Antigone, Part II

“ Lo, here is she who hath done the deed! It is I who have apprehended her in the act! But, where is Creon?”

Art: Antigone and Ismene by Emil Teschendorff (1892), New York Public Library Digital Collection

Creon’s decree is enforced, but Antigone doesn’t waver. The law of the land is about to be tested. 

The watchmen assigned to guard Polynices’ body discover that is the one Antigone who has broken the law and buried her brother and bring her to Creon, who is enraged: how dare she—a woman and member of his own family—defy his authority? 

Antigone maintains that burying her brother was an act of moral duty dictated by divine law. She declares that no punishment can erase her duty to honor her family, even the king’s decree. But Creon questions her motivations. To him, she’s a threat not only to his ruler, but to the order he has established. This is when Antigone’s sister, Ismene, takes (for her) a bold stand. To shield Antigone from Creon’s wrath, she pretends Antigone was not alone, and that she helped—but Antigone rejects Ismene’s attempt, because she refused to stand up for their brother when it mattered most. There will be no shared guilt, and Arachne makes this clear: she alone is responsible. 

Creon orders the immediate imprisonment of both sisters. How will this clash of duty, law, and familial love collide? For now, it appears (as it must to him) that Creon has the upper hand… but not for long.