It is true that life has infinite new things. In those, there are things, which cannot be counted or bought with money, that make people feel very precious and respectful. That is love. Love is mysterious in the heart. Love helps people become comfortable, happy, always approaching better personalities and the better future in life. Love is the foundation to be more stable and more attached to individuals in society. Love has many levels, but often when giving love, people look forward to responding. However, love is not always fair like that, some people give and do not receive anything back. Love in the drama play “Antigone” is that kind of love – love is traded by death. Specifically, Antigone exchanged her life against Creon for her brother, whom she loved, to be buried; or Haemon suicided for love with Antigone, his not-married-yet wife.
To begin with, what should be the priority is that the love of Antigone to his brother, Polyneices. According to “Death, Burial, and the Afterlife in Ancient Greece” written by Department of Greek and Roman Art that “Ancient literary sources emphasize the necessity of a proper burial and refer to the omission of burial rites as an insult to human dignity”. The Polyneices corpse that needs to be buried is as touching as a man in danger needs to be saved. Antigone follows the call of love. The love to his dead brother makes Antigone becoming strong. After the refusing of her sister- Ismene, she alone and decisively faces to Creon’s brutal, who threatens to bury anyone alive contrary to his orders: “…nor if you wanted/to act would I be glad to have you with me./ Be as you choose to be; but for myself/ I myself will bury him. It will be good/ to die so doing. I shall lie by his side,/loving him as he loved me; I shall be/ a criminal- but a religious one…” (Antigone 79-84).
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Antigone’s love is not just instinctive love. This passion is right and profound for an intelligent understanding. Every word she spoke has a theoretical basis, all of which start from a great principle – her love and her actions are in harmony with God, and humanity. Along with the strong personality, Antigone also expresses assertiveness in the way she deals with Creon. She is not scared or timid in her attitude like a criminal from Creon: “You there, that turn your eyes upon the ground,/do you confess or deny what you have done?” (Antigone 485-486) Inwardly, he thinks Antigone would ask for forgiveness because she does not know the order. Unfortunately, she responds very calmly without hesitation: “I knew it; of course I did. For it was public” (Antigone 492). Creon does not expect that after having fully acknowledged that Antigone had buried Polyneices as the guard told him, Antigone calmly asserts that she is fully conscious of her action.
Besides, Antigone’s words and arguments are forward-looking, steely, decisive, and regard death as one would expect: “…So for such as me, to face such a fate as this/ is pain that does not count. But if I dared to leave/ the dead man, my mother’s son, dead and unburied,/ that would have been real pain. The other is not./ Now, if you think me a fool to act like this,/ perhaps it is a fool that judges so” (Antigone 509-514). Antigone soul contains deep family affection. She lamented the pitfall of the Labdacids. She cries for her mother, cries for her father, cries for her brother, also cried for her own life. She is deeply aware of the terrible consequences of her acting that she would die, but she does not seem to have any regret. Death to her is just a reunion of the family in another world, where she can meet again her loved ones: “…But when I come/ to that other world my hope is strong/ that my coming will be welcome to my father,/ and dear to you, my mother, and dear to you,/ my brother deeply loved…” (Antigone 944-948). Undoubablely, Antigone’s death proves her beautiful and powerful love for her brother- Polyneices.
Equally important to consider is the love of Haemon to Antigone which is exchanged by his death. Haemon is known as a fiance of Antigone, and also Creon’s son. Haemon’s love for Antigone is mysterious and powerful for him to decide to commit suicide. His last words indeed touch to the readers’ heart: “…Never think that! She will not/ die by my side. But you will never again/ set eyes upon my face. Go then and rage/ with such of your friends as are willing to endure it…” (Antigone 821-824). It seems as the helplessness feeling to support that this will be the last time. As a fatherly loyalty with the desire to help his future-wife escape from captivity, he repeatedly points out his father’s weaknesses. Things people disagree but do not dare to say: “…the city mourns for this girl; they think she is dying/ most wrongly and most undeservedly/ of all womenkind, for the most glorious acts…” (Antigone 744-746). Haemon advises his father not to be overly presumptuous, but follow the will of the people, the soul in conscience, to promptly correct unflattering policies: “… You notice how bt streams in wintertime/ the trees that yield preserve their branches safely,/ but those that fight the tempest perish utterly./ The man who keeps the sheet of his sail tight/ and never slackens capsizes his boat/ and makes the rest of his trip keel uppermost…” (Antigone 765-770).
The more talking to his father, the higher effort he tries. Here shows the love for Antigone is honest because he tries to save Antigone’s life. However, his efforts are almost pointless because Creon takes his father’s rights and the king’s right to oppress Haemon. Not wanting to hear him tell the truth, Creon slanders and humiliates his son, who wishes to preserve his father’s honor on the path of truth: “Should we that are my age learn wisdom from young men such as he is?” (Antigone 781-782), or “Should the city tell me how I am to rule them?” (Antigone 790), or “Must I rule the land by someone else’s judgment rather than my own?” (Antigone 793-794), or “Your villain, to bandy words with your own father!” (Antigone 799), etc. Creon states all the words Haemon said are disrespectful, beyond the authorization of a son, and a citizen. More miserable, he attributes to him the motive just for women as Antigone. Under Creon’s dictatorial rule, Haemon fights hard for his liberty and Antigone’s as well. Plan failed, he eventually decides to choose suicide to be with his loved one. Similarly, Antigone and Haemon’s love is as intense as the love of Romeo and Juliet in Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”, they live together and die together.
In reality, intense love, which can be exchanged with death, is almost rare because of many reasons. In today’s modern life, maybe love is not strong enough to someone can die for someone else because there are many other factors (such as physical condition, social status, job position, and more) that govern the relationship between two people. Maybe people become more selfish and care for themselves, so they do not easily give up their lives to someone else. It may also be due to the development of technology and society that there are more choices people can make. As an example, the article on theguardian.com, entitled “Love in the 21st Century” by Maureen Rice, the author states that “Love in the 21st century is both the same and different; reconfigure it for lives led by a different speed, but its power is undiminished, its grip on our hearts and record collections as strong as ever.” It shows love in the present society is not fierce and pure as a few centuries ago. However, looking back on ancient Greek society, people have no freedom of speech instead of adhering to whatever the king orders. Any revolution, condemnation, or rebellion against the king’s law is synonymous with death. Death is nearly the only option to show one’s loyalty or support to someone else.
Taking everything into consideration, “Antigone” is a tragedy play which profoundly relates to death and the meaning of death. Fears alternate with the acceptance of the character’s death as the events correspondingly unfold. Each character faces his/her death or the death of his/her loved ones. Death is a form of love. Antigone’s death is the respect, affection, support, and sacrifice for his brother. Haemon’s death is proof to the faithful love and courage to fight for authorities because of that love. As other tragedy plays, Antigone has an unhappy end that makes the reader think and perhaps painful. Death is inevitable, and its markable role in people’s lives is undeniable.
Gender Roles In Antigone
Essentially family, the roles of women and men, and death plays a vital role in society. Family values have certain qualities that are crucial for a family to uphold. Gender roles have differed from ancient times to currently in today’s society. Unlike religious gods today, Greek gods took human form and had the same dilemmas human have in society. In a short story of Antigone, Sophocles illustrates a rage between family and what is deemed by society. Families today are very different compared to back in Greek mythology where a family is getting eaten alive or killed to get to the top of the throne. In comparison to today, the impact of gods changed drastically with family, gender roles and death.
The importance of a deity’s role within a family in society has weakened. Families in ancient Greek times were living in fear. Based on studies, the gods in Greek mythology were worshiped and cherished despite their flaws or negative characteristics. Evidence of this claim that the gods had a lack of mercy and forgiveness to their people which can be found in the story Antigone. Antigone is a story in which a law set by Creon the king of Thebes was broken. It was broken because of a belief that someone’s moral laws were stronger and more important than a contradicting religious law which was enforced by Zeus himself. “Leave him unburied, leave his corpse disgraced, a dinner for the birds and for the dogs. (Sophocles 7)”. This demonstrates that Creon want Polyneices to remain an example for others who went against the gods and anyone who sided with him would feel the wrath of heaven.
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Antigone however who plays a vital role in the play believed in a different fate for her brother. Having a bold strong attitude she was more concerned for the burial of her brother’s body than her own life. In the process of burying her brother, she knew the consequences that had to come with what she did and that includes sacrificing her life. Antigone communicates “it’s not for him to keep me from my own.” (3) This illustrates Antigone doesn’t care what risks come with her burying her brother. In addition, she valued her brother and loved him which is why she was so passionate and felt justified for burying her brother. As for Creon the king of the Thebes he believed it was crucial that everyone must follow the law. Antigone was a family member, who was related to Ceron, he made sure to make Antigone a prime example of not to disobey by making sure she gets buried alive. Antigone put her family as the most important priority even after disobeying the king, there is no other way to say a family is very paramount in greek.
The role of God in today’s society is the same but enforced differently. Many Catholics refer to God as Father because that is the relationship they believe exists between man and God. Individuals today follow God because they love and respect god not because they fear him. Many families in today’s society don’t look up to god as a figure above them or many families don’t believe in god. In today’s customs, many people have the option to worship what God they want without a ruler forcing them to believe in a certain one either. Whether is Catholic, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism etc. people are allowed to believe in their religion without being harmed.
The difference of roles between men and women have alternated and unified throughout time in society. Greek societies were strictly male dominant. In the Greek era, men thought that women should not make any decisions because women had a diminished role in society. Women in that era were not able to vote, own land or do anything to voice an opinion or share insight. Males, however, were supposed to have his values and his rules be dictated. A woman’s job during that time was that of a limited role in only having to stay at home rearing children (Cartwright 2016). For instance in Antigone, Creon saw women as weak and unimportant in society. Creon felt that it was obligated that he was obeyed and no women will go over his authority. Creon states, “no women rules me while I live” (18). This shows that Creon perceives women as beneath him and belittes them and they should be subordinate. Women, however, were strong enough to go against men and rulers like this. Antigone was one of the women who went against a ruler like this for her own moral beliefs. Antigone’s says “I say I did it I don’t deny it” (15) This shows that Antigone has a belief and the strength to carry what her beliefs are no matter the repercussion. She has the strength to do what she believed in going against the belief of men in and her religious god. However, most of the women in Greek mythology didn’t want to oppose the authority and beliefs of men. Such as Antigone own sister Ismene. As seen in the text “We must remember that we are two women so not to fight with men” (3) This suggests that Ismene believes she is weaker than men because she is a woman and Antigone should just obey Creon because he’s the one who makes the laws. Women just were to accept their home roles in society while the male did the work and everything else. For example “…Is so obvious that women were always under the supervision of men(Lefkowitz 11). In these times it’s just how they lived that woman had a diminished role compared to that of a male. These beliefs that woman should have their own voice and their role should be equal throughout time have been shared and fought for by others. She shouldn’t be punished for doing what she believed is right and many others after her felt the same way in theirs’ and present time.
Today in society men and women actually are on equal terms. Whether it’s just input into a conversation or competing for jobs men and women are put on an equal playing field. In the story, Antigone displays to readers equality at its worst compared to it being well improved today. Creon was their king which represents our modern day leader and imagine if ours believed if one half of the population was more important than the other. In Greek mythology, men had a more significant role then woman. “Men had the dominant role in public life in ancient Greece. They were engaged in politics and public events, while women were often encouraged to stay in the home (Roles of Men)”. This shows that men were more superior. Today, however, there are no restrictions on women. Today a woman could even become the leader of a society and can have the same impact as a man could have.
It is imperative when an individual dies the body must be buried so a deity won’t be angered. In the Greek era, it was sacred for someone to bury the dead and to ensure that the dead made it safely through the underworld. “Greeks believed that after death a soul went on a journey to a place called the underworld which is called hades” (Death in Ancient Greece). This illustrates that for the dead soul to go on the journey to have an afterlife one must be buried. For Antigone, it was a sign for her to make sure her brother made it safely through the underworld because she was religious and believed that it was a necessity to due out of respect and love. If she hadn’t buried her brother he wouldn’t be able to go on to the afterlife. Creon, because he was the king of Thebes Antigone thought it was he who was committing a crime for denying her right to bury her brother and send him happily to the afterlife. For Antigone, she must honor her brothers’ rights to an afterlife but gods didn’t want to bury her brother so he can rest in peace and he can’t rest in peace if he doesn’t get the proper burial. Antigone states “Nor did I think your orders were so strong that you, a mortal man, could over-run the gods’ unwritten and failing laws” (15) This shows that Antigone thinks Creon is a fool and presenting a challenge to him, and she questioning his authority at the same time. Antigone also feels at free spirit because she knows she going to die so she is doing what she wants to justify her reasoning.
In today’s society, with the death god plays a vital role because God would want everyone to get the proper burial. Religion plays a huge aspect in society. The Greek era differs a bit because once a body is buried the expired corpse of the human being is in the hands of the law. In today’s customs, many family members of the individual who passed away would have a funeral and then a burial. A funeral, however, has kept the same meaning throughout time. Which is a gathering to cherish the loss of the deceased. Everyone no matter what time period and what wrong has been done deserves a proper burial and funeral.
To conclude, Greek gods and God in today’s society have many shared and different laws and influences within the role of a family, gender roles and death. Greek gods tell their story from how they want the world to be seen as. Greek gods differ from God in how they deal with human flaws. Greek gods were more imposed on political interests. Over the centuries Greek Mythology had a huge influence on culture, literature poets. In Antigone, Creon let his power in over his head and he was more focus on being a replicant and mouth of Zeus then being in charge of Thebes. Greek mythology continues to play a fundamental role in society especially in schools.
