he death of many. Creon discounts Teiresias’ prophesies as “fortune telling” and dismisses him.The climax of the play is when Tieresias leaves Creon after the confrontation. Creon finally realizes that he has offended the gods and has to make amends in order to save himself and Thebes. He runs off to try to save Antigone from the stone prison she has been placed in.Creon arrives at the stone tomb to find his son crying at the foot of Antigon who has hung herself. Haimon lashes out weakly with his sword toward Creon as Creon side-steps the blow. Then Haimon drives the sword right into himself and dies. While Creon is still at the scene a messenger goes to the castle and tells his wife, Euridice, that her son is dead. She rushes off into the castle and takes her life with a knife. Creon arrives back at the castle to find his wife dead. Creon is beside himself with grief and realizes that he killed his son and wife. The chorus leads Creon into the house and tells the audience: “There is no happiness where there is no wisdom; No wisdom but in submission to the gods. Big words are always punished, And proud men in old age learn to be wise” (Sophocles 441 B.C.). This summarizes the theme of the play. Creon committed hubris by not allowing Polyneices to be buried. He denied the gods their access to Polyneices after death. Creon was fortunate he realized his mistake in time to make an act of contrition and, possibly, save himself and the city further disaster. Works CitedSophocles, “Antigone.” Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. Kennedy, X. J. and Gioia, Dana. New York: Longman, 1999....
