Sophocles Antigone: A Tragic Tale

Antigone: a tragic tale “There is no happiness where there is no wisdom; no wisdom but in submission to the gods. Big words are always punished, and proud men in old age learn to be wise.” This quote is one that is representative of many tragic tales, in which a great lesson is learned too late for it to be put into use. Tragedies are known to be found frequently in Greek plays. One of the most famous Greek playwrights, Sophocles, still has surviving texts that remain in print today. Sophocles is best known for his work in what is referred to as The Theban Plays. The last of these plays Antigone, is one well worth noting as a literary work and does an effective job of wrapping up the story of what happened to Oedipus and his family. The tragedies that take place within it are great in number and always developing. Antigone takes place …show more content…
As they opened up the cave, Haimon finds that Antigone has hung herself, and begins to blame his father for the loss of his would-be bride. In wild anger, Haimon lunges at Creon with a sword, misses and kills himself instead. This is the first of deaths Creon will face, solidifying the prophets analysis that the gods are not to be angered. After this, Creon goes back to his palace only to discover that more death and destruction awaits him. A messenger has delivered the news to him that, upon hearing of her only remaining son’s death, Creon’s wife took her own life. With “her own guided hand”(1013) she stabbed herself and cursed Creon for bringing this curse upon himself.
Learning of his wife’s death is the final act that makes him realize how he has been “rash and foolish”(1034). Creon then exits the scene and the play comes to an end with only one character remaining on the stage. It is the choragos, a member of the chorus who has stepped in to fill a function in the story itself, and he makes the remark quoted at the beginning of this