Antigone Marxist Analysis

Karl Marx is known as the founder of communism as Marxism is the basic outline and foundation of communism. Since past rulers have given communism a bad name, his theory is also the basis of socialism. Marxist Criticism focuses on class differences and the revolution to remove the classes, and essentially, the government. Even though Marxism is fairly recent theory, its ideas can be seen in the Greek play Antigone.The repression that Marxism is focused on can be see in Antigone. There is also evidence that, as Marxism suggests, Antigone is a product of the society it was created in.
Marxist theory states that class differences in a society will result in conflicts between the rich middle and upper classes and the oppressed working class. The …show more content…
For the concepts of Marxism to be applied, a powerful upper class must be trying to keep power from a lower class. In Antigone, Creon is this powerful upper class, and Antigone, Ismene, Haemon, and the rest of the city are the oppressed lower class. Creon can be seen as the upper class because he controls the government, as he is essentially the government, and he has the most wealth out of anyone in Thebes. Everyone else can be seen as the lower class because they have jobs where they must work for their limited wealth, and most of them have very little to no influence in government decisions. Creon keeps power from the rest of Thebes and the royal family by creating laws that prevent them from doing anything that is not in his best interest. He makes the violation of these laws punishable by death, all in an attempt to ensure that he holds the power and that he is uncontested. Antigone also includes the revolution that Marxism talks about. While not a violent revolution ending in a classless society, there is a change by the end of the story. This "revolution" was still violent, as three people take their lives. The end result was Creon finally realizing how bad his choices were, and most likely realizing that he needs to change how self centered his rule is. Other forms of repression can be seen in Antigone. This repression is not necessarily economic, but based on gender, …show more content…
Antigone is no exception to this. When Sophocles wrote this play, he may or may not have intended to reflect the society he was in. Whether or not he actually intended to do so, Antigone does reflect old society. One of the most obvious Greek influences on the play, while not economical, is the reference to several Greek gods, goddesses, and beliefs. The best example of this is Antigone's desire to serve the god of death, Zeus, and her deceased family members. Creon also makes numerous references to Zeus. Another large influence on the play was the style of government, cities governed by a king, or queen, where the ruling authority has most of the wealth and most of the power. This has a major impact on the story, as the ruler, Creon, wants nothing more than to hold his power and wealth. Another reflection from Sophocles's society is the view on women. Creon sees Antigone as someone who is crazy, worthless, and pathetic, even if most people would say otherwise. Even though the play reflects these ideas, Antigone also reflects other views from the time. One of these views is that women should be respected. Haemon is a good example of this, as he fully supports Antigone, challenging Creon's decisions. Another alternate view would be the desire to bring more power to the less wealthy. This is shown when the Leader, Creon's advisor, tries to get Creon to follow the will of the people.