Sophocles’ Antigone exists today as one of the most compelling and oft-performed Greek tragedies, in part because of the timeless conflict between the laws of the state and the laws of a higher moral entity in which it presents. Naturally, one is inclined to take a debate-style approach in interpreting this conflict. Who is right? Creon in his upholding the law of the land, or Antigone, who defies man’s rule and insists on God’s justice. The problem with this approach is that no matter which side one takes, it leaves many events of the play unaccounted for. If Creon’s view of justice is “right,” why does he ultimately let up on his stance? And if Antigone’s view of justice is “right,” why does she die an unnecessary death? These events are significant, but are often overlooked because they contradict the defining principles of the Antigone’s central conflict. With that being said, we must look beyond the drama of Antigone vs. Creon and inquire about the most important question of all, what is Sophocles’ trying to say about his own view of justice?
In the first lines of the play, Antigone announces that she has decided to defy Creon’s decree and bury her brother. She invites her sister to join her. Ismene declines, recalling the family history of tragic defiance of both fate and lawful order. Antigone justifies her decision on the ground that otherwise she will disobey the higher law ordained by Zeus himself, that law being that the dead, enemies included, must be honored with a burial. Her position is most accurately summarized when she tells Creon: “For me it was not Zeus who made that order. Nor did that Justice who lives with the gods below mark out such law to hold among mankind. Nor did I think your orders were so strong that you, a mortal man, could over-run the gods’ unwritten and unfailing laws” (page 15, lines 35-41). In this way, Antigone is the paragon of virtue. The ancient tales in the Iliad, the bible of the Greeks, warn of the anger of the gods upon a failure to honor the dead. Antigone stands for all that is right and opposes tyranny. She is a heroine, and possesses complete confidence in her ability to choose and execute a just action.
Questionable is this confidence, though. When Ismene seeks to join Antigone in her punishment and death, she refuses the offer. Ismene then asks whether her sister has cast her aside. Antigone’s answer completely ignores Ismene’s change of heart: “Yes. For you chose to live when I chose death” (page 20, line 6). It seems that Antigone speaks not to spare Ismene, but rather to reserve the glory of her deed to herself. Additionally, while Haemon is willing to defy his father for Antigone’s sake on the basis that he cannot live without her, she never even so much as mentions his name. Further, in an exchange between the chorus and Antigone, they say to her: “You showed respect for the dead. So we for you: but power is not to be thwarted so. Your self-sufficiency has brought you down” (page 30, lines 25-30). With these words, it seems the chorus identifies Antigone’s tragic flaw. She follows a truth that comes from herself, refusing to consult with others. For Antigone, judgement and knowledge are a personal affair. She is not merely confident, she is self-righteous.
Antigone’s belief that she and only she understood justice and how it must apply in the particular situation before her left her with no choice but martyrdom. If she had any capacity for self-doubt, she may have second-guessed her suicide and waited a few moments before carrying it out. In that event, Haemon would have rescued her. Had she waited a few moments more, Creon would have done so. A happy ending required her to consider the position of others, to adjust to their views, and to hold her individual judgment of justice with some humility. Her self-certainty brought her down.
If we take the words of the chorus as Sophocles’ intended message, which is a logical assumption based on Sophocles’ tendency to reveal truths through the chorus, and combine them with Antigone’s tragic fate, we get Sophocles’ view of justice. He believes that we must obey God over man, but further, that we must be careful not to let pride or ego get in the way. Although Antigone ultimately dies due to her ego, she began with only pure and noble intentions. I believe this was a warning of sorts on Sophocles’ part. If an individual as brilliant and courageous as Antigone can fall victim to self-righteousness, anyone can. Discovering a flaw in a near-perfect character suggests a universal human weakness.
And if Sophocles is right, there is something more to learn from Antigone’s fate. When it comes to seeing the issues surrounding our understanding of justice, Creon may have something to offer after all. He believes justice entails doing the right thing for everybody. He believes in equal application of the laws, with no exceptions for the royal family. There is no denying that he is at least partly wrong. Yet, he is ready to discuss the issue, to listen, to question, to entertain self-doubt. Although he believes that in a time of emergency enforcing the laws of the land may require harsh punishment for those who create disturbance, he is willing to reconsider. He listens to the chorus, to Teiresias, to others; and, although he seems adamant at times, he changes his mind. Everything being said, it seems that the question of who is right between Creon and Antigone is perhaps a trick question, at least in Sophocles’ opinion.