In the play by Sophocles, Antigone, the title character, may seem like a great person. Indeed, burying her brother against the command of Creon is pretty heroic. But does Antigone deserve this praise? For when the motivations she expresses are examined a bit more closely, it can be seen very plainly that she acted on all the wrong reasons. Even though the deed itself is good, if the motivation for it is sinful, any merit to be gained by the action is lost. By this reasoning, Antigone is not a good person at all.

At first, Antigone's burying her brother throws a very good light on her character. Creon's decree that no one shall bury or mourn the dead Polynices is terrible. It strikes at the heart of the Greeks' religion, which held that no soul could properly enter the afterlife without certain ceremonies and rituals to be performed concerning the body. Antigone knows that she must follow the commands of the gods before those of Creon and bury her brother, also knowing that if she does so she will be condemned to die. She risks her own life in order to put the soul of her brother to rest.

But what does she get out of it? She gains respect and renown that will last long after her death. She gains admiration and fame. No one else in the city is brave enough to cross Creon, so she instantly becomes admired for her courage. Secondly, the act seems virtuous because she follows the divine laws before the laws of man, thus gaining the appearance of piety. She is, to a degree, doing it for her brother's sake and for that of her religion. But she is perfectly aware of the fact that this will only increase the adulation of the people of Thebes and commits the deed mainly for that purpose. So where Antigone is concerned, it all boils down to one word: pride.

This opinion is easily reinforced by many of her speeches. For example, when her sister, Ismene, pleads with her to at least keep her plan to bury Polynices a secret, Antigone replies:
"Tell it, tell it!
You'll cross me worse, by far, if you keep silence–
Not publish it to all." (1)

Later in the play, when Creon asks Antigone if she committed the deed, she bravely admits to it, states that she did it because, "it was not Zeus who ordered it", and tells him plainly that she does not fear death but rather, embraces it as an honorable death. She concludes:
"And if my present action seems to you
Foolish– 'tis like I am found guilty of folly
At a fool's mouth!" (2)

Calling a king names is certainly unwise, but Antigone seems to have given it no second thought; she considers herself above his judgment, he being only insignificant, hardly an obstacle.

Further on, Creon hesitates to sentence her to death. She responds,
"Then why do you delay?
..... And yet from whence could I have gathered praise
More worthily, than from depositing
My own brother in a tomb?" (3)

As her sentence of death, Antigone is sealed in a cave and left to die. Creon is advised by a seer that the gods are unhappy with him and that if Antigone dies he will suffer and all of Thebes with him. Creon rushes to the cave and finds her already dead. She has hung herself in order to make sure she will die and thus be sure of her fame, without danger of suffering the humiliation of living after having gone to all that trouble to die.

All these things point to Antigone's pride. She wants to remembered forever. Most people do. But most people are not willing to bring misfortune on others and die themselves for the sole purpose of being famous. Honor was very important to the Greeks, and their idea of an afterlife was not very pleasant. Their only comfort would be knowing that they would live in people's memories forever as a great person. In their eyes, everything Antigone does would be reasonable. But from a Christian point of view, Antigone's actions are lamentably all based on one sinful motivation, and that prevents her from being recognized as a true heroine.

Footnotes

1. Page 4, lines 11-13, Antigone by Sophocles, Dover Thrift Editions

2. Page 18, lines 14-16, Antigone by Sophocles, Dover Thrift Editions

3. Page 19, lines 17, 21-23, Antigone by Sophocles, Dover Thrift Editions

Bibliography

Sophocles, Antigone. New York: Dover Thrift Editions, 1993