Love, although often described as a feeling with a positive connotation, can also bring out the worst in a person. It is such a prominent feeling that even the gods who are able to unleash a wrath to make a kingdom fall are unable to escape its clutches. In Ode four of Antigone by Sophocles, the chorus sings of how love is a dual edged sword and the overwhelming rush of emotion the people feel when they see Antigone bound, about to marry death. Sophocles is able to convey these themes and Antigone’s fascination with death, which is a common theme throughout the play, is the cause of Haemon’s and Creon’s fight. Antigone, along with love, “[has] ignited this, this kindred strife, father and son at war” that is causing tension in the palace
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The word “love” is obviously being emphasized with its constant repetition, yet the connotation differs from the first stanza to the latter ones. In the first stanza, “ Love [ stands] the night-watch guarding a girl’s soft cheek…” (Sophocles 881-882). In this phrase, love is a force that guards people and keeps them safe. This light hearted diction is Sophocles, in a way, alluding to Haemon and Antigone’s love before this plight of her carrying on funeral rites for the body of Polynices. It is stated before that although they are betrothed, the cousins have genuine feelings for each other, making this all the harder for Haemon. Haemon’s love was unable to guard Antigone, so he may feel guilty due to that along with a sorrow that his fiance is being put to death by his father. In contrast, “Love!--[is a power which] wrench[es] the minds of the righteous into outrage, [swerving] them to their ruin” (Sophocles 887-889). This juxtaposition of love as the dark yin and then as the light yang shows exactly how a force so strong can change a person and go to two different extremes. Antigone and Haemon’s love which was once a blissful feeling has made Haemon outraged and erratic, leading to his inevitable downfall. As a result of Antigone’s hamartia to choose “glory” and death to carry on the funeral rites of her brother, she breaks the bonds of her family and the marriage she will never
The word “love” is obviously being emphasized with its constant repetition, yet the connotation differs from the first stanza to the latter ones. In the first stanza, “ Love [ stands] the night-watch guarding a girl’s soft cheek…” (Sophocles 881-882). In this phrase, love is a force that guards people and keeps them safe. This light hearted diction is Sophocles, in a way, alluding to Haemon and Antigone’s love before this plight of her carrying on funeral rites for the body of Polynices. It is stated before that although they are betrothed, the cousins have genuine feelings for each other, making this all the harder for Haemon. Haemon’s love was unable to guard Antigone, so he may feel guilty due to that along with a sorrow that his fiance is being put to death by his father. In contrast, “Love!--[is a power which] wrench[es] the minds of the righteous into outrage, [swerving] them to their ruin” (Sophocles 887-889). This juxtaposition of love as the dark yin and then as the light yang shows exactly how a force so strong can change a person and go to two different extremes. Antigone and Haemon’s love which was once a blissful feeling has made Haemon outraged and erratic, leading to his inevitable downfall. As a result of Antigone’s hamartia to choose “glory” and death to carry on the funeral rites of her brother, she breaks the bonds of her family and the marriage she will never