother. Despite this, the strength of her conviction of her own rightness does not weaken. The heroine dies, but remains the winner in a dispute with Creon.
Main conflict
The play is based on the conflict of the patrimonial law, which is not written anywhere, and the law of the state. Religious beliefs, rooted in the deep past, fidelity to traditions and the memory of their ancestors, contradict the short-lived earthly power. At the time of Sophocles, the laws of the policy, which every citizen had to comply with, often diverged from clan traditions, which led to many conflicts. The playwright decided to pay attention to this problem and show what it could lead to.
Thus, only in the agreement of the state and religion did Sophocles see a way out of this situation. The "Antigone", in abbreviation presented here, has become a kind of call for the unification of two powerful forces, conflicts between which will inevitably lead to death.