Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Antigone: Dutiful Princess or Horrendous Traitor?

It was yesterday that a most astounding action occurred: Polyneices, nephew of King Creon and known traitor, was discovered buried. A palace sentry reported the news hours after the body was found. King Creon had just the previous day declared that no one should give the estranged prince a proper burial due to his great betrayal of Thebes. Polyneices had been exiled to Argos after losing the battle for the crown with his brother Ecolycles, but came back with a vengeance, not to mention an army of five thousand strong. A one on one battle between the two princes resulted on both perishing on the other's sword.
To catch the perpetrator of this crime, the palace sentries set a trap. Lo and behold, this scheme worked like a charm. However, the person caught was someone nobody thought would do such a thing as disobey the king: Antigone, princess of Thebes!
Following her capture at her brother's grave site, Antigone was thrown before the king and accused of her crime. She had no apparent wish to save her own life, but acknowledged the charges and confessed her actions to the entire room. She stated that she thought it was her duty to give her brother post-mortem rights. The king scoffed at her words and bade the guards to bring in Antigone's sister Inmene. She, too, acknowledge the burial of Polyneices and owned that she had been in on the plot to bury him.
Both are awaiting a punishment of death... perhaps worse.

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