Introduction to Chorus in Antigone
This choral ode falls after the second episode and is full of praise for human beings when it comes to analyzing the role of the chorus in Antigone. It dilates upon the achievements of human beings saying that man has tamed everything that nature has offered to him, everything is in reference to Antigone by Sophocles. However, the point of contention is between different translators, as far as I can see, for some have used the word “strangest” such as Fitzgerald, some others as “frightful or terrible” and George Theodoridis has used “wonder” but coming out of this polemics, the play Antigone supports all the reasons given in the ode even the last one that is the opinion of the democratically minded public of the city of Thebes. The points that the play supports through this chorus in Antigone are the inventiveness of human wisdom and language, his growth as a social animal, and his capricious nature of having the ability to commit both good and evil acts.
Wisdom and Chorus in Antigone
The ode dilates upon the wisdom of man starting from “Wonders abound in this world yet no wonder is greater than man. None! / Through the wild white of a frenzied sea and through the screaming northerlies beneath him and through all the furious storms around him, through all this, man can pass!” (Antigone 332-335) that enumerates further how he has harvested the sea, catches the net and this is only because of the skillfulness of man. It further elaborates how man’s wisdom have done wonders in this world and this is what the blind seer Tiresias supports “What I’m trying to tell you, Creon, is that man’s best endowment is wisdom” (1042) at the end when he asks Creon to be reasonable and control his emotions under his intellectual capability so that he could be inventive about his own nature. Chorus also supports this point presented by Tiresias that we should use wisdom in these arguments. Above all it is the speech and thought that the man has learnt to use in each case. For example, just see how Creon has changed from Oedipus the King to Antigone. In Oedipus the King, he is patient. He uses every word not before carefully weighing the implications they might have. However, here he is not only rash but also impatient and uses whatever he wants to say not considering the height of his emotions. Just see his inventiveness in that he gives his own command respect that should be given to divine laws and he calls his command a divine law and consent of the gods that Antigone is not ready to accept as she states “Hades, however seeks similar laws for all” (529) where she wants equal laws in this world as well and he very masterly amalgamates it within the divine ambit saying “Whereas he who violates the laws of the gods and his city, or wants to command its leaders, will never gain my respect” (666) which is a sign of his wisdom that according to the chorus in Antigone he has achieved as it says;
“And man has learnt speech and thought, swifter than the wind he mastered
And learnt to govern his cities well.”
And the laughing matter is that he does not care who violates the law though he himself is violating the golden principle of moderation. He is going to the extremes in both ways in reasoning as well as in using his own speech to attribute it to the god. This he is doing to avoid death of his son, his own downfall in the city. Hence, he turns against Antigone but when Chorus also sides her argument, how cunningly comes to the point to save his son as ode points it out;
“And though his wisdom is great in discovery -wisdom beyond all imaginings!
Yet one minute it turns to ill the next again to good.” (352-354)
And this is the view of the populace to which the chorus is representing here.
Social Growth of Mankind and Chorus in Antigone
The next argument is human social growth as how the city of Thebes has turned into a civic society with divine laws at work as given in the chorus in Antigone. The word law has been repeated several times with different connotations. The command Creon issues to put Antigone to death and refuses for the burial rights to her brother that the ode refers to “But whoever honors the laws of his land and his sworn oaths to the gods, he’ll bring glory to his city” 374) also becomes law. This is the right path that he insists he is on until the end when he says “I am afraid! It’s best to live by ancient laws, the laws which apply to all!” (1115) Although there is a difference in interpretations that he makes and Antigone and the chorus makes. The choral ode does not accept his interpretation here as claims by Creon and this is the same point that Antigone insists on when she states that “These are the laws our Lord Creon has decreed for us two, Ismene! “ (32). She carries on; “Yes, because this was not a law decreed by Zeus, nor by Zeus’ daughter, Justice, who rules with the gods of the Underworld. Nor do I believe that your decrees have the power to override those unwritten and immutable laws decreed by the gods. These are laws which were decreed neither yesterday nor today but from a time when no man saw their birth; they are eternal! How could I be afraid to disobey laws decreed by any man when I know that I’d have to answer to the gods below if I had disobeyed the laws written by the gods after I died? I knew that my death was imminent, of course I did and even if it came sooner, I would still think it a good thing because when one lives in such a dreadful misery why should he not think death to be a good thing?” (449-463). Even she is not alone in thinking this. The chorus is afraid of the commands of the king and that is why does not say explicitly what she is saying but says it in the ode clearly. This is the same arrogance that led Oedipus to devastation and this is the same path that Creon has chosen here which is quite contrary to the social evolution of the society but of course, it is the ingenuity of the human mind that he mixes it up into the divine laws. The glory does not lie in obeying the king the chorus in Antigone says, but evolution and progressing evolution lie in the laws inherent in the holiness of the divine blessings.
Human Nature and Chorus in Antigone
The third point is the capriciousness of human nature that has both abilities to commit errors. First, there is a clear reference to Oedipus when Tiresias comes and he points out the mistake committed by Creon who berates him for behaving in an arrogant manner. The chorus comments on this by saying “The arrogant man, on the other hand, the man who strays from the righteous path is lost to his city. / Let that man never stay under the same roof as me or even be acquainted by me!” (370-372). The veiled reference is to the arrogance of Creon in insisting that what he says has divine blessings. It is what the laws of the land say. He states, “We must obey those whom the city has ordained to be its leaders. / We should obey them, unquestioningly, in all things, minor or great, those we agree with and those we oppose” (668-670) and again states the same thing “Yet, it’s impossible to understand the soul, the mind, the wisdom of any man before he’s tested by the great power and laws” (181-183). However, it does not mean that there is no evolution in the common man as the chorus states again “You said it yourself quite rightly: he who thinks that he’s the only one with a brain or a tongue or a soul, if you open him up you’ll find that he’s a hollow man. On the contrary, it is no shame for even a wise man to continue learning” (694-697) using words cautiously that a man is in the process of learning despite making so much progress and there is no shame in it but this is the arrogance and the pride in having power that obstructs this learning. This is an endorsement of the theory by Sophocles that man has found ways to defy gods through amalgamating his own words within the divine laws and interfering with the holiness of the laws. However, it could also be interpreted as free will by which a man comes to his own downfall like Creon whose arrogance in stating that what he says is good and not evil leads to his own downfall, death of his son and his wife. He has done the same as Oedipus has done after reaching the zenith. In one way, this is also a critique of human life that could go up by good deeds and come to downfall by the evil deed committed by the same person. In fact, chorus is also witness to the downfall of Oedipus from such a great height and now of Creon for the same reason. Hence, the ode is a sequel to the final ode of Oedipus the King exactly a la chorus in Antigone.
Works Cited
Relevant Questions about the Chorus in Antigone
- What is the role and function of the chorus in “Antigone,” and how does it contribute to the overall structure and dramatic impact of the play?
- How does the chorus’s perspective on the events and characters in “Antigone” evolve throughout the play, and what does this evolution reveal about the shifting moral and political dynamics in the story?
- Can you identify any specific choral odes or moments in “Antigone” where the chorus’s commentary or reflections on the actions of the characters provide insight into the deeper themes and conflicts of the play?