The Hypocrisy of Antigone
The Hypocrisy of Antigone
The Hypocrisy of Antigone
Alondra M. Gomez
Dr. McCarthy
UHON 1010
20 November 2017
set in his ways. His selfishness and misguided perception for the burial of Polynices lead him to
defy the authority of the gods and endanger the lives of others. Because of his clouded judgment,
he makes irrational decisions and stubbornly stands by them. In the end, Creon’s reckless behavior
as king proves to be the downfall of his family. However, similar blame can be placed on Antigone,
who is commonly acknowledged as the heroine of the play. In Antigone’s efforts to bring honor
to her brother, she defies the authority of the king. Her clouded judgement for the burial of
Polynices cause her to make irrational decisions, and the stubbornness of her actions end up risking
the well-being of those closest to her. Like Creon, she too is blinded to the fact that her behavior
ultimately does more harm than good. Surprisingly enough, Antigone goes on to embody the
As the new ruler of Thebes, Creon has decreed that the body of Polynices be denied burial
rites, even mourning. Creon’s decree to leave the body unburied is a disrespect to the authority of
the gods, Greek culture, and their “great unwritten, unshakable traditions” (505). It is also a
disrespect to the deceased whose spirit is now unable to enter the underworld. This is paralleled in
Antigone’s stubborn desire to bury the body. By refusing to see her brother become carrion “for
birds that scan the field and feast to their heart’s content” (36), Antigone chooses to disrespect the
authority of the king and proceeds to bury the body. In doing so, she defies the crown and severely
Gomez 2
oversteps her boundaries as a woman in ancient Greece, a time in which women were merely
Creon’s attempts to bring order into a previously cursed city lead him to take advantage of
his newly appointed role as king. In his need to assert his legitimacy as the new ruler of Thebes,
his judgement becomes clouded by the weight of the crown and his thirst for power. His desire is
not to be a virtuous king but rather a powerful one: one with no sympathy for the grievances of his
people, who “keep their tongues in leash” (570) out of fear of his “ruthless power” (566). Antigone
is much the same way. Her honest efforts to bury the body of Polynices are clouded by her need
to glorify herself, as she wonders, “what greater glory could I win / than to give my brother decent
burial?” (561-562). Fully aware of the consequences for breaking the law, she accepts the risk
knowing that “even if I die in the act, that death will be a glory” (86). It is this maddening desire
that keep her from pondering the ramifications her actions will have on those closest to her in the
future.
Struggling to rationalize against his father’s hard ruling, Haemon begs Creon to not “be
quite so single-minded, self-involved / or assume the world is wrong and you are right” (789-790).
Unwilling to admit that his behavior has been irrational, Creon accuses Haemon of becoming a
“woman’s accomplice” (837) and “woman’s slave” (848), allowing his stubbornness to get in the
way of his relationship with his son. This is also apparent in Creon’s encounter with the old seer
Tiresias, in which he accuses the prophet of lies and states that, “You and the whole breed of seers
are mad for money!” (1171). This much is also true of Antigone. In Ismene’s attempt to bring her
sister to her senses, she begs Antigone to think of the death they’ll die if they “violate the laws and
override / the fixed decree of the throne” (72-73). In turn, Antigone accuses her sister of being a
“coward” (45) and asks that Ismene “leave [her] to [her] own absurdity” (110). When Ismene tries
Gomez 3
to reassure Antigone that her quest is hopeless, Antigone responds to Ismene, “you will make me
hate you” (108). It is here that the reader encounters Antigone’s first act of cold-heartedness
towards Ismene as she begins to forsake the sisterly bond they once shared.
Throughout the whole play, the actions of Creon and Antigone are filled with recklessness.
Having no regard for how their deeds will affect those around them, they sow nothing but chaos
into the lives of their loved ones. Creon’s hateful demeanor towards Haemon as he tries to
rationalize with his father lead Creon to attempt the extreme. Unwilling to swallow his pride and
witness himself be “schooled by a boy [Haemon’s] age” (814), Creon immediately orders that
Antigone “die now, here, / in front of his eyes, beside her groom!” (853-854). This recklessness
on Creon’s part is what keeps him from making sense of Haemon’s warning that “her death will
kill another” (843). The same is true of Antigone. Her thirst for glory and eagerness to bury the
body of Polynices make her ignorant to the consequences Ismene will suffer on her behalf. It is
because of Antigone’s recklessness and her selfish thirst for glory that Ismene is also accused of
breaking the law. Not wanting to live a life without her sister, Ismene succumbs to the accusation,
only to hear Antigone’s cold words, “I have no love for a friend who loves in words alone” (612).
Not only does Antigone’s death affect Ismene, but it goes on to affect Haemon as he finds her
body “hanged by the neck in a fine linen noose” (1347) in the tomb. This act of hers not only fully
brakes the prospect of their once planned marriage, it is the driving force behind Hameon’s
decision to lunge “his full weight on the blade” (1363) of Creon’s sword and end his own life. This
curse of death, brought forth by Antigone, goes so far as to also affect Queen Eurydice who
“stabbed herself at the altar” (1426) upon hearing of the death of her son.
Creon and Antigone’s attempt to do something good only serve to jeopardize the ones they
love. If Creon truly cared about bringing order into the city and becoming a respected king, he
Gomez 4
should have given more thought to what his people wanted and needed, rather than questioning if
Thebes was “about to tell me how to rule?” (821). As for Antigone, if she truly cared about
honoring the dead, she should have paid closer attention to her actions instead of justifying them
by saying that she has “longer/ to please the dead than please the living here” (88-89). As heroic
as her words may seem, she pays no attention to the fault behind her own logic. Her desperate
desire to honor the dead keeps her from realizing that her future in the underworld will be an
eternity shared with the living she once displeased. This lack of forethought is very similar to that
displayed in Creon’s behavior, yet Antigone rarely receives criticism. Readers tend to have a
prejudice against Creon but often overlook Antigone’s actions. An upbringing in a feminist world
enhances our positive bias towards Antigone, causing us to disregard the fact that Antigone’s
Works Cited
Sophocles. Antigone. The Three Theban Plays: Antigone, Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus.
Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.
Alternative Proxies: