Sophocles' Use of Social Commentary in Antigone

Art has the power to reach people across space and time. Although artists primarily use creative media to disseminate their ideas and emotions to a contemporary audience, great art has the ability to reach whoever appreciates it no matter their origin. In Antigone, Sophocles does this by creating a fictionalized Thebes in which he reflects upon the politics, religion, and societal norms of his own world. He creates a ruler, Creon, whose tyrannical actions serve to promote the merits of democracy and criticize the contemporary government. He also creates a protagonist, Antigone, who challenges the validity of the social structure while upholding ancient traditions. This social commentary allows Sophocles to connect with his both the physical audience present at his productions and all future patrons of his work.

The failures of Creon leadership represent the limitations of autocratic government and thereby serve to promote democracy. At the play’s opening, Creon is portrayed sympathetically. He presents his decree preventing the burial of Polynices as just retribution for his crimes against Thebes and as an effective way to prevent pollution (Sophocles 62). He feels further vindicated because the chorus, consisting of elder representatives of the populace, supports the decree. Even Antigone’s impassioned defence, which invokes the “unwritten and unfailing” (73) laws of the gods, appears to have no impact on the chorus, who states that “she does not know how to bend amidst her troubles” (74). This perception of Creon begins to shift upon Antigone’s death sentence. Although the punishment seems as cruel and excessive, Creon firmly believes it to be a necessary deed. He is “eager to display his full control of a crisis barely averted...

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...and the contemporary political situation into the familiar mythological saga of Oedipus. He does this not in the form of a manifesto or a public speech, but in a stage play, widely viewed and enjoyed by Athenian citizens. These underlying themes allow audience members to deeply connect to what initially seems like an alien world and allows for a more enjoyable experience for those who perceived and understood these themes. He tailored the play to the age and the audience and managed to successfully create a popular text that is still studied today for its literary merit and historical importance.

Works Cited

Sophocles. Antigone. Trans. Reginald Gibbons and Charles Segal. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. Print.

Segal, Charles. Introduction. Antigone. By Sophocles. Trans. Reginald Gibbons and Charles Segal. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. Print.