Philosophy and Literature

Antigone may be the most studied character in Greek tragedy. Ostensibly, Creon is the tragic hero of the play bearing her name, but it is she who is the more interesting and controversial figure. The key to appreciating the ideas Sophocles investigates lies in the now-famous but cryptic fire-walking passage, beginning at line 615. This essay explores an interpretation of the play that sees this passage as central, and provides a way of understanding Antigone's perplexing behavior. It presents Sophocles as savvily exploiting an ambiguity in the text to investigate the nature of atē through the character of Antigone, and also to examine the nature of choice.