The careful description of the deterioration of Polynices’
body makes the reader sympathize with Antigone. Even as she is going against
the city-state’s laws, it is the image of a decaying corpse that makes her
case. The grotesque details could also possibly foreshadow a crumbling Thebes
in the future. Several townspeople disagree with the injustice of Creon’s
decree. Creon seems to consumed with carrying out his judgment to the end even
if it does not ethically agree with the majority. His mental stability also
seems to be in question as he even goes as far to commit sacrilege against
Zeus. Creon completely dismisses his affiliation with Antigone, as someone who
is his relative. He goes as far as saying that even someone “closer in blood”
(543) “clustered at my altar worshiping… Zeus “ (544-545), could not escape a
“most barbaric death” (546). The resulting choral ode is marked by an ominous
admonition: “for others, once the gods have a rocked a house to its foundations
the ruin will never cease…” (658-660). Haemon then declares that Antigone’s death “will
kill another” (842), this possibly foreshadows his suicidal disposition after
hearing of the punishment awaiting his fiancé. Creon’s decision seems to only forebode
tragedy. Creon’s “ship of state” (180) could very well end in decay just as
Polynices’ corpse did. The theme of fate seems to never disappear as the chorus
continuously reminds the reader of man’s inevitable end in suffering.
Creon's authoritarian style of ruling can only make way for the degradation of the society he so badly wants to preserve. His actions have driven away his own son and will only result in unnecessary deaths.
The story of Antigone shares many aspects with Hamlet. The decaying body may be foreshadowing for the downfall of Thebes and King Hamlet’s death marks the downfall for his kingdom. Claudius is similar to Creon because he wants to do what is best for himself not for the welfare of the city. We know that things did not end well for Claudius, so can we infer the same for Creon?
ReplyDeleteThe chorus allows the audience of Ancient Greek days to address their feelings concerning the actions of the actors without having to admit them aloud. It serves to bridge a gap between the emotions and behaviors of those involved in the play. The "inevitable end in suffering" you refer to is interesting because you focus on one of the facts we learned about Greek plays in class: all characters cannot escape suffering. We see this come into play as almost all characters have/will suffer during this play.
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