Creon

and Polyneices marched an entire foreign army against his own home city to claim it by force, only for the two brothers to kill one another in single combat outside the gates.

The new ruler of Thebes, their uncle Creon, declared that Aetiocles would receive full honors as the city's defender, while Polyneices, branded a traitor for attacking his own home, would be left unburied on the battlefield as a final punishment.

a fate the Greeks considered a horror worse than death itself, since a soul denied proper burial could never rest.

Antigone, Oedipus' own daughter, defied that royal order directly, insisting on burying her brother's body herself despite the explicit ban against it, and paid for that same defiant loyalty with her own life in turn.

sealed alive inside a tomb by Creon's own command, a final and fitting echo of the same fate that had followed her family for three full generations without ever fully

relenting.

Do you hear that?

And he sits back a little bit and he adjusts and he asks another kind of law school question.

And they said, well, that's really the conflict between Creon and Antigone in Sophocles' play Antigone, isn't it? And he stops again.

And he asks another question, and somebody makes a reference to Hobbes' Leviathan about the need for authority in a world that might be solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.

And again, this is not, and to his credit, he totally changed and said, look, clearly we can have, these are 14-year-olds.

to us it seems that both seer and thou o oedipus have spoken angry words this is no time to wrangle but consult how best we may fulfil the oracle king

as thou art free speech at least is mine to make reply in this i am thy peer i own no lord but loxias her my servant ne'er can stand enrolled as creon's man thus then i answer since thou hast not spared to twid me with my blindness thou hast eyes yet seest not in what misery thou art fallen nor where thou dwellest nor with whom for mate dost know thy lineage nay thou knowest it not and all unwitting art of the double foe to thine own kin to thine own kin the living and the dead ay and the dogging curse of mother and sire one day shall drive thee like a two-edged sword beyond our borders and the eyes that now see clear shall henceforward endless night ah whither shall thy bitter cry not reach Which crag and all scyther on, Which shall then reverberate thy wail, When thou hast found, With a hymnal thou wast borne home, But to no fair haven on the gale, I, in a flood of ills thou guessest not, Shall set thyself and children in one line.

Flout then both Creon and my words, For none of mortals shall be stricken worse than thou.

must i endure this fellow's insolence and more rain on thee get thee hence begone avaunt and never cross my threshold more i ne'er had come hadst thou not bidden me i knew not thou wouldst utter folly else long hadst thou waited to be summoned here

such am i as it seems to thee a fool but of the parents who begat thee wise

Could I but blindly touch them with my hands, I'd think they were still mine, as when I saw— Antigone

and Ismene are led in.

What say I? Can it be my pretty ones, whose sobs I hear? Has Creon pitied me and sent me my two darlings? can this be tis

What's your request? Deliver you, for all.

We are three queens whose sovereigns fell before the wrath of cruel Creon, who endure the beaks of ravens, talons of the kites, and pecks of crows in the foul fields of Thebes.

He will not suffer us to burn their bones, to urn their ashes, nor to take the offense of mortal loathsomeness from the blessed eye of holy Phoebus, but infects the winds with stench of our slain lords.

O pity, duke! Thou purger of the earth, draw thy feared sword that does good turns to the world.

Human grace affords them dust and shadow.

But our lords lie blistering for the visitating sun, and were good kings when living.

It is true, and I will give you comfort to give your dead lords graves, the which to do must make some work with Creon.

And that work now presents itself to the doing, now it will take form.

Persons of the Drama.

Oedipus, Antigone and Ismene, his daughters, a man of Colonus, Theseus, king of Athens, Creon of Thebes, Polynices, the elder son of Oedipus, a messenger, chorus of elders of Colonus.

Scene.

At Colonus, about a mile and a quarter northwest of Athens, in front of a grove sacred to the Erinyes or Furies, there worshipped under the propitiatory name of the Eumenides or Kindly Powers.

Many years have passed since the events set forth in Oedipus the King.

For some time after his fall, Oedipus had remained at Thebes.

But at last the Thebans, moved by Creon, decided to expel him.

And his sons did nothing in arrest of that sentence.

For a while the youthful hero deliberated over the two very different rewards offered him, and at last he gave his choice to Arete, who henceforth led him through many perils and into labours such as no man had ever yet performed.

Like most heroes, Hercules was a great wanderer, and on one of his journeys he came to the city of Thebes, where Creon, the king, entertained him and showed him so much favour that when Hercules asked for the hand of Creon's daughter Megara in marriage, the king gladly gave his consent.

The hero then rested from his wanderings and spent many happy years in the society of his wife and children.

But Juno had not forgotten her old hatred of Alchemene's offspring, and she determined to end this happiness.

After a seven-year siege, the leaders of the attacking forces grew weary of espousing a hopeless cause, and decided that the quarrel between the two brothers must be settled by a duel.

Accordingly, Polynices and Eteocles met face to face, and fought so fiercely that both of them were killed.

The only one left in the city who could rightfully assume the reins of authority was Creon, the father of Jocasta, who was now proclaimed king of Thebes.

By Creon's order, the body of Eteocles was given all the honours of a royal burial, but the corpse of Polynices was left on the battlefield a prey to dogs and vultures.

Persons of the Drama.

Oedipus, Antigone and Ismene, his daughters, a man of Colonus, Theseus, King of Athens, Creon of Thebes, Polynices, the elder son of Oedipus, a messenger, Chorus of Elders of Colonus.

Scene.

At Colonus, about a mile and a quarter northwest of Athens, in front of a grove sacred to the Erinyes or Furies, there worshipped under the propitiatory name of the Eumenides or Kindly Powers.

Argument.

Many years have passed since the events set forth in Oedipus the King.

For some time after his fall, Oedipus had remained at Thebes, but at last the Thebans, moved by Creon, decided to expel him, and his sons did nothing in arrest of that sentence.

His daughter Antigone went forth from Thebes with her blind father, his sole attendant.

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anti strophe too but now since victory of mightiest name hath come to thebes of chariots proud joying and giving joy after these wars just passed learn ye forgetfulness and all night long with dance and voice of hymns let us go round in state to all the shrines of gods while bacchus making thebes resound with dance begins the strain of joy but lo our country's king creon menacius's son new ruler by new change and providence of god comes to us steering on some new device for lo he hath convened by herald's loud command this council of the elders of our land enter creon creon my friends for what concerns our commonwealth the gods who vexed it with the billowing storms have righted it again and i have sent by special summons calling you to come apart from all the others this in part as knowing ye did all along uphold the might of lais throne in part again because when oedipus our country ruled and when he perished then towards his sons ye still were faithful in your steadfast mind and since they fell as by a double death both on the selfsame day with murderous blow smiting and being smitten now i hold their thrones and all their power of sovereignty by nearness of my kindred to the dead and hard it is to learn what each man is in heart and mind and judgment till he gain experience in princedom and in laws for me whoe'er is called to guide a state and does not catch at counsels wise and good but holds his peace through any fear of man i deem him basest of all men that are and so have deemed long since and whoso'er is worthier than his country counts his friend i utterly despise him i myself zeus be my witness who beholdeth all would not keep silent seeing danger come instead of safety to my subjects true nor could i take as friend my country's foe for this i know that there our safety lies and sailing while the good ship holds her course we gather friends around us by these rules and such as these do i maintain this state and now i come with edicts close allied to these in spirit for my citizens concerning those two sons of oedipus eteocles who died in deeds of might illustrious fighting for our fatherland to honour him with sepulture all rights duly performed that to the noblest dead of right belong not so his brother him i speak of who returned from exile sought with fire to desolate his father's city and the shrines of gods yes sought to glut his rage with blood of men and lead them captives to the bond slaves doom him i decree that none shall dare entomb that none shall utter wail or loud lament but leave his corpse unburied by the dogs and vultures mangled foul to look upon such is my purpose ne'er if i can help shall the vile have more honour than the just but whoso shows himself my country's friend living or dead from me shall honour gain this is thy pleasure o menikeus son for him who hated him who loved our state and thou hast power to make what laws thou wilt both for the dead and all of us who live creon be ye then guardians of the things i speak chorus commit this task to one of younger years creon nay watchmen are appointed for the corpse chorus what other task then dost thou lay on us creon not to consent with those that disobey chorus none are so foolish as to seek for death creon yet that shall be the doom but love of gain hath oft with false hopes lured men to their death enter guard guard i will not say o king that i have come panting with speed and plying nimble feet for i had many halting points of thought backwards and forwards turning round and round for now my mind would give me sage advice poor wretch why go where thou must bear the blame or wilt thou tarry fool shall creon know these things from others how wilt thou scape grief revolving thus i came in haste yet slow and thus a short way finds itself prolonged but last of all to come to thee prevailed and though i tell of nought yet i will speak for this one hope i cling to might and main that i shall suffer nought but destiny what is it then that causes such dismay guard first for mine own share in it this i say the deed i did not do not know who did nor should i rightly come to ill for it creon thou feel'st thy way and fencest up thy deed all round and round twould seem thou hast some news guard yea news of fear engenders long delay creon wilt thou not speak and then depart in peace guard well speak i will the corpse some one has been but now and buried it a little dust o'er the skin scattering with the wonted rites creon what say'st thou what man dared this deed of guilt guard i know not neither was there stroke of axe nor earth cast up by mattock all the soil was dry and hard no track of chariot wheel but he who did it went and left no sign and when the first day watchman showed it us the sight caused wonder and sore grief to all for he had disappeared no tomb indeed was over him but dust all lightly strown as by some hand that shunned defiling guilt and no sign was there of wild beast or dog having come and torn him evil words arose among us guard to guard imputing blame which might have come to blows and none was there to check its course for each to each appeared the man whose hand had done it yet not one had brought it home but each disclaimed all knowledge and we were ready in our hands to take bars of hot iron and to walk through fire and call the gods to witness none of us were privy to his schemes who planned the deed nor his who wrought it then at last when naught was gained by all our searching some one speaks who made us bend our gaze upon the ground in fear and trembling for we neither saw how to oppose it nor accepting it how we might prosper in it and his speech was this that all our tales should go to thee not hushed up anywise this gained the day and me ill-starred the lot condemns to win this precious prize so here i come to thee against my will and surely do i trow thou dost not wish to see me still tis true that no man loves the messenger of ill chorus creon cease then before thou fillest me with wrath lest thou be found though full of years a fool for what thou sayest is most intolerable that for this corpse the providence of gods has any care what have they buried him as to their patron paying honours high who came to waste their columned shrines with fire to desecrate their offerings and their lands and all their wonted customs dost thou see the gods approving men of evil deeds it is not so but men of rebel mood lifting their head in secret long ago still murmured thus against me never yet had they their neck beneath the yoke content to bear it with submission they i know have bribed these men to let the deed be done no thing in use by man for power of ill can equal money this lays cities low this drives men forth from quiet dwelling-place this warps and changes minds of worthiest stamp to turn to deeds of baseness teaching men all shifts of cunning and to know the guilt of every impious deed but they who hired have wrought this crime have labored to their cost or soon or late to pay the penalty but if zeus still claims any awe from me know this and with an oath i tell it thee unless ye find the very man whose hand has wrought this burial and before mine eyes present him captive death shall not suffice till first hung up still living ye shall show the story of this outrage that henceforth knowing what gain is lawful ye may grasp at that and learn it is not meet to love gain from all quarters by base profit one you will see more destroyed than prospering guard may i then speak or shall i turn and go creon cease not even yet how vexing are thy words guard is it thine ears they trouble or thy soul creon why dost thou gauge my trouble where it is guard the doer grieves thy heart but i thine ears Creon, pshaw, what a babbler, born to prate art thou.

Guard, maybe, yet I this deed at least did not.

Creon, yes, and for money, selling e'en thy soul.

Guard, ah me, how dire it is in thinking false to think.

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prate about thinking but unless ye shout to me the doers ye shall say ere long that scoundrel gains still work their punishment guard god's send we find him should we find him not as well may be for this must chance decide ye will not see me coming here again for now being safe beyond all hope of mine beyond all thought i owe the gods much thanks strophe i chorus many the forms of life wondrous and strange to see but nought than man appears more wondrous and more strange he with the wintry gales o'er the white foaming sea mid wild waves surging round wendeth his way across earth of all gods from ancient days the first unworn and undecayed he with his ploughs that travel o'er and o'er furrowing with horse and mule wears ever year by year anti strophe i the thoughtless tribe of birds the beasts that roam the fields the brood in sea-depths born he takes them all in nets knotted in snaring mesh man wonderful in skill and by his subtle arts he holds in sway the beasts that roam the fields or tread the mountain's height and brings the binding yoke upon the neck of horse with shaggy mane or bull on mountain crest untameable in strength strophe too and speech and thought as swift as wind and tempered mood for higher life of states these he has learnt and how to flee o'er the clear cold of frost unkind or darts of storm and shower man all providing unprovided he meeteth no chance the coming days may bring only from hades still he fails to find escape though skill of art may teach him how to flee from depths of failed disease incurable antistrophe too so gifted with a wondrous might above all fancies dreams with skill to plan now unto evil now to good he turns while holding fast the laws his country's sacred rites that rest upon the oath of gods on high high in the state and outlaw from the state when loving in his pride the thing that is not good ne'er may he share my hearth nor yet my thoughts who worketh deeds of evil like to this Enter guards bringing in Antigone.

As to this portent which the gods have sent, I stand in doubt.