Suicide and Democracy

Twenty-five centuries ago, Sophocles established himself as the preeminent Athenian dramatist with his three Theban plays: Antigone, Oedipus the King, and Oedipus at Colonus. Antigone represents the thematic, if not chronological, conclusion of the trilogy. The myth of Antigone, daughter of Oedipus, is an extraordinary dramatic legacy, worthy of exploration both for Sophocles’ consummate handling of the theatrical machine and for the political and social significance of Antigone’s actions.

Sophocles sets the stage for this drama through his portrayal of Creon, without whom Antigone would have no dramatic reason to exist. Creon’s first task as King of Thebes is to prove himself worthy of that title. He must demonstrate his respect for the city’s men of power and his ability to listen to the gods. Yet Creon’s opening words, though pleasing and rhetorically sound, represent a new battlefield in the country’s civil war. In his first public decree he denies Polynices a proper burial. To Antigone this is an intolerable act of violence, particularly if we consider that, in ancient Greece, funeral rites provided women with a rare opportunity to participate in civic life. In burying her brother’s body, Antigone defies Creon’s legitimacy and places herself in radical opposition to the king. The chorus of elders hesitates to enter in this conflict. They do not dare challenge the king’s authority.

Antigone does dare. She challenges Creon on grounds of moral principle, citing the will of the gods, who dictate that the dead must be buried, regardless of sins accumulated during life. It is also an inconceivable political act – a solitary woman violates the king’s decree, both for the love of her brother and to claim her proper social role. And then, in an act of extreme protest, she commits suicide, initiating a chain of events that will add Creon’s wife and son to the roll of the dead. From Sophocles’ point of view, Antigone’s suicide is not a nihilistic or pathological act, but rather the only possible way to restore her dignity. The play then unveils, layer by layer, the ethical and ideological motivations for Antigone’s revolt. These motivations are reflected not only in Antigone’s own words, but in the actions of other characters. Following her lead, Haemon, Ismene, Tiresias, and the Chorus itself openly oppose Creon’s law. Spurred on by Antigone’s example, their actions amount to a social awakening, a raising of consciousness that reflects the principles of Athenian democracy.

For Sophocles, the downfall of Thebes is a direct result of Creon’s law – a piece of legislation that is blind to the real needs of his citizens. It is no coincidence that the unraveling of the city manifests itself in the suicide of most of its royal family. In the character of Antigone, Sophocles portrays the devastated soul of a young woman. Her grief, her rage, and the suicides they engender represent the inextricable nature of the public and the private, the personal and the political, that are common to all human existence. Whoever, like Creon, aims to separate these two spheres, cannot go unpunished.

Walter Valeri is a Special Student at the A.R.T. Institute for Advanced Theatre Training.