The life of Sophocles spanned the 6th Century BC of Greece from 496-406BC, 90 years is quite a life in 6th Century Greece. Ten years before his birth In 507BC, Athenian democracy was created under Cleisthenes dramatically altering the political and civic structure of Athens. At the age of 16, Sophocles would have witnessed the Athenian defeat of the Persians at the Battle of Salamis a major turning point in the Greco-Persian War, the war that gave us the film 300. At the time of the play in 421 or 422BC Athens was in a tense time of peace, having recently signed a treaty with Sparta in what would turn out to be only the first part of the Peloponnesian War.
1- When Sophocles wrote the play its intended purpose was a civic/religious performance. It was performed at the Festival of Dionysus, a 5 day festival of sacrifices, feasts, theater and games. More than mere entertainment, the plays were intended for a deeper social or existential reflection.
2-When the play was performed, there would still have been people alive who would have remembered the times before the democratic reforms, when family and clan ties were stronger. The reforms that created the shaky Athenian democracy were designed to weaken the aristocratic familial control of the city that had enabled a series of tyrants to control it. I have to imagine this feeds directly into the theme of the play dealing with the demands of the city which Creon represents against the loyalty to the family and tradition that Antigone represents.
3- I don’t know that Creon is absolutely a villain. While his active choices lead to the final tragedy, the play reads like the warnings of a tragic hero to the leaders of Athens. He seems to have a desire for peace and stability in the city, though he doesn’t take advice well.
4- Creon as a reflection of Antigone? They are both stubborn and resistant to challenges to their opposite points of view, driving the plot into its catastrophic conclusion.
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