Fate and Free Will in Sophocles' Antigone

Introduction: The Question of Fate and Free Will

What is fate, and what is free will? In Sophocles' play Antigone, both fate and free will are important in determining the outcome of the drama. Fate is presented as something the gods determine — the destiny of human beings, and something that people have no control over. No matter how hard a person like Antigone or Creon tries to fight fate, their lives are not entirely their own to live. Free will exists, but with limitations. Human beings can make choices and decisions, and those decisions sometimes do alter one's fate. For example, Creon's decision not to bury Polyneices is the central decision that leads to the tragic ending of the play. Antigone knows that King Creon is going against the will of the gods by refusing to give Polyneices, her brother, a proper burial. This is the central conflict of Antigone. Whereas Ismene is resigned to her fate and accepts Creon's decision, Antigone cannot do so. Antigone uses her free will to disobey the King and bury her brother, and her act causes a number of tragic outcomes, including her own death and the deaths of others.

How much of what happens in Antigone is fate, and how much is free will? It is difficult to answer this question, because Sophocles purposely shows that the lives of human beings are determined by both fate and free will working together.

The Chorus and Tiresias as Voices of Fate

Two characters are more attuned to the concept of fate than any others in the play. The Chorus, considered to be one character, understands what fate means and how it affects people's lives. Early in the play, the Chorus introduces King Creon by stating, "Creon, son of Menoeceus, our new ruler by the new fortunes that the gods have given." Clearly, the Chorus believes that Creon is king because the gods willed it to be so. Likewise, the Chorus introduces Antigone as someone who will meet a devastating fate: "What portent from the gods is this? — my soul is amazed. I know her — how can I deny that yon maiden is Antigone?" (Sophocles). The Chorus continues to identify Antigone as a victim of her fate, noting that her father is the ill-fated Oedipus: "O hapless, and child of hapless sire — of Oedipus!" The Chorus is thus pointing out that a person's family is part of that person's fate. A person is a product of his or her family, and there is no escaping that fact. This is especially true in Antigone, because not only is Antigone the daughter of Oedipus, but she is also the sister of the two dead brothers whose deaths cause the central conflict of the play. If Antigone had been born into a different family, she would have had a different fate. As it is, Polyneices is her brother, and Antigone will not stand by while Creon refuses to honor him with a proper burial.

In addition to the Chorus, the blind prophet Tiresias is also acutely aware of the power of fate. When Creon meets Tiresias, the prophet warns him about the future, essentially telling the King that he has determined his own fate by making a poor decision. Now that the King has set the wheels of fate in motion, there is little he can do. Fate will determine the future — a fate that Creon himself created. Tiresias states, "All men are liable to err; but when an error hath been made, that man is no longer witless or unblest who heals the ill into which he hath fallen, and remains not stubborn." Had Creon not been stubborn, the outcome of the play would have been different. Tiresias thus demonstrates that human beings have the free will to make mistakes, but once a mistake has been made, the person cannot alter its outcome. Fate takes over and determines the future. Conversely, it is implied that a person who acts wisely will enjoy a good fate.

Antigone's Free Will and Her Inescapable Destiny

The title character herself illustrates that no matter how much a person exercises free will, she is still bound by fate. Antigone is deeply concerned about the role fate plays in her life and in the lives of those around her. Determined not to let Creon decide her brother's fate by refusing him burial, she takes matters into her own hands and buries Polyneices, even though doing so is against the law. Antigone understands that she was born into a particular family and that her fate is linked to that of her dead brothers. Her actions are in part determined by her loyalty to Polyneices. Antigone does not try to escape her own fate, because she understands the consequences of her actions — among them, the deaths of people she loves.

It is worth noting, however, that Antigone did not directly cause anyone's death but her own, since she committed suicide. She may well have been fated to do so. Haemon and Eurydice also committed suicide. Suicide in Antigone is ironic because it shows that the characters used their free will to bring about what would happen eventually anyway — death. The fact that so many characters in Antigone die by suicide suggests that Sophocles wanted to present fate and free will as inextricably linked. There is only so much that free will can accomplish before fate takes over, yet human beings still make choices independently of the gods. If the gods moved human beings like puppets, they would not grow angry when people disobeyed them. In Antigone, it is clear from Tiresias's warning that the gods are furious with Creon. Tiresias states, "from my offerings the Fire-god showed no flame" (Sophocles), meaning that the gods are so enraged they will not accept the usual sacrifices.

Conclusion: The Inseparability of Fate and Free Will

Fate in Antigone is expressed in terms of the gods and their plan for human beings. This plan is communicated throughout the play by both the Chorus and by Tiresias the prophet. Both figures show that human beings must accept their fate and that the gods are more powerful than people. Human beings can make some choices on their own, but ultimately the gods decide the outcome. The gods can also intervene to shape fate and free will. Family and the circumstances of one's birth, for example, are bound to fate — yet the gods chose Antigone, not her sister Ismene, to be the one who avenged Polyneices.

Creon and Antigone both have powerful wills and use them to pursue what they feel is right. Even though Antigone acts rightly, the play ends in disaster for most of its main characters, because Creon's choices went against the divine order. Antigone demonstrates that fate and free will exist together and cannot be fully separated. It is impossible to exercise complete free will, because the gods hold a master plan for humanity. It is equally impossible to be completely passive, because human beings like Antigone and Creon are compelled by their nature to take action. Sophocles leaves the reader with the understanding that human life is shaped by the constant interaction between divine fate and human choice — neither force alone is sufficient to explain the tragedy that unfolds.

Works Cited

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Hartouni, Valerie A. "Antigone's Dilemma: A Problem in Political Membership." Hypatia 1(1). 1986.

Jacobs, Carol. "Dusting Antigone." MLN 111(5).

Sophocles. Antigone. Translated by R. C. Jebb. Retrieved online: http://classics.mit.edu/Sophocles/antigone.html