Antigone as a Kaleidoscopic Tragic Heroine in Sophocles

Introduction: The Kaleidoscopic Nature of Greek Tragedy

Classical Greek literature succeeds in capturing the imagination primarily because its works contain universally valid and insightful interpretations of the human personality. This characteristic of Greek literature has even led psychoanalysts such as George Devereux to relate the structure of Greek tragedy to the structure of the human mind and personality (Hook, 2001). Interestingly, Devereux's view finds a correlation in Aristotle's definition of tragedy as requiring, among other things, hamartia — a flaw in an otherwise admirable character (Lines, 1999). The correlation between Devereux's and Aristotle's viewpoints can be drawn because both appear to tacitly acknowledge that the construct of the human persona allows for both strength and weakness, vice and virtue, to coexist simultaneously.

Indeed, such a construct can be seen in Sophocles's characterization of Antigone as a woman who possesses within her the traits of courage and cowardice, the masculine and feminine, and the capacity to both honor and dishonor love. It is precisely the presence of these kaleidoscopic traits in Antigone's character that ultimately causes a tragedy of virtually epic proportions.

Antigone is often seen as a paragon of virtue who has the courage to stand up for everything that is divine and just. Yet her actions lead to tragic consequences, implying that either Sophocles departed from the Aristotelian formula for tragedy in this drama, or that he intended to comment on something more complex than a simple moral conflict (Berlin, p. 11; Lines, 1999). This question of Sophocles's intent is perhaps best answered through an analysis of his characterization of the seemingly heroic Antigone, for such an analysis reveals that his portrayal was not straightforward but was intended to highlight the kaleidoscopic nature of the human personality. This fact is evident in the manner in which Antigone displays courage and cowardice, masculine and feminine qualities, and the capacity to both honor and dishonor love.

A Paradoxical Display of Courage and Cowardice

The claim that Antigone displays both courage and cowardice may be, prima facie, a startling one. However, a close examination of the text reveals sufficient evidence to argue that while Antigone undoubtedly shows admirable courage in defying the edict of a king, she fails to display the same degree of courage in other areas of life. After all, if Antigone — a lone woman — chooses to "battle men" and "spite the law and the power of the king" (72–74), she also chooses to commit what is often called a cowardly act: suicide.

The quality of courage itself has many dimensions. For instance, it can be said that if Antigone was courageous in defying the might of a ruler, Ismene was equally courageous in deciding to bear her lot and live with the pain. Ismene's courage is implied in her words: "No, we must obey, even in this, / even if something could hurt more" (76–77). It is also significant that the play begins not merely by setting up a contrast between two women caught in the same circumstances, but by establishing a contrast between the courage to defy and the courage to forbear pain. This dialectic of courage is revisited later when Antigone commits suicide — an act that clearly reveals her inability to live with the pain of being abandoned and entombed. By arranging for Antigone to take her own life, Sophocles demonstrates that her courage, though laudable, was flawed and kaleidoscopic in nature.

Lines (1999) posits a similar argument when she observes that the chorus reminds Antigone of three examples in which those imprisoned within the earth forbore and ultimately survived their rocky prisons. In spite of this counsel, "she will pay no attention to their advice. Neither forbearance nor the ability to take advice is among her virtues." Ultimately, it is Antigone's cowardice that leads her to opt for death as an escape. Had she only the courage to face her punishment, she might have been freed, thereby averting her own death and the tragic deaths of Haimon and Eurydice.

The Masculine and Feminine Principles in Antigone's Persona

One of Antigone's greatest appeals is possibly the fact that a woman is shown as courageous enough to battle powerful men in her quest for justice. Of course, Antigone remains within the bounds of the traditional female role of protecting and defending the family — she dares to defy Kreon only because she feels compelled to honor her dead brother by giving him a proper burial. This indicates that Antigone was, at one level, merely defending her own kin. Indeed, this is perhaps why Antigone has often been described as dramatizing a conflict between what might be called masculine and feminine principles — or, in Greek terms, between the polis (affairs of the state) and the oikia, or the home and family (Hook, 2001).

In focusing on the overt, external conflict between the masculine and the feminine, however, a point that is often overlooked is the coexistence of masculine and feminine principles within Antigone's own persona. For instance, it can be inferred that Antigone's masculine side — her need for self-assertion — drives her to take the courageous step of burying Polyneices, while her feminine side provides the underlying motivation. Similarly, the masculine principle of self-assertion can be seen operating in Antigone's repeated insistence on the rightness of her action. So much so, that Koryphaios calls her stubborn: "Clearly, she's her father's child, hard and raw. / He never learned to yield for all his troubles" (576–577).

Thus, while Antigone may be seen as a champion of the feminine principle, there is ground to argue that her masculine qualities drove her into relentless defiance and unyielding resolve. In fact, it may have been this aspect of her character that aroused Kreon's anger more than her act of defiance itself. This is implied in his repeated insistence that he would not allow a woman to rule (589–590; 645; 716; 822–824). While modern feminists may applaud Antigone's stand against a patriarchal society, the same stance would have been viewed as an error in judgment — a hamartia — in Sophocles's time. The concept of hamartia in Aristotelian tragedy thus finds a compelling embodiment in Antigone's masculine drive for self-assertion.