Tiresias' Monologue in Antigone Essay Sample

In the monologue where Tiresias shares his grim prophecy regarding Kreon’s punishment for instigating many deaths, the passage develops the idea that truth without kindness leads to brutality as demonstrated through the symbolisms Tiresias uses to inform Kreon of his fate. To start, Tiresias, Kreon’s trusted prophet, prophesizes that Kreon will “trade a child born from [his] loins” in exchange for the individuals whose “deaths [he had] caused” (Sophocles 1178-1179). Here, the child symbolizes the merciless exchange that is the result of the suffering Kreon inflicts on others. To add on, Tiresias employs pathos by emphasizing that the child Kreon loses will be his own, leading to Kreon’s soon-to-be heartbrokenness. Tiresias is truthfully informing Kreon of his future loss, but the lack of kindness within his words shows Kreon’s emotions no mercy. After further accusing Kreon of wrongdoing and insisting Hades will punish him for refusing Antigone and Polyneikes a proper burial, Tiresias reveals that “wailing” will soon break out among “the women and men in [Kreon’s] own house” (1194-1195). Here, the wailing represents the physical and mental agony Kreon brings his loved ones with his decision to kill Antigone, a decision resulting in the death of Kreon’s son and his wife. Additionally, the mention of Kreon’s “own house” symbolizes betrayal, as the people he trusted have turned against him. These symbols are examples of Tiresias’s harshness, confirming that nobody is on Kreon’s side. To follow, Tiresias openly declares that many will soon despise Kreon, who degrades individuals by having them “receive their rites of burial from [wild animals]”, leaving their bodies to rot in the wilderness (1197-1200). These wild animals symbolize Kreon’s cruelty as a ruler. Determined to uphold his definitions of loyalty and honor, he will go to the extreme of demanding a person’s murder to do so. Kreon thriving off of others’ murder parallels wild animals thriving eating human corpses. Meanwhile, Tiresias utilizes pathos, seeking to make Kreon feel guilty by presenting the horrendous death he has confined many to. Overall, Tiresias’s hatred for Kreon’s heinous actions is evident through his use of symbolism, revealing no sympathy, only truth. To conclude his monologue, Tiresias informs Kreon that he has provoked “the arrows [Tiresias has] shot in anger”, which are “arrows that [Kreon] cannot dodge” (1202-1204). These arrows symbolize fate, and the mention of Kreon’s inability to avoid the arrows reflects the concept of being tied to fate. Employing symbolism, Tiresias uses his prophecies to narrate the sufferings in store for Kreon, reminding him that he is bound to his destiny. This is the ultimate example of Tiresias’s lack of kindness, his brutal truths discouraging Kreon from attempting to outrun his punishment. To conclude, Tiresias’s prophecies informing Kreon of his future prove that truth without kindness leads to brutality, as Tiresias speaks the truth when sharing his prophecies, but his lack of remorse for Kreon leads to harshness within his words.