Antigone

Sophocles (c.496–c.406 BC), translated by Theodoridis, G., (contact-email)

Sophocles’ Antigone, an Athenian tragedy written around or before 441 BC, is part of the Theban plays trilogy, preceded by Oedipus Rex and Oedipus at Colonus. Though it was written first, its events conclude the trilogy’s timeline. Thought to be the second oldest of Sophocles’ plays, Antigone resumes the Theban narrative after Aeschylus’ Seven Against Thebes.

The plot centres on Antigone, daughter of Oedipus, who defies Theban king Creon, her uncle, by attempting to bury her brother Polynices. Creon had decreed honours for Eteocles and disgrace for Polynices, both sons of Oedipus who died fighting each other for the throne. Antigone’s act of rebellion, prioritizing familial duty over state law, forms the crux of the story.

Written during a period marked by Athens’ military action against Samos, where Sophocles himself was a general, Antigone avoids direct political commentary but explores the pitfalls of autocratic decision-making through Creon’s character, a king to whom few will freely speak their true opinions, and his tragic condemnation of Antigone, which he deeply regrets as the play concludes.

Author Details

Sophocles, born around 497/496 BC in the deme of Hippeios Colonus in Attica, was a pivotal figure in ancient Greek tragedy. Born into a wealthy family, he received a broad education and achieved early artistic success, his work notably outperforming that of the distinguished Aeschylus at the Dionysia in 468 BC. His career spanned more than six decades, during which he wrote over 120 plays, though only seven complete works survive today, namely, “Ajax,” “Antigone,” “Women of Trachis,” “Oedipus Rex,” “Electra,” “Philoctetes,” and “Oedipus at Colonus.”

Sophocles’ theatrical innovations were significant. He introduced a third actor to the stage, a move that diminished the role of the chorus and enhanced character development. As a result, his characters displayed previously uncharted depths and complexity.

His civic roles in Athens were diverse, ranging from leading the paean after the Battle of Salamis in 480 BC to serving under Pericles’ political leadership as one of the Hellenotamiai, the treasurers of Athena. He also served as a general during the Samian War and participated in the introduction of the Asclepius cult to Athens.

He died in the winter of 406/405 BC, having witnessed the heights of Athenian power during the Persian Wars and its decline in the Peloponnesian War. His legacy includes both his literary excellence and the influence he had on the development of drama.

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Theodoridis, G.,

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