Character
While reflecting on some of the characters it was interesting to see where they fit within the overall play itself and their purpose/interactions with other characters.
Antigone
I began looking at Antigone (Her name in Greek means €˜one who is of the opposite opinion' (anti = against, gnomi = opinion)) herself- she definitely is larger than life in Aristotle's terms, a very Joan of Arc-esque figure fighting against kings and men in power. Especially in Ancient Greek times she is extraordinary because of her courage and readiness to die for her brother. She simply wont accept the fact that she is not allowed to bury her brother and is extremely passionate about familial love and kindness. She could be considered the antagonist to Creon in the grand scheme of the play.
The amount of devotion she has to her family is shocking and certainly served as an example to the Greeks of true honor and dignity. In a sense she could be considered stubborn in that she doesn't listen to Ismene and has a very strong sense of purpose that cannot and will not be swayed by outside forces. Antigone doesn't let others control her. I would also say that she is blindly loyal to others and when Oedipus dies she must be loyal to her brother. Her loyalty is her tragic flaw. She also serves as a foil to Ismene, quite different characters in both external and internal looks and purpose.
Haemon (meaning "Bloody")
I would say that Haemon is a character that is like us/like the audience. He tries to be a voice of reason to Creon and shows his love for his fiancee. He tries to tell Creon that it is unfair to put Antigone to death and serves as a rational character. he is someone the audience pulls for as he is trying to save the character who serves as a beacon of familial love. His devotion to her might transcend the level of "like us" to a different plain in that he threatens to fight Creon for Antigone's life and ends up killing himself. He is put between a rock and a hard place in that he LOVES Antigone but at the same time it is WRONG for him to go against his family. His life ends up being one big conundrum in which he ultimately takes his life.
Messenger
The Messenger in many of these tragedies and plays in general serves as a stock character. Generally there is not much personality in the character but still the ability to feel and choose sides in their dialogue. They serve to tell the audience and the characters what has happened (generally off stage) and the predicament they are currently in. The messenger in this is no different. In a way I would also say that the Messenger is like us though because he/she does show sympathy for the characters who have died (namely Haemon, his mother and Antigone) and is very taken aback by what has happened. There are certainly parallels between the audience members and the messenger in Antigone.
Ismene
Under the Aristotelian method of analysis, Ismene would be considered a character that is "like us." This is because she lacks the fiery, passionate spirit of characters such as Antigone and Creon. In the play's opening scene, for instance, she expresses her fear and concern for Antigone, but is largely passive and eventually bends to her sister's will, despite her personal feelings. On the other hand, when she appears for the second time (as Creon's captive) she displays a bit more backbone in her proclamations of loyalty to Antigone. However, despite this slight transformation, she is once again rebuffed by her sister's domineering personality and ceases her attempts to die with Antigone.
Ismene can also be considered a foil to Antigone. It is obvious that the two are meant to be looked at in comparison, as they are sisters. Hence, upon inspection, it is revealed that the two are almost complete polar opposites. As stated before, Antigone is passionate and fiery whereas Ismene is more calm and passive. In addition, Ismene shows much more concern for the physical and material environment of kings and worldly rules. Antigone, however, is primarily concerned with a higher calling dictated by the gods, and is prepared to defy Creon's authority in following this calling. Overall, the two characters represent a characteristically Greek character conflict: that between reason/logic and emotion/passion.
Teiresias
Teiresias, under Aristotle's character types, is a stock character. In the play, he is the archetypal blind prophet/harbinger of doom. The blind prophet, as many stock characters do, embodies a crucial contradiction: one who can see the future and yet cannot see the physical world around him. Also, Teiresias serves as the messenger of doom, also a stock character, one who is often possessed of supernatural powers and/or a connection to the divine; this aspect of Teiresias' character also suggests that he could be viewed as a unique/unusual character (due to his gift of prophecy).
Teiresias also provides an interesting take on the classification of a raisonneur. He serves as the voice of the gods and conveys their displeasure with Creon's actions. Whether or not this is the voice of the author cannot be known, but Teiresias is essentially the voice of an outside observer (the Olympian gods). It is unlikely that he is the actual raisonneur of the play, but it is important to note that he IS the voice of beings that exist outside of the play's world.
Chorus
The chorus (which, for these purposes, can be considered a single character), like many other characters in the play, is very much like us. The members of this group, who represent the elders of the city of Thebes, respond to the inquiries and statements of the characters with characteristically "normal" responses. Also, like Ismene, the chorus essentially takes no effectual action in the entire plot. They comment on the actions of other characters, however, and speak their opinions, but, as stated, they are largely a passive entity.
It is very likely that the chorus serves as the raisonneur of the play. When they are interacting with characters such as Creon and the Messenger, they ask questions and express opinions. To go along with this, when the chorus is engaging in one of the typical choral odes between "scenes" they expound upon philosophical ideas and larger concepts within the plot (covered in Thought/Idea). These roles characterize this particular chorus as expressive, but still quite passive. This makes it seem very likely for the chorus to serve as the raisonneur.
Creon – Classic Tragic Hero
Creon, is the larger than life protagonist of Antigone. Antigone's action of burying her brother the traitor, going directly against the orders that have been laid down, require Creon to take counter-action. Creon, who is the reigning king of Thebes at the time the play takes place, suffers a fall from grace due to his own hubris and stubbornness. As Thebes has just gotten out of a terrible war, Creon tries to provide stability by being a firm and authoritarian ruler. Antigone threatens the stability and authority that Creon is trying to maintain. The Chorus states that Creon is normally reasonable and rational. When it comes to Antigone, however, he becomes rigidly stubborn and excessive with his punishment simply because he cannot stand being defied no matter what the circumstances. Several people if not directly arguing in Antigone's favor, at least assert he's being harsh, but he refuses to change his decision. When he finally relents, it is far too late. He loses his wife and son, the former dies cursing him for his actions.
Eurydice
Creon's wife plays a small but significant role in the play. She is a hysterical and emotional woman. When hearing all that has happen she curses Creon's stubborn pride and takes her own life.
Guard
The guard character is very much like us. He not only tells the audience of Antigone's actions but seems genuinely conflicted between loyalty to his king and sympathy for Antigone which is general feeling throughout the play.
Language
Language and Diction
As far as language and diction, we found that our different translations implied different levels of elevation for the language. The level of formality was different for each of our texts. Overall, it is very discernable, it isn't super elevated, it can be understood easily and doesn't require a dictionary or anything for the vocabulary.
Vocabulary
As far as the vocabulary it is relatively mid-level, there isn't any kind of jargon or technical language either as far as the vocabulary.
Words unique to the Time Period
We couldn't find many words unique to the time period. We did stumble upon, the ai ai and oi moi, which are conventions of Greek tragedy and they are used to convey pain, suffering, and grief in different characters throughout the play.
Dominating Words
Some of the dominating words are: honor, gods, law and order, punishment, loyalty. This certainly tells a lot about the purpose of the play and what it meant to the audience that was observing it. These words in and of themselves certainly serve as a clear indicator of the major motifs and themes throughout the play.
Some Themes We Discovered
Simply knowing how many times these words arise throughout the play, we as audience members can make a good guesstimate about what the play will cover.
One of the major themes is also the separation between loyalty/devotion to higher power/family and obedience to earthly authority.
The Word “Marriage”
The word marriage came up quite a bit too, this isn't as dominating as the other words above but it certainly was a topic that was covered quite a bit throughout the text. Marriage was a dominating concept in Greek culture and throughout several different plays (especially the Oedipus plays). Who married who, incestual love, etc.
Imagery (passages)
Sophocles referenced Dionysus quite a bit throughout the text. The text used the analogy/imagery of Dionysus to serve as a cultural analogy to Antigone's frenzied emotional state, which was constantly very heightened, passionate and overall very intense.
There is also the passage that says "the goddess Aphrodite has her throne next to the mighty laws." Aphrodite is also one of the divine beings that is associated with passion and emotion. This illustrates the pervasive nature of emotion as it relates to reason and order.
Teiresias uses imagery regarding pollution, "you should not have done this (forbidding Polyneices to be buried) and your violation has also polluted the gods above." He also mentions how the offerings he made to the gods can't be used in his prophecy because they are messy, slimy, and there is no fat on the bones. This emphasizes the notion that Creon's decree has gone against the religious ideas of the time.
Implications
Based primarily on our analyses of character and language in Antigone, it seems fairly clear that one of the major, overarching themes is that of passion and emotional judgment untempered by calm reason and logic and how, even when we have the best intentions, it can bring all of our plans and desires to ruin. Another running concept we noticed was that many of the characters seemed to be “like us,” excluding Creon and Antigone of course. This implies that one is to examine how the actions and attitudes of these “larger than life” characters affect the various situations of the more relatable figures, such as Ismene and Haemon. Finally, it is also obvious that the author wishes for the audience to observe the inherent inevitability within the consequences of one’s actions. This is made clear through Teiresias’ prophecies, as well as Creon’s ultimately lamentable fate.