Antigonick is Anne Carson's interpretation of Sophocles' ancient tragedy. The themes remain the same as well as the characters, and Carson chooses to enhance the story by using what feels like personal interpretations of the Chorus and Eurydike the Queen. Antigonick is the daughter of King Oedipus and brother to the slain brothers Polyneikes and Eteokles. She stands for the morality of humanity within the context of the play, and for the spiritual life of man while Kreon represents the reason that was held in such high esteem by the Greek culture.
This is a main conflict within the play as Kreon's reasoning does not lead him to believe that burying Polyneikes is the best course of action (by not doing so he is depriving the man of burial rights and entry to the afterlife). Kreon's reasoning is motivated by his political agenda which is to regain full control of the Theban people. That is most important to him, above the spiritual, above honor and morality, above family. We see this played out when he sentences Antigonick to death, and rather than recall his edict to save his son's love he stands firm in his belief that what he is doing is the highest right.
Kreon is protagonist for the city in a way that he seeks to set it on track to grow from where it came, but he is antagonist to the new way, the morality and respect for the spiritual life that Oedipus to his death sought after. It is not truth that Kreon is after but order. And in that he loses all that is beloved to him and changes from a man that protected his family to one who busies himself about his kingdom. Welcome to Greek Tragedy.
