《希腊悲剧》课程参考资料：Gibbons and Segal 2003 Sophocles Antigone

INTRODUCTION woman, with a woman's weakness, will be defying men and the male authority of the city(75-79/61-64. We should keep in mind that for fifth-century Athens political life is an area of male autonomy, freedom and control. Women are excluded from direct political activity, may not control or administer property(including their own property), not enter into contracts, or represent themselves in a court of law, and remain subject to the authority of their male relatives(which of course does not mean that they were without respect, rights, and influence of other kinds). 26 Except for religious festivals, they are expected to remain inconspicuously in the house (oikos), which is their domain.27 TH olis is a male work of art an artificial system of rules. limitati igibilities of mans own making, a creation of intellect and conven- tions, located within its natural setting, to be sure, but also separate from it in the special kind of secondary order that the city imposes o its world by its walls, temples, monuments, and of course its institu- tions. Yet the city also depends on the order of nature for its fruitful and harmonious relation with the land, and it depends on its women for the procreation of new citizens. 2B With procreation come sexual desire, maternity, and the strong ties of family. All these have an im- portant role in Antigone and shape its tragic form Kreon's polis proves to be not so autonomous after all, and his role as father and husband throws him back into the network of the unpredict able, biological bonds that his construction of his world and of himself would exclude. Although he harshly rejects the ties of blood and man riage that connect him to his niece, Antigone, and views her"crime solely in terms of the law she has violated, he cannot escape the power of those bonds of blood. As his wife's last words show(as reported by the Messenger at 1387-92/1301-5), Kreon has lost his elder son, Megareus, who, presumably, sacrificed himself, or was sacrificed, to save the city. 29 Kreon never speaks of this loss, but the silenced grief returns in the sor row of the mother, first in an oblique hint (1265-66/1191)and then in This is not ta say that women were completely without rights or various forms of person ower and influence. For a good survey of women in ffh-century Athens see Elaine Fanth Kampen, Satah Pomeroy, and alan Shapir orld(Oxford, 1994), chapter 3, especially 74-75, 79-83; Roger Just, Women in Athenian Law and Life(London, igBo), especially chapters 2 and 3 men were allowed to attend the dramatic the City Dionysia, the festival in honor of Dionysos. See the discussion and references in Oedipus Tyranmus: Tragic Heroism and the Limits of Knowledge, second edition(New York, 2oo1), a8 The"interconnectedness"of man and nature. with the latters uncon ntrast to their rationalistic separation, is a main theme of Oudemans and Lardinois, e. g. chapters 29. See the Note on 13 87-92/1301-5

INTRODUCTIO N woman, with a woman's weakness, will be defying men and the male authority of the city (75-79 / 61-64). We should keep in mind that for fifth-century Athens political life is an area of male autonomy, freedom, and control. Women are excluded from direct political activity, may not control or administer property (including their own property), can￾not enter into contracts, or represent themselves in a court of law, and remain subject to the authority of their male relatives (which of course does not mean that they were without respect, rights, and influence of other kinds).26 Except for religious festivals, they are expected to remain inconspicuously in the house (oikos), which is their domain.27 The polls is a male work of art, an artificial system of rules, limitations, and eligibilities of man's own making, a creation of intellect and conven￾tions, located within its natural setting, to be sure, but also separate from it in the special kind of secondary order that the city imposes on its world by its walls, temples, monuments, and of course its institu￾tions. Yet the city also depends on the order of nature for its fruitful and harmonious relation with the land, and it depends on its women for the procreation of new citizens.28 With procreation come sexual desire, maternity, and the strong ties of family. All these have an im￾portant role in Antigone and shape its tragic form. Kreon's polls proves to be not so autonomous after all, and his role as father and husband throws him back into the network of the unpredict￾able, biological bonds that his construction of his world and of himself would exclude. Although he harshly rejects the ties of blood and mar￾riage that connect him to his niece, Antigone, and views her "crime" solely in terms of the law she has violated, he cannot escape the power of those bonds of blood. As his wife's last words show (as reported by the Messenger at 1387-92 /1301-5), Kreon has lost his elder son, Megareus, who, presumably, sacrificed himself, or was sacrificed, to save the city.29 Kreon never speaks of this loss, but the silenced grief returns in the sor￾row of the mother, first in an oblique hint (1265-66 / 1191) and then in 26. This is not to say that women were completely without rights or various forms of personal power and influence. For a good survey of women in fifth-century Athens see Elaine Fantham, Helene Foley, Natalie Kampen, Sarah Pomeroy, and Alan Shapiro, eds., Women in the Classical World (Oxford, 1994), chapter 3, especially 74-75, 79-83; Roger Just, Women in Athenian Law and Life (London, 1989), especially chapters 2 and 3. 27. It remains controversial whether women were allowed to attend the dramatic performances at the City Dionysia, the festival in honor of Dionysos. See the discussion and references in my Oedipus Tyrannus: Tragic Heroism and the Limits of Knowledge, second edition (New York, 2001), 21-22, with n. 8, p. 23. 28. The "interconnectedness" of man and nature, with the latter's uncontrollable ambiguities, in contrast to their rationalistic separation, is a main theme of Oudemans and Lardinois, e.g., chapters 3-4- 29. See the Note on 1387-92 /1301-5. 14

INTRODUCTION the outburst of emotional and physical violence with which she ends her life. And everywhere in the background is the house of Oidipous, de- stroyed by just those bonds of blood that Kreon dismisses. The power of the tragic reversal, as we have observed, consists in part in the fact that gly to resemble that of Oidi u. ake many tragedies of divine retribution, the action has an hourglass tely symmetrical)as th Kreon to Antigone. He is tested by a series of challenges until he is mpletely destroyed in the last scene. The encounter with Haimon brings the challenge closer to home as his own son questions his au- hority over both city and house. In sending Antigone to her death in the cave, Kreon reasserts his power, but the entrance of Teiresias shifts the balance back to Antigone. The reversal (peripeteia)reaffirms the two areas that Kreon has tried to subordinate to his civic authority, the underworld and family ties. He enters the dark cave where he has rdered Antigone immured and where both she and Haimon kill them- selves. He thereby makes a symbolical journey to the underworld, par- allel to Antigone,'s, and this subterranean space now wreaks its ven- geance on him and fulfills Antigone's parting curse(92-96/925-28) The crushing blow comes from the house and particularly from fe- male mourning and sorrow within the house. His wife, Eurydike, whom he never actually confronts alive within the play, comes on stage from the house just long enough to hear the news of Haimon's death 0 Her subsequent suicide inside the house demonstrates of verything that Kreon had disvalued in his single-minded exaltation of civic values: women's emotions and their intense involvement in the bonds of family and in pollution, lament, and death itself. The last third of the play centers on Kreon; yet his collapse is implicitly mea sured against the absent antigone's strength and integrity Kreon's entrance immediately after the first ode consolidates the eight of authority that now rests on him as commander-in-chief of a city that has survived a deadly attack. His presence intimidates the elders of the chorus, and he obviously savors his new role as leader of the city and nan for the civic ethos, on which he moralize expansively in his platitudinous opening speech. The Guard who ar rives soon after with the bad news of the burial "of Polyneikes-in fact, a ritual sprinkling of dust--is also terrified of Kreon's power but not entirely cowed. When the Guard returns with Antigone as his pris- end, see my Tragedy and Civilization(Norman, Okla, 1999), 194-95 and my Sophocles'Tragie world, 33-36

INTRODUCTIO N the outburst of emotional and physical violence with which she ends her life. And everywhere in the background is the house of Oidipous, de￾stroyed by just those bonds of blood that Kreon dismisses. The power of the tragic reversal, as we have observed, consists in part in the fact that Kreon's house comes increasingly to resemble that of Oidipous. Like many tragedies of divine retribution, the action has an hourglass shape (though not completely symmetrical) as the power flows from Kreon to Antigone. He is tested by a series of challenges until he is completely destroyed in the last scene. The encounter with Haimon brings the challenge closer to home as his own son questions his au￾thority over both city and house. In sending Antigone to her death in the cave, Kreon reasserts his power, but the entrance of Teiresias shifts the balance back to Antigone. The reversal (peripeteia) reaffirms the two areas that Kreon has tried to subordinate to his civic authority, the underworld and family ties. He enters the dark cave where he has ordered Antigone immured and where both she and Haimon kill them￾selves. He thereby makes a symbolical journey to the underworld, par￾allel to Antigone's, and this subterranean space now wreaks its ven￾geance on him and fulfills Antigone's parting curse (992-96 / 925-28). The crushing blow comes from the house and particularly from fe￾male mourning and sorrow within the house. His wife, Eurydike, whom he never actually confronts alive within the play, comes on stage from the house just long enough to hear the news of Haimon's death.30 Her subsequent suicide inside the house demonstrates the power of everything that Kreon had disvalued in his single-minded exaltation of civic values: women's emotions and their intense involvement in the bonds of family and in pollution, lament, and death itself. The last third of the play centers on Kreon; yet his collapse is implicitly mea￾sured against the absent Antigone's strength and integrity. Kreon's entrance immediately after the first ode consolidates the weight of authority that now rests on him as commander-in-chief of a city that has survived a deadly attack. His presence intimidates the elders of the chorus, and he obviously savors his new role as leader of the city and spokesman for the civic ethos, on which he moralizes expansively in his platitudinous opening speech. The Guard who ar￾rives soon after with the bad news of the "burial" of Polyneikes —in fact, a ritual sprinkling of dust—is also terrified of Kreon's power but not entirely cowed. When the Guard returns with Antigone as his pris- 30. Eurydike is presumably played by the same actor who played Antigone. For her role at the end, see my Tragedy and Civilization (Norman, Okla., 1999), 194-95, and my Sophocles' Tragic World, 133-36. 15

INTRODUCTION oner after the first stasimon(the second ode), he is relieved to any further expression of Kreon's wrath, although he also has vord of sympathy for Antigone (481-84/436-39 Antigone's defiance of Kreon in the following scene contrasts with the submissiveness of both the chorus and the guard Her rejection of Ismene's attempt to claim a share in the crime increases her isolation If, with the manuscripts, we assign to Ismene line 619/568, in which she asks if Kreon will"kill [his] own son's bride-to-be, "then the im- plication of this line is that Antigone is so completely absorbed in her determination to bury her brother, despite the threatened punishment by death, that she herself seems to have no thoughts of Haimon. At this crisis of her spiritual life, Haimon lies below the horizon of her moral vision. We admire Ismene' s courage too, for Kreon, in response to her expressed solidarity with her sister, quickly arrests her as a co- conspirator and will not release her for some two hundred lines(830-3 770-71). But Ismene's gesture does nothing to help Antigone and in fact separates her even further from her one remaining blood relative defense of Antigone's position, and for the first time stymies Kreon in lis attempt to suppress opposition. His encounter with Haimon for ally resembles his encounter with Antigone. In both scenes, initial statements of principle are followed by sharp antithetical debates in the line-by line exchange known as stichomythia. In the previous scene le was a rtion of her reverence for the gods below, which Kreon answered by asserting the authority of the city's and his laws (495-518/450-7o and 521-47/473- 96, respectively). Haimon's challenge strikes more deeply at Kreon basic conception of himself. Kreon is pleased and relieved at his son's opening expression of loyalty, which encourages him to make a char- acteristically expansive speech on his favorite virtues, after the manner of his first speech in the play: Kreon's view of the proper order in the family exactly matches his view of the proper order in the city, for both rest on hierarchy and absolute obedience(686-95/639-47, 709-34/ 659-8o). The young and impetuous Haimon, however, is very different from the timid chorus of elders. He sketches an image of the city that infuriates his authoritarian father-a city that holds and and opinions antithetical to Kreon's The angry exchange pushes Kreon to his revealing statement, " Isn't the city held to be his who rules "to which Haimon replies, You'd lo well as the single ruler of some deserted place. "Krcon rebuts him with "It seems this man is fighting on the woman's sidel"(798-800/ 738-4o), extending his authoritarian principles to another area of

INTRODUCTIO N oner after the first stasimon (the second ode), he is relieved to escape any further expression of Kreon's wrath, although he also has a small word of sympathy for Antigone (481-84 / 436-39). Antigone's defiance of Kreon in the following scene contrasts with the submissiveness of both the chorus and the Guard. Her rejection of Ismene's attempt to claim a share in the crime increases her isolation. If, with the manuscripts, we assign to Ismene line 619 / 568, in which she asks if Kreon will "kill [his] own son's bride-to-be," then the im￾plication of this line is that Antigone is so completely absorbed in her determination to bury her brother, despite the threatened punishment by death, that she herself seems to have no thoughts of Haimon. At this crisis of her spiritual life, Haimon lies below the horizon of her moral vision. We admire Ismene's courage too, for Kreon, in response to her expressed solidarity with her sister, quickly arrests her as a co￾conspirator and will not release her for some two hundred lines (830-31 / 770-71). But Ismene's gesture does nothing to help Antigone and in fact separates her even further from her one remaining blood relative. Haimon's entrance after the second stasimon brings the first open defense of Antigone's position, and for the first time stymies Kreon in his attempt to suppress opposition. His encounter with Haimon for￾mally resembles his encounter with Antigone. In both scenes, initial statements of principle are followed by sharp antithetical debates in the line-by-line exchange known as stichomythia. In the previous scene, that statement of principle was Antigone's powerful assertion of her reverence for the gods below, which Kreon answered by asserting the authority of the city's and his laws (495-518 / 450-70 and 521-47 / 473- 96, respectively). Haimon's challenge strikes more deeply at Kreon's basic conception of himself. Kreon is pleased and relieved at his son's opening expression of loyalty, which encourages him to make a char￾acteristically expansive speech on his favorite virtues, after the manner of his first speech in the play: Kreon's view of the proper order in the family exactly matches his view of the proper order in the city, for both rest on hierarchy and absolute obedience (686-95 / 639-47, 709-34 / 659—80). The young and impetuous Haimon, however, is very different from the timid chorus of elders. He sketches an image of the city that infuriates his authoritarian father—a city that holds and utters voices and opinions antithetical to Kreon's. The angry exchange pushes Kreon to his revealing statement, "Isn't the city held to be his who rules?" to which Haimon replies, "You'd do well as the single ruler of some deserted place." Kreon rebuts him with "It seems this man is fighting on the woman's side!" (798-800 / 738-40), extending his authoritarian principles to another area of 16

INTRODUCTION hierarchy, the subordination of female to male with which he had ended his previous tirade on obedience(731-34/677-8 Haimon's open challenge to Kreon's rule in fact exposes the latter as very close to the turannos, the man who seizes sole power in the and concentrates it entirely in his own hands. Kreon is not actually tyrant, "for he has gained his authority legitimately, through inher- itance, not through force or trickery. Yet his behavior emerges increas- ingly as that of a turannos in his identification of the polis with himself and his obsession with obedience, conspiracy, and IT oney.(Some interpreters have suggested that Sophokles has thus expressed an un derlying criticism of Perikles'control over Athens, which technically was shared with the other elected officials, but in fact approached au- of the pelo War Thukydides describes Athens under Perikles as "in word a de- mocracy but in deed rule by the first man"[2.651o]. )Kreon makes no attempt to engage in a serious discussion of Haimon's arguments In- threat that Haimon will never marry Antigone while she lives(810/ 75o), an ironic foreshadowing of the marmiage-in-death that will in fact The scene begins and ends with fatal misunderstandings, 33 Although Haimon explicitly begins by putting his father ahead of his fiancee (684-85/637-38; cf So1 /741)and never appeals to the marriage as gone, Kreon, finally, as Antigone's betrothed. Kreon's response escalates the violence to a new level. Taking an oath by Olympos, he orders his guards to lead Antigone out and kill her at once, "beside her bridegroom"(821/761). This cruel order, although not carried out, both provokes and fore- shadows the couple's subsequent marriage-in-death Haimon begins with praise of his fathers counsel and ends by ac- using him of madness(824-25/765). It adds to the irony that he urges Kreon to yield in terms that are not wholly dissimilar from Kreon's own statements to Antigone about a stubborn will being broken(cf. 21-28 /473-79 and 768-75/710-14) Haimon's nautical metaphors also hark back to Kreon's sententious posturing in his opening speech(cf.775- 31. On Kreon's concem with money as characteristic of the turannos, see Richard Seaford, " Tragic nal of Hellenic Studies 18( 1998), 132-3 For Kreon as turannos, see Winnington- other aspects of Kreon,'s passible connections with Perikles, see Victor berg, Sophocles and Pericles(Oxford, 954), 95-98, 45-49 good comments on the misunderstandings in this scene, see David Seale, Vision and

INTRODUCTIO N hierarchy, the subordination of female to male with which he had ended his previous tirade on obedience (731-34 / 677-80). Haimon's open challenge to Kreon's rule in fact exposes the latter as very close to the turannos, the man who seizes sole power in the city and concentrates it entirely in his own hands. Kreon is not actually a "tyrant," for he has gained his authority legitimately, through inher￾itance, not through force or trickery. Yet his behavior emerges increas￾ingly as that of a turannos in his identification of the polls with himself and his obsession with obedience, conspiracy, and money.31 (Some interpreters have suggested that Sophokles has thus expressed an un￾derlying criticism of Perikles' control over Athens, which technically was shared with the other elected officials, but in fact approached au￾tocratic power.32 In a famous passage of his History of the Peloponnesian War Thukydides describes Athens under Perikles as "in word a de￾mocracy but in deed rule by the first man" [2.65.10].) Kreon makes no attempt to engage in a serious discussion of Haimon's arguments. In￾stead he unleashes a series of ad hominem insults, culminating in the threat that Haimon will never marry Antigone while she lives (810 / 750), an ironic foreshadowing of the marriage-in-death that will in fact occur. The scene begins and ends with fatal misunderstandings.33 Although Haimon explicitly begins by putting his father ahead of his fiancee (684-85 / 637-38; cf. 801 / 741) and never appeals to the marriage as an argument for saving Antigone, Kreon, finally, can see his son only as Antigone's betrothed. Kreon's response escalates the violence to a new level. Taking an oath by Olympos, he orders his guards to lead Antigone out and kill her at once, "beside her bridegroom" (821 / 761). This cruel order, although not carried out, both provokes and fore￾shadows the couple's subsequent marriage-in-death. Haimon begins with praise of his father's counsel and ends by ac￾cusing him of madness (824-25 / 765). It adds to the irony that he urges Kreon to yield in terms that are not wholly dissimilar from Kreon's own statements to Antigone about a stubborn will being broken (cf. 521-28 / 473-79 and 768-75 / 710-14). Haimon's nautical metaphors also hark back to Kreon's sententious posturing in his opening speech (cf. 775- 31. On Kreon's concern with money as characteristic of the turannos, see Richard Seaford, "Tragic Money," Journal of Hellenic Studies 118 (1998), 132—34. For Kreon as turannos, see Winnington￾Ingram, Sophocles, 126-27. 32. For this view and other aspects of Kreon's possible connections with Perikles, see Victor Ehrenberg, Sophocles and Pericles (Oxford, 1954), 95-98, 145-49. 33. For good comments on the misunderstandings in this scene, see David Scale, Vision and Stagecraft in Sophocles (Chicago, 1982), 97-98. 17

INTRODUCTION 77/715-17 and 212-13/189-9o). But passion, not reason, now domi- nates,and no voice of calm and clarity will be heard again-until it A scene that opened with broad generalizations about obedience and submission ends with wild threats whose meaning will be revealed only later. Sensitive to any questioning of his authority Kreon misconstrues as a threat to his own person Haimon's promise that Antigone's death will kill someone else. When Haimon exits, the chorus comments The man has gone off quickly in his anger! The mind, at his age, can ecome weighed down by grief(826-27/766-67), unknowingly fore shadowing Haimon's probable meaning, suicide, for elsewhere in So- phokles the verb translated here as "he has gone, "beneke, often refers to death; and the mind"weighed down, or"heavy"or"resentful, ominous silent exit of Eurydike(1342/1256) however, remains impervious to criticism. Although he agrees to release Ismene, he continues with his intended execution of Antigone, and he ends with a cruel remark that"she'll learn at last what pointless waste of effort it is to worship what is down below with Hades"(840-42/ Eros is the subject of the immediately following ode love"in our sense but the dangerous, irresistible, elemental force of passion. The ode stands at the midpoint of the play and sets the tone for the rest. The irrational forces of the previous ode, on the sufferings in the house of Oidipous, now become dominant. Begun as an ode sung by the chorus, the Eros ode leads directly into a lengthy lyri exchange(known as a kommos)between the chorus and Antigone. Th ong echoes the play's opening exchange between Ismene and Antig one and to lesser extent, the debate between Kreon and Antigone, but it takes those previous exchanges to a new register of emotional inten- sity. Antigone now expresses the pathos of what it means to become Hades bride. " She will leave this world unlamented by any friends or family(935-41/876-82)-exactly the fate that she has tried to prevent for polyneikes at the cost of her life Still intimidated by Kreon, the chorus offers only grudging and fleet ing sympathy. 36 They cannot hold back their tears at the sight of the holars have thought that Kreon is present an stage during this ode, bu likely that he is there during Antigone's lament, which follows directly upon the ode: see the

INTRODUCTIO N 77 / 715-17 and 212-13 I 189-90). But passion, not reason, now domi￾nates, and no voice of calm and clarity will be heard again —until it is too late. A scene that opened with broad generalizations about obedience and submission ends with wild threats whose meaning will be revealed only later. Sensitive to any questioning of his authority, Kreon misconstrues as a threat to his own person Haimon's promise that Antigone's death will kill someone else.34 When Haimon exits, the chorus comments, "The man has gone off quickly in his anger! The mind, at his age, can become weighed down by grief (826-27 I 766-67), unknowingly fore￾shadowing Haimon's probable meaning, suicide, for elsewhere in So￾phokles the verb translated here as "he has gone," bebeke, often refers to death; and the mind "weighed down," or "heavy" or "resentful," foreshadows the ominous silent exit of Eurydike (1342 /1256).35 Kreon, however, remains impervious to criticism. Although he agrees to release Ismene, he continues with his intended execution of Antigone, and he ends with a cruel remark that "she'll learn at last what pointless waste of effort it is to worship what is down below with Hades" (840-42 / 779-80). Eros is the subject of the immediately following ode. Eros is not "love" in our sense but the dangerous, irresistible, elemental force of passion. The ode stands at the midpoint of the play and sets the tone for the rest. The irrational forces of the previous ode, on the sufferings in the house of Oidipous, now become dominant. Begun as an ode sung by the chorus, the Eros ode leads directly into a lengthy lyrical exchange (known as a kommos) between the chorus and Antigone. This song echoes the play's opening exchange between Ismene and Antig￾one and, to lesser extent, the debate between Kreon and Antigone, but it takes those previous exchanges to a new register of emotional inten￾sity. Antigone now expresses the pathos of what it means to become "Hades' bride." She will leave this world unlamented by any friends or family (935-41 / 876-82) — exactly the fate that she has tried to prevent for Polyneikes at the cost of her life. Still intimidated by Kreon, the chorus offers only grudging and fleet￾ing sympathy.36 They cannot hold back their tears at the sight of the 34. Haimon's threat at 811 / 751 is in fact left somewhat ambiguous, for at the end he does attack Kreon with his sword, presumably to kill him (1316-17 / 1232-34). 35. Cf. the similar ominous exit of lokasta in Oidipous Turannos, 1073-75, and the similar phrasing in the account of Deianeira's death in Trakhinian Women, 813-14 and 874-75. 36. Some scholars have thought that Kreon is present on stage during this ode, but it seems to us unlikely that he is there during Antigone's lament, which follows directly upon the ode: see the Note on 838-42 / 777-80. 18