The aim of this essay is to present you with a portrait of a drama which was written in the Ancient Greek Classical period in approximately 442 B.C., by Sophocles, one of the three poets of Ancient Greece, who along with Aeschylus and Euripides are considered to have established the tragedy as a poetic, theatrical kind of writing.
This portrait will emphasize on the main thematic core of this drama and how this idea which is its thematic core, is of classical value. The main idea ‘Antigone’ puts across to its audience and readers is the idea of the conflict between the cosmic authority and the power and authority of ethical values. According to the main plot of this play, Sophocles presents a girl named Antigone of noble origins who finds herself to witness the death in the battle of both her brothers. Antigone is the main female character. In the Ancient Greek tragedy, Antigone is a girl who witnesses within the historical context of a political civil war in the city of Thebes the death of both her brothers. Her uncle Creon is the man in power, ruling the city and expressing the authoritarian political status of that time. One of Antigone’s brothers was fighting against Creon and his other brother. When news spread about the unfair death of both, Creon ordered that the ones fighting against him and his power ought to be left unburied as a kind of punishment and humiliation since they had dared to stand their opposition towards him and the status –quo of his political power. Antigone was against it since religious and ethical principles of her era could not allow human bodies to be left unburied. The need for burying her brother who had fought against her uncle with all the honors, was according to Antigone’s ethical values and brotherly love more than simply necessary.
Thus, Antigone came in opposition to Creon and his orders and commands. Sophocles in this tragedy puts his target audience face to face with an everlasting dilemma of eternal value. There are more than once occasions in one’s life when he / she finds himself to be ordered by cosmic, political power to act in such a way that it is different from what his ethical system of values and principles lead him to do. Yet, it seems that societies intimidated by the threat of being punished by those in authority or of being sent to death, prefer to bend their heads and obey to rules which do not really express their beliefs or values. Antigone is girl who stood for what she believed and chose to die rather than surrender to her uncle’s injustice and unethical command.
In other words, Sophocles raised so many years ago the question of to what extent people ought to stand their ethical burden and personality against the microcosm of material and political power. And the message he puts across is definitely that when the goal is worth it, then no fear of losing one’s life ought to exist.
This is a conflict between the cosmic, political power and authority and the power of one’s personality. It is a conflict and fight which takes place within the socio-historical and cultural context of one person who seems to hold and develop a different way of thinking compared to the status –quo.
Sophocles’ Antigone fought for her right to freedom, for her innate right to choosing how to treat the persons she loves. The figure of Antigone can be transformed into the vehicle which will give people wings to fly and freely express their opinion.
This message of one following the inner wishes and demands of his /her soul despite the set environment within which he/she lives is of great importance. This importance lies into its significance in proving the right of individuals to be free to express their opinions and perform their actions as imposed by their principles. But there is a deeper aspect of Antigone’s message which is exactly what gives this play its classical value. There is a question rising from this fight of Antigone. Who is to define what is right and wrong? Who and what kind of powers are to define what is supposed to be obligatory to happen so that social co-existence and harmony is to be established and maintained?
The great philosopher Aristotle had said that ‘a man who lives by himself is either a monster or God himself. These words were said by Aristotle in his effort to depict the importance and necessity for individuals to be part of an active social group. People are born to live together, to cooperate, to collaborate, to co-exist, to exchange ideas and to work altogether to the achievement of common goals which are supposed to provide them with their possibility to enjoy prosperity in life.
So a very serious concern rises since their ought to be a social structure of such a nature that manages to look into the achievement and insurance of common wealth while at the same time does not harm individuality and individuals’ best interest. It is not easy to have societies organized in such a way that both parts are equally respected and looked after. The solution seems to lie in the educational and cultural level of each society. Educated and civilized people are interested in maintain their ethical values and principles and they seem to have clearly defined the line which is to separate right from wrong. Therefore human rights to freedom are one of the top priorities in civilized societies.
Looking back to the society in which Sophocles lived and wrote his plays, it can be easily perceived that people’s main interest lied in respecting humans’ personalities and organizing their societies in such a way that common wealth would definitely and by all means benefit individual wellness as well.
Sophocles is motivated by the terror of war and the thirst Creon had for authority and power. This is the reason why Creon disregarded the ethical and religious principles of his era. If his reasons were of other nature then he would not so easily fall into the state of being severely criticized by people. The tragedy turns out to lead its audience and readers to catharsis, which is the Ancient Greek word describing and depicting the procedure through which individuals are met with their inner, unrevealed passions and inferior nature which usually if left uncontrolled, they lead people to misjudgments and behaving in an unfair way. Creon was blinded by his egoism and inferior passion for imposing his power and authority on people in such a way that nothing different from his opinion ought to be expressed or performed.
The courage of Antigone is a lighthouse in nowadays disorientation of worldwide societies. Within the global environment in which people are asked to live, perform and co-exist there are lots of misinterpretations, misjudgments and impositions of catastrophic nature. People ought to keep their orientation as to making sure that any kind of action, idea, innovation, rule does not harm human rights.
This is the message of Sophocles’ Antigone. Human nature ought to live in healthy, democratic environments within which healthy dialogues can be performed in order to empower people to seek truth and ensure that they manage to accept it and keep it as the most valuable asset of their lives.
Works cited
Sophocles, ‘Antigone’ (442 B.C.), Prestwick House, Inc.; 2005 edition (2005)
