Antigone calls on Creon to have her arrested, warning him that her disease is catching. Antigone's marriage is worth more to Thebes than her death. The play ends with a somber warning from the chorus that pride will be punished by the blows of fate. Outside the city gates, Antigone tells Ismene that Creon has ordered that Eteocles, who died defending the city, is to be buried with full honors, while the body of Polynices, the invader, is left to rot. She recites her letter, "Forgive me, my darling. Previous After her father blinded himself upon discovering that Jocasta was his mother and that, also unwittingly, he had slain his father, Antigone and her sister Ismene served as Oedipus’ guides. As depicted in Aeschylus’ Seven Against Thebes, on the day before the one during which the entire action of Antigone takes places, Eteocles and Polynices—Oedipus’ two sons—slay each other in a single fight. Outraged, Antigone reveals to Ismene a plan to bury Polynices in secret, despite Creon's order. He had the prettier one brought in. She tells him that she will never be able to marry him. Antigone interrupts him, pointing out that she is soon to die. Upon Oedipus' death, it was agreed that each would take the throne from one year to the next. Buy Study Guide. Suddenly Haemon enters and Antigone asks Haemon to hold her with all his strength. Here Is a Quick Overview of the Story Ismene and Antigone are engaged in a conversation. First Ode: The Chorus of Old Men celebrate Thebes’ victory over Polynices’ army. Nov. 21, 2020. Antigone is a tragedy. The brothers killed each other in a duel, making Creon king. The Chorus notes that truly if it had not been for Antigone, all would have been at peace. The blind prophet Tiresias warns Creon that the gods disapprove of his leaving Polynices unburied and will punish the king's impiety with the death of his own son. Stupefied, Haemon departs. Polyneices and Eteocles, two brothers leading opposite sides in Thebes' civil war, have both been killed in battle. T he main themes in Antigone are fate versus free will, respect for death, gender roles, and justice.. Like Oedipus, her death must seem the "natural climax" to her life. Antigone insists that he cannot save her. Next to the sisters' sits the Nurse and Queen Eurydice. The Chorus introduces the players. Creon, the new ruler of Thebes, has declared that Eteocles will be honored and Polyneices disgraced. Enraged, Creon seizes her arm and twists her to his side. Suddenly Ismene enters, also asking where Antigone has been. Blog. He orders the guards to uncover the body and keep the matter secret. From their talk, the reader can deduce that Creon, the new King, has issued an order that Eteocles being a worrier who has defended the town when under attack should be buried honorably. Creon, on the other hand, devotes himself only to the order of the kingdom. The father and son argue, Haemon accusing Creon of arrogance, and Creon accusing Haemon of unmanly weakness in siding with a woman. After the first year, however, Eteocles, the elder, refused to step down. She was considered as a heroine. When Ismene timidly refuses to defy the king, Antigone angrily rejects her and goes off alone to bury her brother. Creon ordered Eteocles buried in honor and left Polynices to rot on the pain of death. After the bloody siege of Thebes by Polynices and his allies, the city stands unconquered. Creon urges her to find Haemon and marry quickly. Haemon, Creon's son who was to marry Antigone, advises his father to reconsider his decision. Polynices and six foreign princes marched on Thebes. He knows his reign makes him loathsome but he has no choice. In this play, Antigone was the main character. He wrote Antigone in 1942, though the play was originally censored due … CliffsNotes study guides are written by real teachers and professors, so no matter what you're studying, CliffsNotes can ease your homework headaches and help you score high on exams. Being too cowardly to imprison him, Oedipus let him join the Argive army. Both men die in the battle. © 2020 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. A Summary of Sophocles’ Antigone ... edition of the play I from which I was reading. Dazed, Antigone moves to go her room. Though one would have expected Haemon to go for Ismene, he inexplicably proposed to Antigone on the night of a ball. In it, certain elements of plot seem to indicate that Sophocles, in this early period of his career, was still imitating the works of his predecessor Aeschylus. Antigone Speech In Sophocles play, Antigone, tell us the fate of the main character by choosing what is morally right, or to follow the law of the state. After guiding her blind father/brother Oedipus, the ex-king of Thebes, around the countryside until his death, Antigone returns home to Thebes to find out that her brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices, have killed each other in a battle for the throne. Unlike melodrama, tragedy is clean, restful, and flawless. Antigone sends the Nurse away for coffee. The two main characters of the play are Antigone and Creon. Antigone refuses and bids Ismene to go back to bed. Antigone rejoins that he should have said no; she can say no to anything she thinks vile. As soon as Polynices reached Argos, the attempts on Oedipus' life began. Antigone is the last play in a famous Greek trilogy, written by Sophocles. Furthermore, Creon has declared that anyone attempting to bury Polynices shall be publicly stoned to death. Polynices was a cruel, vicious voluptuary. Because Creon said yes, he can only sentence her to death. The Guard rambles about his pay, rations, and professional quibbles. She declares that the burial traditions are the unwritten laws of the gods, and are more important than the decrees of one man. All rights reserved. You would all have been so happy except for Antigone." Once he is certain no one saw Antigone arrested, he orders her to bed, telling her to say that she has been ill. Antigone replies that she will only go out again tonight. Haemon leaves in anger, swearing never to return. Antigone is the girl who will rise up alone and die young. Both have strong and different ideas about what is wrong and what is right leading to much conflict between them throughout the play. It's only the… She realized the familial duty that she had to fulfill. Oedipus at Colonus, Next Creon discovers that someone has attempted to offer a ritual burial to Polynices and demands that the guilty one be found and brought before him. Antigone reveals that she has already done so. Antigone is a play of great historical significance. After rejecting Tiresias angrily, Creon reconsiders and decides to bury Polynices and free Antigone. Haemon, Antigone's dashing fiancé, chats with Ismene, her beautiful sister. He was considered a traitor to the Theban people, and will […] When Ismene refuses to join her sister, pleading their weakness as women and subjects of Creon, Antigone leaves her angrily, determined to bury her brother, even if it means her own death. Ismene refuses, because their uncle Creon has decreed that anyone who does will pay the penalty of death. TedEd, TED conference, home-made explainer) Ritual and Transcendence in the Oedipus Trilogy, Summary and Analysis: Oedipus the King, Summary and Analysis: Oedipus at Colonus. Antigone tells Ismene of her plans to bury their brother Polynices in defiance of Creon's orders. Ismene declares that they cannot bury Polynices and that she must understand Creon's intentions. But Creon's change of heart comes too late. Their successor, Creon, decides that King Eteocles will be buried, but Polyneices, because he was leading a foreign army, will be left on the field of battle. Antigone considers the suffering she has endured as the result of the centuries-old curse on her family, and then tells Ismene of its latest manifestation. Antigone, his sister, buries him anyway. Antigone has hanged herself and Haemon, in desperate agony, kills himself as well. Ismene returns, terrified that Antigone will attempt to bury Polynices despite the daylight. Antigone challenges his servile happiness. Later that day, the nervous First Guard enters and informs Creon that someone covered Polynices's body with a little dirt last night. Both men die in the battle. Antigone Themes. Oedipus has just passed away in Colonus, and Antigone and her sister decide to return to Thebes with the intention of helping their brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices, avoid a prophecy that predicts they will kill each other in a battle for the throne of Thebes. Both men die in the battle. About the Oedipus Trilogy. Finally three Guards play cards, indifferent to the tragedy before them. Our study guide has summaries, insightful analyses, and everything else you need to understand Antigone. Antigone is a Greek tragedy by Sophocles, written in around 441BC. In an era of strict cultural rules that curtailed women liberation, Sophocles created a character like Antigone which is a breakthrough in that age. Her father, Oedipus, was the King of Thebes. On hearing the news of her son's death, Eurydice, the queen, also kills herself, cursing Creon. Only the Guards are left, and the tragedy does not matter to them. The Chorus obediently tells Creon that whatever he decrees for the dead, She is of the tribe that asks questions and hates man's hope. In tragedy, everything is inevitable, hopeless, and known. Play Summary Antigone Polynices and his brother Eteocles, however, are both dead, killed by each other, according to the curse of Oedipus, their father. While ruined, she is a queen. Facts about Antigone 1: a heroine. ntigone is an exciting and dramatic play and is the 3rd play in the Oedipus Rex series. Antigone is the daughter of Oedipus, Greek drama's most infamous figure. Scene One: Antigone tries to convince her sister Ismene to join her in burying their brother Polynices. Antigone's uncle, Creon, declares that Eteocles will be buried with honor, but that Polyneices' body will be left for the dogs. Antigone (/ æ n ˈ t ɪ ɡ ə n i / ann-TIG-ə-nee; Ancient Greek: Ἀντιγόνη) is a tragedy by Sophocles written in or before 441 BCE. Antigone resembles her father in her stubbornness and doomed existence. * 2 * country’s enemy / Shall call himself my friend”—announces his proclamation concerning the sons of Oedipus (131). Antigone begins with The two sons of Oedipus, Eteocles and Polyneices, who are fighting for the kingship of Thebes. Oedipus's daughters, Antigone and Ismene, are grieving for the loss of their two brothers, but Antigone is also defiant. All are bound to their parts. Creon relents. The Chorus enters, announcing that it is Creon's turn. When he discovers that Antigone, his niece, has defied his order, Creon is furious. A distraught Ismene rushes in, begging Antigone's forgiveness and promising to help her. and any corresponding bookmarks? What is visual communication and why it matters; Nov. 20, 2020. He unknowingly murdered his father and married his own mother, Queen Jocasta. Antigone Summary. Antigone sneaks in and the Nurse appears and asks where she has been. Antigone Summary Antigone picks up in the same (uber-dismal) place that Oedipus at Colonus leaves off. Antigone Summary: Antigone begins with The two sons of Oedipus, Eteocles and Polyneices, who are fighting for the kingship of Thebes. Creon, the brother of Jokaste, is the new monarch who has given a decree to honor the death of the younger brother, Eteocles by giving him a state funeral as he fought for the nation but he refuses to bury Polynices for his betrayal to the state. Haemon enters and begs his father to stop the guards. Antigone, in Greek legend, the daughter born of the unwittingly incestuous union of Oedipus and his mother, Jocasta. Polynices and his brother Eteocles, however, are both dead, killed by each other, according to the curse of Oedipus, their father. Chapter Summary for Sophocles's Antigone (The Oedipus Plays), episode 5 summary. Her fiance and Creon's son, Haemon, learns about this and tries to convince Creon to change his mind. Removing #book# Of the three Theban plays Antigone is the third in order of the events depicted in the plays, but it is the first that was written. Creon is alone. Upon being told of Haemon's death, Eurydice finished her row of knitting, climbed to her room, and cut her throat. Creon asks if she thinks her being Oedipus's daughter puts her above the law. Summary of Sophocles' Antigone As the play begins, they are both dead, having killed each other in the war. Scene Two: Creon officially announces to the citizens the prohibition The play begins with a conversation between Antigone and her sister Ismene, daughters of the former ruler of the Greek city of Thebes and nieces to its current ruler. Alone, in despair, Creon accepts responsibility for all the tragedy and prays for a quick death. Though one would have expected Haemon to go for Ismene, he inexplicably proposed to Antigone on the night of a ball. The Chorus appears and announces that the tragedy is on. The card-playing trio, made all the more mindless and indistinguishable in being grouped in three, emerges from a long stage tradition of the dull-witted police officer. The First proposes that they throw a party. Antigone sits before the First Guard in her cell; his is the last face she will see. Without admitting that Haemon may be right, Creon amends his pronouncement on the sisters: Ismene shall live, and Antigone will be sealed in a tomb to die of starvation, rather than stoned to death by the city. Haemon, Antigone's dashing fiancé, chats with Ismene, her beautiful sister. As a child, she must have known her brothers made her parents unhappy. Ismene swears she will bury Polynices herself then. Oedipus was a king who married his own mother after killing his own father - not knowing that either were his parents. But Eteocles, Thebes' martyr, too plotted to overthrow his father. It is one of the ancient play that has a female protagonist. Creon releases her. Suddenly a drum roll is heard, and the Guards lead Antigone out. When Creon sent for their bodies, they were found mashed together in a bloody pulp. She must not waste her life and its happiness. Creon makes a final appeal, saying that Antigone needs to understand what goes on in the wings of her drama. Antigone is caught burying Polyneices and is condemned to death. Eurydice will knit until the time comes for her to go to her room and die. Creon asks her to pity him then and live. Creon appears, and the First explains that Antigone was found digging Polynices' grave by hand in broad daylight. The Chorus recounts the events leading to Antigone's tragedy. Creon is king of Thebes, bound to the duties of rule. bookmarked pages associated with this title. Gratitude in the workplace: How gratitude can improve your well-being and relationships Are you sure you want to remove #bookConfirmation# Reluctant to endanger his job, the Guard suggests that she dictate her letter and he write it in his notebook in case they search his pockets. However, Theseus defends Oedipus and rescues both … from your Reading List will also remove any Creon sends the guards out. Outside the city gates, Antigone tells Ismene that Creon has ordered that Eteocles, who died defending the city, is to be buried with full honors, while the body of Polynices, the invader, is left to rot. Antigone makes an impassioned argument, declaring Creon's order to be against the laws of the gods themselves. Introduction. The Oedipus trilogy told the story of Oedipus, a tragic Greek hero, who defeated the sphinx and saved Thebes, but unknowingly killed his father and married his mother.While it was not written last, the Antigone play is the final chapter chronologically in a story filled with human suffering at the hands of fate. The Chorus protests. She asks how she is to be executed. Antigone rejects her, but she does not deserve to die with her. The action of “Antigone” follows on from the Theban civil war, in which the two brothers, Eteocles and Polynices, died fighting each other for the throne of Thebes after Eteocles had refused to give up the crown to his brother as their father Oedipus had prescribed. The Guards enter with the struggling Antigone. Both were gangsters. The Guard asks if he can do anything for her. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. She asks if he could give someone a letter, offering him her ring. All who had to die have now died. Creon replies that the mob already knows the truth, and he can do nothing. Their uncle Creon, the new ruler of Thebes, decrees that Eteocles, who has died defending the city, shall … As the Chorus notes, they smell of garlic and beer, concern themselves with the mundane, and are in general not bad people. Creon is king of Thebes, bound to the duties of rule. Antigone replies that she is not here to understand, only to say no and die. Creon howled for the slaves to remove the stones. The play’s title indicates that Antigone is the tragic character; the plot of Antigone, however, indicates that Creon is the tragic character. Its spring is wound, and it will uncoil by itself. Oedipus, Antigone and Ismene's father, had two sons, Eteocles and Polynices. Antigone Summary Antigone Summary: Antigone begins with The two sons of Oedipus, Eteocles and Polyneices, who are fighting for the kingship of Thebes. You can find out that Antigone was a stubborn girl … All were defeated. It is dawn, and the house is still asleep. The Messenger delivers the news: Antigone had just been immured, when the crowd heard Haemon's moan from within. The Guard informs her that she is to be immured. Written in 441 B.C by Sophocles, it is of the few remarkable plays that have stood the test of time. Antigone Summary. Jean Anouilh was a French playwright living in German-occupied France during World War II. Summary. Antigone, although it concerns the last events in the mythic history of this family, was the first of the three plays to be written. She vows to give Polynices the proper burial rites. video source: antigone by sophocles - animated play summary Video length: 7 minutes 35 seconds Video genre: Edu or explainer video (e.g. Antigone Summary. The conflict between the two… Antigone winces but accepts. Antigone is the girl who will rise up alone and die young. Antigone remarks that Creon is squeezing her arm too tightly, but his grasp no longer hurts. Despite her uncle's decree, Antigone buries Polyneices and is sentenced by Creon to be buried alive. Antigone , a tragedy, was written by Sophocles around 442 BC. Facts about Antigone 2: Is she stubborn? It contains the following elements: A tragic character is of noble birth and endures a mighty fall on account of pride. Their successor, Creon, decides that King Eteocles will be buried, but Polyneices, because he was leading a foreign army, will be left on the field of battle. Tag: antigone play summary Antigone Summary. A brave and proud young woman named Antigone is the product of a really messed up family. For instance, both Antigone and Creon find themselves caught in a double bind, a situation in which they are doomed no matter which course of action th… Antigone had hung herself. She stays with her father for the majority of the play, until she is taken away by Creon in an attempt to blackmail Oedipus into returning to Thebes. Enraged by Antigone's refusal to submit to his authority, Creon declares that she and her sister will be put to death. Haemon then stabbed himself and lay beside Antigone in a pool of blood. In the play, Antigone brother, Polyneices dies in a war between him and his brother Eteocles. Find a summary of this and each chapter of Antigone (The Oedipus Plays)! Room, and the house is still asleep slaves to remove the stones free. Begins with the two sons, Eteocles and Polyneices, who are fighting for the kingship of,. Killed in battle no to anything she thinks vile because Creon said yes, he inexplicably proposed to 's... Antigone buries Polyneices and is condemned to death the law main characters of the remarkable., his niece, has declared that Eteocles will be honored and Polyneices disgraced Antigone. Martyr, too plotted to overthrow his father to stop the Guards to uncover the body and keep the secret. 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