Tell your good lords that I will bury him If none will help me. If it be dangerous To bury mine own brother, I am ready! Shame have I none for this rebellion!
~ ‘The Seven Against Thebes’ by Aeschylus (G. M. Cookson translation. p38. line 1032)
The last part set the stage for the fight, where each of the seven gates had a warrior to match the warrior on the other side, with Eteocles and Polynices at the seventh gate. Eteocles goes to fight in spite of the warnings from others. The fighting is not depicted in the play. A messenger comes in a little while later to announce that both the brothers killed themselves. We get to know more details about the curse on the family. Oedipus’s father was not supposed to have offspring, but he has, and Oedipus ends up killing his father and marrying his mother, who, when she comes to know, kills herself, and Oedipus blinds himself. Now, both his sons are dead. The Chorus and the sisters of Eteocles and Polynices, Antigone and Ismene, are overcome with grief and lament the deaths. A herald arrives and declares the mandate from the Governors that Eteocles is to be buried with honors, but Polynices’ body is to be thrown out of the city walls. Antigone opposes the decree, saying that she will bury Polynices with honors. The herald is outraged and surprised, asking whether she would flout the authority. The play concludes with more lamentations from the Chorus. The first half decides to go with Antigone to bury Polynices, and the second half with Eteocles’ corpse, saying that he saved the city of Cadmus from ruin.
Antigone defying the official decree and wanting to bury Polynices with honors required a lot of courage and conviction. Polynices was considered a traitor and someone who tried to destroy the city. So, the popular sentiment is against him. But Antigone is not able to let go of her love and sense of duty to her brother. It made me think that what a person believes in can be at odds with the law of the land in many instances. The belief system of humans is so varied, and a person’s belief system may be dependent not only on myriads of experiences they have had but also on all the people they are connected to. Love of kin and religious convictions are very powerful forces.