Pre-AP Theatre: "Antigone," Excerpt 2, Pre-AP Theater

These are the principles
I’ll use in order to protect our state.

That’s why I’ve announced to all citizens
my orders for the sons of Oedipus—
Eteocles, who perished in the fight
to save our city, the best and bravest
of our spearmen, will have his burial,
with all those purifying rituals
which accompany the noblest corpses,
as they move below.

As for his brother—
that Polyneices, who returned from exile,
eager to wipe out in all-consuming fire
his ancestral city and its native gods,
keen to seize upon his family’s blood
and lead men into slavery—for him,
the proclamation in the state declares
he’ll have no burial mound, no funeral rites,
and no lament.

As for his brother—
that Polyneices, who returned from exile,
eager to wipe out in all-consuming fire
his ancestral city and its native gods,
keen to seize upon his family’s blood
and lead men into slavery—for him,
the proclamation in the state declares
he’ll have no burial mound, no funeral rites,
and no lament.

As for his brother—
that Polyneices, who returned from exile,
eager to wipe out in all-consuming fire
his ancestral city and its native gods,
keen to seize upon his family’s blood
and lead men into slavery—for him,
the proclamation in the state declares
he’ll have no burial mound, no funeral rites,
and no lament.

Anyone who’s well disposed towards our state,
alive or dead, that man I will respect.

Don’t yield to those who contravene my orders.

Don’t yield to those who contravene my orders.

My mind was saying many things to me,
“You fool, why go to where you know for sure
your punishment awaits?”—“And now, poor man,
why are you hesitating yet again?
If Creon finds this out from someone else,
how will you escape being hurt?” Such matters
kept my mind preoccupied.

And so I went,
slowly and reluctantly, and thus made
a short road turn into a lengthy one.

For I’ve come here
clinging to the hope that I’ll not suffer
anything that’s not part of my destiny.

You hedge so much.
Clearly you have news of something ominous.

You hedge so much.
Clearly you have news of something ominous.

The corpse was hidden, but not in a tomb.
It was lightly covered up with dirt,
as if someone wanted to avert a curse.

Every one of us was responsible,
but none of us was clearly in the wrong.
In our defence we pleaded ignorance.

He said we must report this act to you—
we must not hide it. And his view prevailed.

They shake their heads and have not kept their necks
under my yoke, as they are duty bound to do
if they were men who are content with me.

I well know that these guards were led astray—
such men urged them to carry out this act
for money.

To foster evil actions,
to make them commonplace among all men,
nothing is as powerful as money.

To foster evil actions,
to make them commonplace among all men,
nothing is as powerful as money.

Money trains and twists the minds in worthy men,
so they then undertake disgraceful acts.

Money teaches men to live as scoundrels,
familiar with every profane enterprise.

Money teaches men to live as scoundrels,
familiar with every profane enterprise.

Money teaches men to live as scoundrels,
familiar with every profane enterprise.

That way you’ll understand in future days,
when there’s a profit to be gained from theft,
you’ll learn that it’s not good to be in love
with every kind of monetary gain.

Well, enjoy your sophisticated views.

But if you don’t reveal to me who did this,
you’ll just confirm how much your treasonous gains
have made you suffer.

This time, against all hope and expectation,
I’m still unhurt.