Antigone by Sophocles

In continuance with my tradition of reading the books that my children are assigned I last night read Antigone. My daughter in her advanced English class was assigned this in seventh grade which seemed a little extreme to me.

Still when I read the story and commented on it to my wife, my daughter filled in all the blank spaces and clearly had got a great deal out of the book. She has a brand new teacher in her first assignment for English this year and certainly she has applied some new ideas and the class is learning a great deal.

The story is pretty simple but still timeless. In the story which is preceded in time by the story Oedipus Rex, Oedipus has discovered he has married his mother and so after the mayhem when he discovers his marriage and having a child with Jocosta his mother his kingdom is ruled by Creon. His daughter by his mother Antigone defies his ruling that her brother Polynices who died in battle with his onw brothe, Antigone's too, have his body left on the plain to rot denying him proper burial.

Antigone, following the main projection of the story, decides to follow what she perceives as divine law rather than mans law and thus buries her brother. Eventually this leads to her admitting her crime, not apologizing and being sentenced to death. Her admirier is Creon's son who fails to convince his father that his punishment is not the right thing.

In the end a traditional tragedy. Interestingly long before Jesus walked the Earth we have a story in which the choice between mans law and divine law is contrasted.

A very good story. A story that could be made into a movie today.