Antigone:

Haemon to Creon, li. 788-90:

"Now don't, please, be quite so single-minded, self-involved, or assume the world is wrong and you are right."

Tiresias to Creon, li. 1139-41:

"Stubbornness brands you for stupidity--pride is a crime. No, yield to the dead! Never stab the fighter when he's down. Where's the glory, killing the dead twice over?"

Chrous leader to all, li. 1389-92:

"The king himself! Coming toward us, look, holding the boy's head in his hands. Clear, damning proof . . . of his own madness, no one else's."

Creon to chorus, li. 1460-63:

"Take me away, I beg you, out of sight. A rash, indiscriminate fool! I murdered you, my son, against my will--you too, my wife . . ."

Thesis Article #3 - Summary:

"Polis and Tragedy in the Antigone"

- Philip Holt
(Mnemosyne, 52 (6): 658-690. Retrieved Apr 28, 2008 from EBSCOhost Academic Search Complete)

    Holt has written a very insightful piece concerning the way that ancient Athenians, attending the first showing of Antigone around 440 B.C., would have viewed the play’s characters and their actions.  He starts by setting the societal stage of the times, emphasizing the important role the polis played, and the great extent to which it triumphed all other aspects of live, including family and religion.  Also important is the fact that, unlike modern times, Greek citizens of Sophocles’ time would not likely feel alienated by their government, making them less likely to condone behavior that goes against the establishment, such as Antigone’s.
    Holt alerts readers to the fact that Athenian legal principles strictly forbade burial rites of traitors, something that Polynices clearly was.  As a result, Creon’s initial position would seem very credible to ancient Athenians.  However, this position is gradually eroded throughout the course of the play, with dwindling support from the chorus and instances where Creon is found to be in error, such as blaming the guard for burying Eteocles.  With all the emotional turmoil Creon’s edict is shown to cause, the ruler remains steadfast, swaying the viewer to align more with Antigone, even though her actions were blatantly illegal.
    In closing, Holt proposes that, in reality, ancient Athenians, while watching the play, most likely shed some of their rigid convictions about the importance of the polis and their approval of not burying traitors.  After all, Antigone would have been presented during a festival, much like that of Mardi Gras, where people take a break from the real world and just enjoy themselves.  Throughout his article, Holt provides a look at how Antigone would have been perceived by ancient audiences and uses lthis to challenge commonly held notions about its main characters, making for a very well-rounded analysis of the tragedy.

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