Antigone Themes

Themes are overarching ideas, thoughts, and philosophical concepts

that the writers present in their works. Antigone has themes that are
not only universal but also applicable to this day. Sophocles has put
a few intriguing themes in Antigone that display his understanding of
those concepts and ideas of his time. Some of the major themes of
Antigone by Sophocles have been analyzed below.

Themes in Antigone
Theme #1
Blindness

Blindness in a real or metaphorical sense is the major theme of

various Grecian plays. Creon ignores Tiresias’s warning and is
unable to see the facts which are similar to that of Oedipus. The
words of this seer echo as they show the clear path to Creon who is
unwilling to compromise like Oedipus. He appears to have attributed
the holy laws to himself ordering not to bury Polynices, Antigone’s
brother who has rebelled against him. He does not rethink and
changes his mind about his order to leave Polynices’ body to rot. As
he does not see past his pride, he is blind. When the crisis spirals out
of his control, he becomes level-headed again cursing himself that
his blindness to the facts has caused the death of his near and dear
ones. This is metaphorical blindness as opposed to Oedipus who
suffered from both.

Theme #2
Natural Law

The debate of law as a natural element or man-made has been going

on since time immemorial. Creon, as the king, has assumed the role
of a lawgiver as was considered during those times. He believes in
complete obedience of his subjects to the law that is also from the
divine powers. His command of non-burial of Polynices, the brother
of Antigone, invites silent wrath from the citizens but open rebellion
from Antigone. She appeals to the natural laws that have come from
the divine powers instead of Creon. She believes that it is from the
gods that the dead should be given a proper burial. However, when
Creon distorts this divine law, her sense of justice is outraged, and
she openly rebels despite severe consequences. She performs his
burial rights and defies the kingly law of Creon.

Theme #3
Political and Family Loyalty

Greeks were aware of the rights and duties of a citizen and the role
of a family in a state. They were also aware of how a citizen should
behave politically. Both of the characters of Sophocles, Antigone, and
Creon represent political as well as family loyalties in the play.

Whereas Creon is a king and has kingly duties of issuing commands

and implementing laws, Antigone is loyal to her family. For Creon, the
issue is not whether a transgressor is a man or a woman. He doesn’t
hesitate to punish her niece and nephew for breaking the law. While
Antigone goes against his rule of having no proper burial for her
brother, Polynices was on the rebels’ side in the civil war unlike his
brother Eteocles. As a citizen, she is bound to abide by the law of the
city. On the other hand, long family traditions and family loyalty
permit her not to bow before man-made laws. When she stands up
against Creon who does not see the happiness of his own son,
Haemon, she shows that she has loyal to her family as well as god
and both of them outweigh the disloyalty to the city and the ruler.

Theme #4
Pride or Arrogance

Arrogance or pride is despised by the Grecian gods as shown by

Sophocles in his plays. When Creon says that he has the power to
create a law and that he believes that divine will is at his back, it is a
pride and arrogance. As humans are not supposed to be law creator
law nor have the divine right. Therefore, when Tiresias warns Creon
that he would suffer, Creon realizes that he has sinned. He accepts
Tiresias only when it dawns upon him that he will have to suffer
more. In other words, his pride has brought him to kneel before the
Thebans for what he considers his just and right path sheer in his
arrogance of being a wise ruler.

Theme #5
Feminine Elements

The very title of the play shows that it is about Oedipus’ daughter,
Antigone. She has risen to prominence for being the sister who has
refused to accept Creon’s command. She decides to go against him
and give a proper burial to her brother, who rebelled against the
state. As a woman, a second-class citizen of Thebes, Creon has not
given her any importance. However, she refuses to accept his logic.
On the other hand, Ismene submits to the patriarchal will and power.

Theme #6
Civil Disobedience

Civil disobedience is another major theme of the play. Creon argues

his case that whatever he says is a law and that must be obeyed as it
is the foundation of justice. He means that he cannot be wrong in
dispensing justice as a ruler. However, Antigone, on the other hand,
believes that Creon’s law is stressing upon is unjust as the dead has
a right to burial. It is her moral duty to give a proper burial to her
brother. She thinks that the law is contrary to the traditions and
customs of the society in which they are living. Therefore, her
decision to give a proper burial to her brother is a sort of civil
disobedience.

Civil disobedience is another major theme of the play. Creon argues

his case that whatever he says is a law and that must be obeyed as it
is the foundation of justice. He means that he cannot be wrong in
dispensing justice as a ruler. However, Antigone, on the other hand,
believes that Creon’s law is stressing upon is unjust as the dead has
a right to burial. It is her moral duty to give a proper burial to her
brother. She thinks that the law is contrary to the traditions and
customs of the society in which they are living. Therefore, her
decision to give a proper burial to her brother is a sort of civil
disobedience.

Theme #7
Free Will and Fate

Even before the play, Oedipus was caught between free will and fate
that the gods have decided for him. When Oedipus was about to die,
he prophesied that his sons would kill each other and when Tiresias
comes to Creon, he warns him about his wrong decision of not
permitting burial. However, Tiresias has stated that now the fate has
been sealed yet Creon has a free choice to redeem himself. On the
other hand, Creon demonstrated the same obduracy that Oedipus
did and faced a terrible fate.

Theme #8
Threat of Tyranny

The Greek city-states were inimical to the threat of tyranny. Citizens

looked at such tendencies with a bit of antagonism. However, Creon
seems to be crossing the line, due to which it also becomes one of its
thematic strands. It is the abuse of power that he starts with issuing
man-made laws to subdue what he calls rebellion. His noble
intentions reach their point and stand exposed when he levels the
same allegations against Antigone who sees Creon having crossed
the line of landing into tyranny. When Tiresias comes to warn him
about divine retribution, he does not pay heed and loses family.

Theme #9
Power

Creon uses his power as a ruler to stop the rebellion and award
death sentences. However, when it comes to natural or divine rights
and prevalent morality, his power does not seem to override the
moral framework. Although he tries his best to justify his action of
preventing the burial of Polynices’ body and terrifying Antigone of
consequences, he faces divine punishment in the shape of the
devastation of his how family. This is what he has to face on account
of the wrong use of power.

Theme #10
Feminine Rivalry

Antigone and Ismene are daughters of the doomed Oedipus. While

Ismene seems reasonable and coward in the face of the mounting
pressure, Antigone seems more confident than her sister. She has
sensed that Creon’s legal thrust can be blunted with divine legitimacy
and public morality. This rivalry, in the end, wins Antigone a good
place as a heroic figure.
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