Todd's close reading

(pg 92) In this passage Creon is telling us his view on how he should run his state. He is doing this because he is trying to explain to his son Haemon why Antigone must be put to death for her traitorous actions. Antigone disobeyed Creon and buried her brother, Polynices, who was a traitor to the state. Creon exclaims that anarchy is the greatest crime on earth. This is significant because here Creon is saying that the state and its well-being are the most important things in the world. This implies that Creon believes that the state and its laws are more important than the family and the ‘unwritten’ laws that people are meant to abide by to appease the gods. Creon then says that “she destroys cities” and is responsible for all sorts of chaos. Although he is equating Antigone and her actions to that of an anarchist, he is also saying that women are the cause of all that can go wrong with the state. This brings up the idea that in this play, men represent the city and its laws while women represent the family and the law of the gods. Creon exclaims to Haemon to never be triumphed by women. This again has dual meaning. On one hand this implies that Haemon should never let his feelings for a girl control his actions. On the other hand Creon is telling his son to never allow family and the law of the gods interfere with the law of the state and the health of the city. Creon goes on to say that it is better to lose power to another city and to their men than to lose power by succumbing to the unwritten laws that women uphold. In this passage, Creon is ultimately equating women and the family to anarchy and chaos, things that destroy cities. However, I find this degradation of the family and the unwritten laws hypocritical because earlier in this speech Creon exalts these very principles as a reason why his son should be loyal to him.