Eodipus vs. Antigone: in the Eyes of the Gods
Oedipus Vs. Antigone In the Eyes of the Gods Creon (to Oedipus)
“For you submission is a torment – you do not hide it.
And when you force your way against the world
You crush us all beneath you. Such natures
Find their own company most terrible to bear.
It is their punishment.” (Sophocles from Oedipus the King, pg 210)
Sophocles may not have included the Greek gods as corporeal characters in his plays Oedipus and Antigone, but their divine influence on the titular characters plays a major role in both. The “immortal unrecorded laws of God” (Antigone pg 268), the “evil prophecy” of Apollo, Oedipus’s hubris, and Antigone’s dogged pursuit of justice together create the catalyst for both tragedies. Oedipus and Antigone grapple with the complex issues of free will and destiny, the combination of which drives them to ruin. As Creon returns from Delphi, where he has received word from the Oracle of Apollo that Laius’s murder must be avenged to save Thebes from the grip of the plague, Oedipus addresses the supplicants proclaiming, “Whatever the god commands; if I disobeyed it would be a sin.” (pg 187) Here he appears forthright and humble enough, but as he continues his speech takes an ominous turn, “If I can drive out this corruption and make the city whole, I shall do more than save my people...I shall save myself.” (pg 190) Indicating that even when he is prepared to make sacrifices and serve the god[s] to save his city, his actions are ultimately self-serving and frequently detrimental to those around him. He threatens Creon, he threatens Teiresias, he threatens the Shepherd, but most regrettably, he unwittingly slays his father, “I have hurled myself blindly against unthinking fury and destruction.” (pg 213) He admits to Jocasta. Antogone, on the other hand, uses her ‘service to the gods’ as a tool in her righteous indignation toward Creon’s proclamation, and to execute her goal to bring dignity to her brother Polyneices’ death. When Creon
“For you submission is a torment – you do not hide it.
And when you force your way against the world
You crush us all beneath you. Such natures
Find their own company most terrible to bear.
It is their punishment.” (Sophocles from Oedipus the King, pg 210)
Sophocles may not have included the Greek gods as corporeal characters in his plays Oedipus and Antigone, but their divine influence on the titular characters plays a major role in both. The “immortal unrecorded laws of God” (Antigone pg 268), the “evil prophecy” of Apollo, Oedipus’s hubris, and Antigone’s dogged pursuit of justice together create the catalyst for both tragedies. Oedipus and Antigone grapple with the complex issues of free will and destiny, the combination of which drives them to ruin. As Creon returns from Delphi, where he has received word from the Oracle of Apollo that Laius’s murder must be avenged to save Thebes from the grip of the plague, Oedipus addresses the supplicants proclaiming, “Whatever the god commands; if I disobeyed it would be a sin.” (pg 187) Here he appears forthright and humble enough, but as he continues his speech takes an ominous turn, “If I can drive out this corruption and make the city whole, I shall do more than save my people...I shall save myself.” (pg 190) Indicating that even when he is prepared to make sacrifices and serve the god[s] to save his city, his actions are ultimately self-serving and frequently detrimental to those around him. He threatens Creon, he threatens Teiresias, he threatens the Shepherd, but most regrettably, he unwittingly slays his father, “I have hurled myself blindly against unthinking fury and destruction.” (pg 213) He admits to Jocasta. Antogone, on the other hand, uses her ‘service to the gods’ as a tool in her righteous indignation toward Creon’s proclamation, and to execute her goal to bring dignity to her brother Polyneices’ death. When Creon