Antigone is a play of balance; it is the balance of ethics and immorality, past and future, logic and passion. The scales continue to tip throughout the play, as Sophocles never lets the plot steady itself. This perpetual motion rocks even the most stable characters. The art of this timeless play is its ability to put into question the defined. Antigone is clearly a brave character, but is bravery still bravery if it is motivated by cowardice?
Antigone is so passionate about her values that she is willing to give up her life to protect them. Many may argue that the greatest historical and literary figures have made impacts only from this type of passion. In contrast to her sister’s approach, Ismene characterizes cautious logic. Ismene’s mental balance contrasts Antigone’s faith in extreme solutions. However, I question Antigone’s motive. Does Antigone rebel because of her deeply rooted principles? Or, perhaps, Antigone needs to prove to herself the power she holds over her own life—the ability to surpass fate, which has been the vulnerability of her lineage.
Antigone refuses to let the scale balance, for she thrives off of controversy. She has succeeded in revolting against Creon’s law by burying her brother, but this does not satisfy her. Antigone buries her brother a second time, during which she is caught (29). It is at the point that I wonder if she is motivated not by her bravery, but by her self-righteous desire to control her fate. She cannot control the past, and thus, she wishes to control the future. In common with her sister, constant grieving has exhausted her (16). Antigone wishes to die “honorably” and rest with the ones whom she loves, for she cannot bear living any longer. Ismene agrees, yet finds the strength to resist the temptation of death. Ismene may be the stronger of the two sisters.
The idea of control is so frightening yet tempting to Antigone that it ultimately overwhelms her. She, unlike her ancestors, has the power to choose her destiny. She cannot balance her own desires, and consequently settles on death. In this case, death may be the easiest and least risky of her choices. Living, like Ismene, with the ability of self-control is far too dangerous for Antigone. Instead, Antigone disguises her fear of control in mock bravery. Antigone’s internal battle manifests itself in the form of confronting the inadequacies of society. Perhaps it is Ismene, often titled the coward, who is brave, for it is Ismene who is willing to carry the burden of logic over the appeal of passion. (430)
Sophie--there's a moment in the play, just before Antigone is led off to her cave, where she seems very lonely and frightened, almost as though she expected some sign from the gods that her actions were right. And it's the silence of the gods at that moment that seems to upset her most (I forget the line number, but it's the scene where she makes her last appearance in the play). I think that scene may support your interpretation, as it goes along with your idea that what she really wants is to be above fate, and in that moment she has to face the frightening reality that she, like others in her family history, is not.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think?