Antigone

ANTIGONE 441 B.C

TRANSLATED BY DUDLEY FITTS

AND ROBERT FITZGERALD

Characters

ANTIGONE, Antigone /ann-TIG-uh-knee/: elder daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta; she and her sister are both younger than their brothers, so they would have looked up to both of them. Antigone is the girlfriend of Creon’s son, Haemon /HAY-mahn/

ISMENE, /IZ-muh-nay/: Antigone’s younger sister, but also a grown woman

Polyneices, /pol-uh-NIGH-sees/, the exiled brother, raised his army there against Thebes

Eteocles, eh-TEE-uh-cleez/: the younger brother of P

EURYDICE, /you-RID-uh-see/ wife of Creon, mother of Haemon

CREON/KREON, brother-in-law (and uncle) of Oedipus /ED-uh-puss/, brother of Jocasta /joe-CASS-tah/, the mother (and wife) of Oedipus. In the prequel to Antigone, Creon claims to have no ambition to the throne. Some 15-20 years later, however, he has just pitted Oedipus’s sons against each other in a civil war and emerged as the ruler of Thebes /THEEBZ/.

HAIMON, /HAY-mahn/ son of Kreon; engaged to Antigone

TEIRESIAS, /teer-EE-see-uss/ blind prophet who has never been wrong about the will of the gods

A SENTRY

A MESSENGER

CHORUS, made up of about fifteen elders of Thebes

CHORAGOS, leader of the chorus

Click here for audio track through Ode 1.

Scene: Before the palace of Kreon, King of Thebes.
A central double door, and two lateral doors. A platform
extends the length of the facade, and from this platform
three steps lead down into the orchestra, or chorus-ground.

Time: Dawn of the day after the repulse of the Argive army
from the assault on Thebes.

PROLOGUE

(Antigone and Ismene enter from the central door of the palace.)

ANTIGONE: Ismene, dear sister,
You would think that we had already suffered enough
For the curse on Oedipus.
I cannot imagine any grief
That you and I have not gone through. And now —         (5)
Have they told you of the new decree of our King Kreon?

ISMENE: I have heard nothing: I know
That two sisters lost two brothers, a double death
In a single hour; and I know that the Argive army
Fled in the night; but beyond this, nothing.                      (10)

ANTIGONE: I thought so. And that is why I wanted you
To come out here with me. There is something we must do

ISMENE: Why do you speak so strangely?

ANTIGONE: Listen, Ismene:
Kreon buried our brother Eteocles                                    (15)
With military honors, gave him a soldier's funeral,
And it was right that he should; but Polyneices,
Who fought as bravely and died as miserably, —
They say that Kreon has sworn
No one shall bury him, no one mourn for him,                 (20)
But his body must lie in the fields, a sweet treasure
For carrion birds to find as they search for food.
That is what they say, and our good Kreon is coming here
To announce it publicly; and the penalty —
Stoning to death in the public square! There it is,           (25)
And now you can prove what you are:
A true sister, or a traitor to your family.

ISMENE: Antigone, you are mad! What could I possibly do?

ANTIGONE: You must decide whether you will help me or not.

ISMENE: I do not understand you. Help you in what?    (30)

ANTIGONE: Ismene, I am going to bury him. Will you come?

ISMENE: Bury him! You have just said the new law forbids it.

ANTIGONE: He is my brother. And he is your brother, too.

ISMENE: But think of the danger! Think what Kreon will do!

ANTIGONE: Kreon is not strong enough to stand in my way. (35)

ISMENE: Ah sister!
Oedipus died, everyone hating him
For what his own search brought to light, his eyes
Ripped out by his own hand; and died,
His mother and wife at once: she twisted the cords     (40)
That strangled her life; and our two brothers died,
Each killed by the other's sword. And we are left:
But oh, Antigone,
Think how much more terrible than these
Our own death would be if we should go against Kreon (45)
And do what he has forbidden! We are only women,
We cannot fight with men, Antigone!
The law is strong, we must give in to the law
In this thing, and in worse. I beg the Dead
To forgive me, but I am helpless: I must yield            (50)
To those in authority. And I think it is dangerous business
To be always meddling.

ANTIGONE:                      If that is what you think,
I should not want you, even if you asked to come.
You have made your choice, you can be what you want to be
But I will bury him; and if I must die,                           (55)
I say that this crime is holy: I shall lie down
With him in death, and I shall be as dear
To him as he to me.
                                   It is the dead,
Not the living, who make the longest demands:
We die for ever . . .
                                  You may do as you like,              (60)
Since apparently the laws of the gods mean nothing to you.

ISMENE: They mean a great deal to me; but I have no strength
To break laws that were made for the public good.

ANTIGONE: That must be your excuse, I suppose. But as for me,
I will bury the brother I love.

ISMENE:                                   Antigone,                       (65)
I am so afraid for you!

ANTIGONE:                   You need not be:
You have yourself to consider, after all.

ISMENE: But no one must hear of this, you must tell no one!
I will keep it a secret, I promise!

ANTIGONE:                                     O tell it! Tell everyone!
Think how they'll hate you when it all comes out       (70)
If they learn that you knew about it all the time!

ISMENE: So fiery! You should be cold with fear.

ANTIGONE: Perhaps. But I am doing only what I must.

ISMENE: But can you do it? I say that you cannot.

ANTIGONE: Very well: when my strength gives out, (75)
I shall do no more.

ISMENE: Impossible things should not be tried at all.

ANTIGONE: Go away, Ismene:
I shall be hating you soon, and the dead will too,
For your words are hateful.
Leave me my foolish plan:                                             (80)
I am not afraid of the danger; if it means death,
It will not be the worst of deaths — death without honor.

ISMENE: Go then, if you feel that you trust.
You are unwise,
But a loyal friend indeed to those who love you.      (85)

(Exit into the palace. Antigone goes off, left. Enter the Chorus.)

NEXT: Antigone: PARADOS (or click here to go back to Reading assignments).