The True Antagonist

Love is the conqueror of the strong and the weak, though it is foolish and evil at its core. Sophocles proves that love is the one destructive power in the universe through his third ode in “Antigone.” Its powerful message foreshadows the death of Antigone and her lover, Haemon, through its crisp imagery and perfect diction. The chorus passionately sings the evils of love while closely examining the situation of the Lovers’ potential ends. Force emanates from each word that Sophocles conducts, forcing the viewer to be enthralled in their meanings. The chorus ardently depicts the specifics and evils of love throughout “Antigone” through subtle repetition, personification of love itself, and the power behind each striking word. The repetition of a simple word can fill a sentence with underline meaning simply through this effortless act. Sophocles depicts his thoughts that love is exceedingly menacing with the repetition of war-like words. He makes it obvious that “love [is] never conquered in battle” and is like a “father and son at war… love, never conquered” (Sophocles, 878, 889-890). It is evident that love will soon become a destroyer in the tragedy. War always ends in death and destruction, and so will the lives of Antigone and Haemon—so in love they are. Love “has ignited this [destruction],” Antigone and Haemon “burning with desire” (Sophocles, 888-891). Sophocles’ repetition of the fire imagery further illustrates the destruction love will cause; fire destroys, just as love will. Those who fall victim to love will eventually be burned by its enticing flame. Antigone and Haemon meet their untimely end, just as the casualties of war and fire. Love is almost humanistic, the way it overpowers people and dictates their lives. Sophocles believes that love has these human characteristics, that “love [stands] the night-watch,” just as a man (Sophocles, 881). Love always watches over its recipients just as a guard may watch over his post, never tearing an eye away