{"id":20686,"date":"2022-01-11T12:17:14","date_gmt":"2022-01-11T12:17:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ancient-literature.com\/?p=20686"},"modified":"2022-03-21T16:47:34","modified_gmt":"2022-03-21T16:47:34","slug":"climax-of-antigone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ancient-literature.com\/climax-of-antigone\/","title":{"rendered":"Climax of Antigone: The Beginning of an Finale"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Climax of Antigone<\/strong> sneaks up on the viewers, the rising action of the play is subtle enough to pass, and before you know it, the climax has appeared. The Sophoclean tragedy is written with a certain precision that smoothly transitions from one scene to another.<\/strong> But to pinpoint and grasp the climax, one must be familiar with the play itself and on that note, let us go over the events of the tragedy.<\/p>\n Antigone, the sequel to Oedipus Rex,<\/strong> starts as Antigone returns to Thebes after her father’s death; she is informed of the injustice her brother faces. The new king, Creon<\/a>, has dubbed Polyneices and refuses to bury him as punishment, leaving his body to rot on land.<\/strong><\/p>\n The play begins as Ismene and Antigone bury over the newly passed law that prevents their brother from being buried. Antigone is exasperated and frustrated over the events<\/strong> and urges her sister to radically change her beliefs and join her in her tryst against Creon. Antigone plans to bury their brother<\/a> despite the imminent threat of death and wants Ismene, Antigone’s sister<\/a>, to do the same. Ismene is reluctant and tries to rationalize with Antigone,<\/strong> fearing the execution they\u2019d face with such acts. Antigone, angry at her refusal, decides to bury their brother without Ismene, prompting the latter to rethink her thoughts.<\/p>\n Antigone strides towards the palace grounds and immediately finds her brother’s body.<\/strong> She digs a grave beside him and successfully buries Polyneices’ body in the process. She is caught by two palace guards and is immediately brought to Creon. Ismene rushes to her sister’s side as she hears the news of her capture and witnesses Creon’s decree. She begs to join her sister in her punishment,<\/strong> to which Antigone strongly contends. In the end, Antigone is subjected to being entombed in a cave. A big slap to the face of those who believe in the Divine beings.<\/p>\n As our heroine is imprisoned in the tomb, she thinks of the events that have left her on the path she walks on today. This could be seen as Antigone’s turning point as she decides to surrender to her family’s curse,<\/strong> the fate she’s tried so hard to fight<\/a>. She takes her own life as she refuses to heed Creon’s decree. Creon had imprisoned her, a woman of royal blood, instead of executing her as he announced. He planned to imprison her for a long time, only giving her necessary food for survival in hopes of her death in the tomb.<\/strong> And in that way, he has no blood on his hands and cannot be held responsible for a royal’s death.<\/p>\n Haemon, Antigone’s lover<\/a>, attempts to convince his father, Creon, to let his beloved go but is refused in the process.<\/strong> He hatches a plan to free her and runs towards the tomb. At the exact moment, Tiresias, the blind prophet<\/a>, warns Creon about his hubris, encouraging him to release Antigone for his actions were against the gods.<\/strong> Creon realizes the implication of his actions and quickly rushes to free Antigone.<\/p>\n As Creon arrives in the tomb, he finds the bodies of his son Haemon and Antigone cold and dead.<\/strong> He regrets his actions as he brings his son to the castle. Eurydice, Creon’s wife<\/a>, finds out about her remaining son’s suicide and curses Creon in the palace. Already on the brink of insanity, the queen further breaks as her remaining son passes<\/strong> due to her husband’s mistakes. She takes her life, longing to be with her beloved sons, hoping to cause Creon the same pain she had felt.<\/p>\n As Creon realizes that he is the only remaining one in his family, he laments his hubris<\/a> and decision. He lives the rest of his life in misery<\/strong> as his actions bring him to loneliness.<\/p>\nAntigone<\/h2>\n
What Is the Climax of Antigone?<\/h2>\n