Antigone - Grade: A PDF

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Summary

I analyzed the play Antigone through the lense of theorist Bronislav Malinowski. In the play, Antigone wants to honor her brother with a proper burial but the king does not allow this because he claims her brother is a traitor. She disobeys the kings wishes and is put to death. I discuss how the pla...

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Shannon Stokes CLSA 2016 – 0EXV Fall 2020 Snapshot of Athens According to Bronislav Malinowski, myths portray what daily life was like for those in the ancient world. They give legitimacy to institutions, customs, and beliefs. When analyzing Antigone through the lens of Malinowski’s theory, the play reflects the changing political structure of Athens, explains the ritual of burying the dead, and emphasizes the importance of kinship in Ancient Greece. When Sophocles wrote Antigone, Athens was in a time of new ideas; and the conflict in Antigone mirrors the divide between tradition and progress among citizens. An age of enlightenment led to the rise of democracy and “undercut and cut through old aristocratic political structures” (Hamilton, 87). Democracy gave power to the people instead of a singular monarch. People’s voices could finally be heard, and Antigone recognizes the danger in restricting free speech. She claims that “if their lips weren’t locked in fear” (Sophocles, Antigone line 565) the chorus would be on her side--not Creon’s. Antigone represents this new idea of democracy when juxtaposed to King Creon’s tyranny. Many people may have been wary of the idea of democracy at first, for it had never been seen before. However, the notion of a country ruled by the people and not some all-powerful ruler must have been appealing to the masses. When arguing with his son, King Creon is used as a figure head for the old way of government: “and is Thebes to tell me how to rule?” (Sophocles, Antigone line 821). The public opinion

seemed to think the people could and should tell the rulers how to rule; Antigone gives modern day readers insight into that perspective. Antigone can be considered a charter myth because of the detail it goes into while explaining burial rites and the importance of them. Antigone adheres to the traditional burial rites for her brother because it is the will of the gods: “ I did not believe that your edicts were so powerful that you, a mortal, could override the gods' unwritten and unshakable customs” (Sophocles, Antigone lines 504-505). The Ancient Greeks believed mortals could not pass on to the afterlife unless given a proper burial, so by denying him a burial Creon disrespected Eteocles in both life and death. The myth also details specific customs involved in a proper burial. When Antigone let out a “sharp piercing cry” (Sophocles, Antigone line 470) she was preforming her duty as a kinswoman by carrying out the traditional wailing over a dead body. The play goes on to mention that she “crowns the dead with three full libations” (Sophocles, Antigone line 479). The myth reinforces the correct way to bury a body and exemplifies typical Greek customs. Antigone complies with the ancient Greek value of kinship, a type of kedos referring to care for others and cultural heritage. Antigone is preforming her duties to her family, a duty that Athenians found important. Antigone does not fear death, even welcomes it amid her tragic life, but to neglect her familial duties and leave her brother’s corpse unburied “would have been agony” (line 521). She knew her duty and felt passionately the need to carry it out. The changing political scene lent way to other cultural shifts in Athens: “there was a gradual and deliberate domestication or limitation of death rituals in the Athenian polis” (Hamilton, 95) Instead of being controlled by the state, rituals for the dead became more familial. Sophocles reflects that shift through Antigone’s devotion to her duty to bury her brother. In Athens 442 BC there was much debate about whether family or the state(polis) should be prioritized. Antigone proves her

loyalty to both by adhering to traditional rituals and disobeying the orders of a leader to lay her dear brother to rest. Antigone’s actions reinforce the cultural beliefs in Athens at the time regarding the importance of family. Myths create a cultural identity, a way to unite the masses over a common belief. They explain the way people lived, people mourned, people governed, and so much more. Antigone provides a snapshot into the incredibly complex landscape of Ancient Athens.

Works Cited Hamilton, J.D.B. 1991. "Antigone: Kinship, Justice, and the Polis," in Myth and the Polis. Edited by D.C. Pozzi and J.M. Wickersham. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. Pgs 86-98 Morford, Mark, et al. Classical Mythology. Oxford University Press, 2018. Sopocles. Antigone. Translated by R. Fagles...