(Enter Creon, followed by servants)
Creon: Now, servants, listen to me. Use your axes to set Antigone free. Hurry! For the gods are angry
with me and I must right my wrongs.
Servant #1: (nervously) King, would she not be dead before we arrive?
Creon: She is living; I guarantee. It has been but two days, and I had left food that would prevent death
for many more.
(Servants nod and begin to chip away at the vault. Enter Haemon.)
Haemon: Father, you have come to your senses at last.
Creon: This is no place for you, Haemon. Why have you come here?
Haemon: I have heard from several servants that the woman who has broken your law is to be freed. I have
come to see if this is true.
Creon: Yes, it is true. Teiresias has foreseen misfortune in my future should I ignore his request of
Antigone’s freedom.
Haemon: (accusingly) So you have learned nothing? You still only have a mind for yourself?
Servant #1: Ah King! We have broken through! You were right! Look, Antigone sleeps on her couch of stone.
Her side rises and falls with each breath. She is indeed alive!
Creon: (Ignores Haemon’s remark. Speaks to servants) Go into to vault and wake her. Escort
her out and lead her to town, for she is free and forgiven.
Haemon: (angrily) She is not the one in need of forgiveness, Father. It is you. Go into the vault
yourself and offer an apology.
Creon: Who are you to talk to me in such a way? You would do well to remember that I am your king. Alright,
I will go. As will you.
(Enter stone vault. Antigone sits up and faces them)
Creon: Antigone, my niece. I have come with my son to release you from this chamber.
(Creon pauses. Haemon glares and urges him to go on)
Creon: I regret the unfortunate circumstances of the past several days.
Haemon: Circumstance?! You threw her into a stone vault for following the gods’ law! You put yourself
above the gods’ law! And here you do not even apologize for this? One more wrong to add to your generous supply.
Creon: How quickly you disregard my actions today. Have you forgotten I have pardoned her? The gods have
made their will clear. I shall not defy them again.
Antigone: So you come to my aid just to ensure the gods will smile upon your own fate? I do not want your
halfhearted help. Listen to me; when you sealed me in here I was not afraid. I thought, ‘This is the moment when the
gods expect me to beg for help. But I have done them no wrong. Unlike my uncle, my hands are clean. I honored their laws.
When I die, I will be welcomed.’ I believed this and did not cry out. I accepted the consequences of my decision to
bury my brother Polynices.
Creon: Do you not appreciate me letting you go?
Antigone: You did it out of fear for yourself. Thoughts of me mean nothing, and nothing, Creon, gets you
nothing.
Creon: I can admit now that all I have done in the past, I have done for my own good. I gave nothing in
return. All you gave to your brother’s soul, you gave freely. If I can admit this, am I still worthless? I ask you to
forgive all the days I owe you.
Antigone: Have you buried Polynices?
Creon: I have not. I came directly to you.
Antigone: Then you have done me no favor.
Creon: (to Haemon) I have done what the gods have asked. I have unsealed her vault. I have offered
her an apology. Still she will not leave. Let us go, I have done all that I will.
Haemon: Antigone, get up and I will take you to your sister Ismene. She has been frantic over your absence.
It will relieve her to see you alive and well.
Antigone: I will go nowhere.
Creon: Then I leave you here. The gods cannot be angry with me now, for I have done what they asked.
Your life no longer is in my control. I am free of fault from here on.
Haemon: No, Father, you are wrong. The gods wanted you and Antigone to be at peace with one another. Until
that is achieved, they will curse you and your home. This includes me as well. I beg you to listen to her; for your family’s
sake.
Creon: What is it you want, Antigone?
Antigone: Peace for my brother Polynices. Listen to me; this is what I ask. Go to his body which has been
left out for the dogs. Pray in that place to Hectate and Pluto for them to be merciful. Bathe him with holy water. Bring Fresh-broken
branches to burn what was left of his body, and bury the urn beneath a fitting mound of earth. This is all I ask of you.
UPDATE
Creon: (sarcastic) That is all?
Haemon: (to Creon) After all you have done, how can anything be enough?
Antigone: To ask more would be selfish. A proper burial is all I desire.
Creon: (to servants outside listening) You have head her. Go and do as she asks.
Antigone: Creon, I ask you to go as well.
Creon: And should I refuse?
Haemon: Father, do as she says. It is but a woman’s request. What harm is it to you?
Creon: (sighs) If the gods will rid me of her, I will go.
(Exit Creon)
Haemon: When your brother Polynices is buried with honor, andhis spirit is permitted to rest, what will
you do?
Antigone: I can do nothing. Creon thinks of me as a peace offering to the gods. Something he can hand
over and be done with. He will look down on me, and I will live in his shadow.
Haemon: But the people believe you to be a martyr; your actions honorable. The surely will not cast you
aside. They will raise you to the sun; can you not see how bright you will shine?
Antigone: Creon will wet my wick before my flame can ever be lit. He will boast and say: ‘Look here,
I have done what you asked. She is free.’ And they will praise him.
Haemon: The people will not be fooled so easily. They are not blind; they will see through his false claims.
Antigone: People see what they want, and what they want is a king who sees reason. They will say; ‘Ah
King! Your heart has grown. Let us rejoice and raise a glass to your health, for you have given Antigone hers.’
Haemon: What you speak may be true, but I can try to sway him. I am his son, he will listen to me. I will
ask that you be married to me as planned. Then you will be treated like the royalty that you were- are-once again.
Antigone: What kind of a life is a life indebted wholly to your husband?
Haemon: It is better than no life at all.
Antigone: I have half a mind to join Polynices and Eteocles.
Haemon: (pales) You do not seriously think that!
Antigone: Who are you to tell me what I think?
Haemon: (awkward silence) Someone who is worried about you. Someone who loves you.
Antigone: You may think you do, but you do not. It is just the fear of being alone.
Haemon: (nervous laugh) You have me mistaken for my father.
Antigone: Alright, what I said was unfair. But believe what I say, Creon does not feel for me or my loss.
Henceforth he will come to hold his false charity over me.
Haemon: (irritably) That I can see.
Antigone: I will not give him that satisfaction. I would rather be dead than live indebted to a man who
could not care less of me.
Haemon: But would you leave me so easily?
Antigone: Haemon, you have done me no wrong. I regret hurting you in the process of doing what is right.
Haemon: (sadly) And how could your death be what is right?
UPDATE
Antigone: Haemon, go and make sure your father gives my brother Polynices the burial he deserves. Do not
come back to this place, for you will not like what you find.
Haemon: (defeated) You have my word your brother will be properly buried. I can not promise you
I will not return.
Antigone: There is no point in you returning. I will be gone.
Haemon: I will follow you anywhere.
Antigone: You do not want to follow me. My destination is death.
Haemon: As is mine. A life without you would be worse than death.
Antigone: I can not let you that.
Haemon: Then we will run. Far. Away from Creon and his ways.
Antigone: My life was destined to be ruined. My father cursed my family. Do not twist your life into mine.
Haemon: It is far too late for that. Now, I will go and see that Polynices’ spirit has been honored.
I will return for you, and follow you to wherever it is you decide. Death or life, I will follow.
My place is here; I fight with you.
_____________________________________________
END
