Analysis and Summary: "Antigone"

Today, the topic of our article will be an ancient tragedy, or rather its analysis and summary. "Antigone" - a play by the Greek playwright Sophocles, who borrowed the idea of the plot from the Theban cycle of myths.

Foreword

The scene of the work is ancient Thebes. However, you should refer to the preface before you begin to state the summary. "Antigone", as noted above, is built on the plot of the ancient myth. But this is not the only work of the author on a mythological basis. It can be said that the playwright wrote a whole cycle dedicated to these legends. And the "Antigone" is not the first work in it. That is why we need a brief background of what happened before the time of the onset of our tragedy.

This cycle tells the story of the Theban king Oedipus. He was a man who combined wisdom, sinfulness and martyrdom. He suffered a lot of suffering - he, unknowingly, killed his father, and then married his widow, that is, his mother. When he learned about this, he punished himself, punched his eyes, so as not to see the world around him, just as he did not see his crime.

These events describe another tragedy of Sophocles. "Antigone," a brief summary of which will be presented below, refers to events that occurred after Oedipus was forgiven by the gods. In addition, the main heroine of our history is the daughter of the sinful union of Oedipus with her mother. Also Antigone had two brothers - Polinik and Eteokl, as well as his sister Ismena. After the death of his father, Eteokl becomes king, but Polygonik rebels against his authority. The result of this military conflict is the death of both brothers.

From this moment the events described in our tragedy begin.

Sophocles of Antigone: a summary

After Polynic and Eteocles died, Creon, who was the adviser of Oedipus and the brother of his wife, took over the authority of Thebes. By the first decree, the new ruler orders, with all the honors, to bury the legitimate king of the Eteocles, and Polina, who rose up against him, to throw vultures and dogs at the mercy of him, for he led the war into his own country. This was a terrible punishment, as it was believed that the soul of the unburied is doomed to eternal wanderings and will never be able to enter the afterlife. It was also thought that unworthy to take revenge on the dead, such an act defames people and is unsuitable for the gods.

However, Creon thought not about the gods and not about people. He was more concerned with the retention of the power received and the prosperity of his new state.

Antigone

We continue to describe the summary. Antigone - the daughter of Oedipus, unlike Creon, thought about honor, and about gods, and about people. Polynik was her brother, like Eteokl, so her duty was to take care of his body and soul. And for the sake of this she is ready to disobey the order of the king.

Antigone calls for Ismen. But the sister does not agree to go against the state, because she is just a weak girl. Then Antigone decides to act alone. In this scene, Sophocles shows strength, courage and loyalty to the gods, which carries in him the fragile but bold Antigone.

The summary describes the appearance of the chorus of Theban elders, in whose voices joy is heard - now Thebes are saved, the state will not fall a victim of angry gods. Creon comes out to meet the elders, who announces his decision: to bury the hero, and to bring the villain to reproach. If someone breaks the decree, death will await him.

At this point, the guard appears, he reports that the decree has just been broken. The servants did not have time, the corpse was sprinkled with earth.

Wrath of Creon

Not always unequivocally assesses the actions of their heroes Sophocles. "Antigone" (a summary is presented at the moment) is a classic tragedy that abounds with choral inscriptions in the narrative. So, when the infuriated Creon demands to find the criminal, the choir sings. The song says about the mighty man, who, despite the fact that he conquered the land and the sea, can be assessed only by one criterion: "whoever honors truth is good; Who fell into the crook - is dangerous. " And it is not clear - a chorus sings about a criminal or a tsar.

The guard leads the prisoner to Antigone. The girl confesses her deed and does not repent at all, believing that the truth is behind it. Appears Ismena, she is innocent, but is ready to share the fate of her sister. Creon orders to lock them both.

Sentence

It is difficult for Creon to issue a decree on death, which is well illustrated by a brief summary. Antigone is not only his niece, but also the bride of his son, the future king of Thebes. Therefore, he calls to his prince and talks about the breach. However, the son objects - if Antigone is wrong, then why does the whole city sympathize with her and grumbles at the cruelty of the new king. However, Creon is adamant - the girl will be immured in the dungeon. To this the prince answers that the father will never see him again.

Execution

Preparing for the execution of Antigonus. The summary of the chapters tells about the deplorable state of the girl. She is abandoned, her life is over, but she does not regret anything. The crying of the girl echoes with the song of the choir, which speaks of the power of her pious deed, for which she will be remembered and honored. Antigone fulfilled the divine law, neglecting the law of people - for this her glory. However, the girl asks why she should die if she did everything right, but she does not get an answer. Her last words are addressed to the gods, let them judge. If she is guilty, then Antigone will accept his punishment and redeem him. If the king is wrong, the payoff awaits him.

The guard takes Antigone to the execution.

Court of the Gods

Dead Antigone. Sophocles (a summary of the chapters confirms this) leaves behind the scene the death of his heroine. The viewer does not see how the girl is immured, the consequences of this event appear before his eyes.

God's judgment begins. Tiresias comes to the king, a blind prophet and favorite of the gods. He reports that not only the people are ready to rebel against Creon, the gods are also unhappy - the fire does not light up on the altars, the prophetic birds refuse to give signs. However, the king does not believe in this - a person does not have the power to defile God. To which Theresia answers - Creon violated the laws of the gods: the dead man threw unburied, and locked himself alive in the grave. There will be no prosperity in the city now, and the tsar himself will pay with the gods, having lost his own son.

The king reflects on the words of the blind man - Teresius once predicted the future of Oedipus, and everything came true exactly. Creon deviates from his decision. He orders Antigone to be released, and Poliknik's body to be delivered to the earth.

The choir calls for the help of the god Dionysus, who was born in Thebes, so that he helped fellow citizens.

Decoupling

However, it is too late to change anything. Antigone is dead. The girl hanged herself in an underground tomb, and the prince hugged her dead body. When Creon entered the crypt, his son attacked him. The tsar managed to recoil, and then the prince sank his sword into his chest.

The princess, the wife of Creon, silently listens to the news of the death of her son. When the story ends, it unfolds and, also without uttering a word, leaves. A moment later a new servant appears on the stage, reporting the terrible news - the queen committed suicide, unable to bear the death of her son.

Creon remains alone on the stage, mourning his family and blaming himself for what happened. The play ends with the song of the choir: "Wisdom is the highest good ... Hare is a haughty execution."

Thus ends the tragedy of Sophocles "Antigone". The summary, thus, has come to an end, now we proceed to analyze the play.

The image of Antigone

Sophocles gave his heroine such character traits as willpower, fidelity to ancient traditions, devotion to his family, courage. Antigone is absolutely sure that on her side is true, and this gives her strength. Therefore, she is not afraid of King Thebes, for behind her shoulders is the truth of the gods, much more powerful than earthly authority.

The girl consciously goes to her death, realizing that she has no other choice. But, like any other person, it's hard for her to part with life, especially at such a young age. She did not have time to become either a wife or a mother. Despite this, the strength of her conviction in her own right does not weaken. The heroine perishes, but remains the winner in the dispute with Creon.

Main conflict

The play is based on the conflict of the patrimonial law, which is nowhere to be written, and the law of the state. Religious beliefs, rooted in the deep past, loyalty to traditions and the memory of ancestors, come into conflict with the short-lived earthly power. In the times of Sophocles, the laws of the policy, which every citizen was obliged to perform, often disagreed with the clan traditions, which led to a multitude of conflicts. It was to this problem that the dramatist decided to pay attention and show what it can lead to.

Thus, only in the agreement of the state and religion Sophocles saw the way out of this situation. "Antigone", in the reduction presented here, has become a kind of call to unite the two mighty forces, the conflicts between which inevitably lead to death.