ANTIGONE

And when Eteocles took the throne last year, he was supposed to
give it to Polyneices this year. He didn t, he wouldn t step
down. He broke his word, he started it—

ISMENE
He started it? Antigone, they re not third graders. People died
because of Polyneices.

ANTIGONE
People died on both sides. That s how war works.

ISMENE
An example has to be made. Otherwise the war will never end.
There will always be someone with a bomb unless they see the
consequences, see his body rotting there, see it.

ANTIGONE
(cold)
I see.

ISMENE
Do you?

ANTIGONE
I see you re not going to help me.

ISMENE
What do you mean?

ANTIGONE
Our brother will never rest, the gods themselves will turn their
noses from the stench of his corpse, if we leave him unburied.

ISMENE
What do you mean “we”?

ANTIGONE
Who else will do it?

ISMENE
You can t mean you want to bury him?

ANTIGONE
Why else would I have asked you to meet me here?

6
 ISMENE
Antigone, Antigone, no. Now, this isn t a joke—

ANTIGONE
You re right—

ISMENE
I know you loved Polyneices, I know he was your favorite—

ANTIGONE
No. I loved Eteocles more. Polyneices was horrible to me. But he
was my brother.

ISMENE
The sentence is death. You know Creon. He doesn t play around.

ANTIGONE
You won t help me.

ISMENE
I mean, he probably wouldn t have you killed, you re his niece,
but I know he d arrest you, put you in prison—

ANTIGONE
No. He ll have me killed. He loves the law more than he loves
me. More than he loves anyone.

ISMENE
And don t you love the law? Don t you love our city? The peace
and prosperity that law has made?

ANTIGONE
The law serves the people. Not the other way around. The law is
supposed to protect justice. An unjust law should be overthrown,
even if it makes some people peaceful and prosperous.

ISMENE
Those are very nice words Antigone, but we re talking about
prison, we re talking about death, even.

ANTIGONE
And that s why I m going to stop talking and do something.

ISMENE
Why us? Why does it always have to be us? Why is our family
always in the crosshairs?

7
 ANTIGONE
We are the house of Atreus, the royal family of Thebes—

ISMENE
First our father, Oedipus the great, Oedipus the king. Oedipus
the blind and the stupid and the exiled. Our mother, who killed
herself when she learned his true identity. And now our
brothers, dead by the other s hand. When is it enough?

ANTIGONE
All right. I understand.

ISMENE
Antigone, please—

ANTIGONE
No, I m not angry. You re right. We ve had a hard life. Mourned
the loss of our mother; wandered, exiled with our blind father;
lived through war and chaos. We shouldn t have to suffer more.

ISMENE
Thank you. Thank you for understanding—

ANTIGONE
So I ll do it myself.

ISMENE
Antigone, no, that s not—

ANTIGONE
I don t need your help. I can carry a shovel and say the prayers
on my own. I can die on my own.

ISMENE
You won t—

ANTIGONE
I will. I know Creon as well as you. He s going to kill me—

ISMENE
He can t—

ANTIGONE
And I shall rest, rest with both my brothers, both my brothers—

ISMENE
Listen to yourself, all these words, just words—

8
 ANTIGONE
Not for long.

ISMENE
Look, think of Haemon, Haemon, he loves you—

ANTIGONE
He ll… I can t. I m not strong enough—

ISMENE
He loves you.

ANTIGONE
I can t think of him. I can t face leaving him too.

ISMENE
Then don t! Listen, I m older than you, I m smarter than you,
you were always impulsive, impatient—

ANTIGONE
Then make an argument! Please! Explain to me why it is right
that a brother s soul should wander eternally. Eternally.
Explain why fairness, and love, and the will of the gods should
be thrown under the wheels of the government. Please, explain to
me, give me some reason. Do you think I want to die?

ISMENE
(this hits her)
I… Antigone… I…
(pause)
I m so sorry Antigone. You re right. I wish I could help you. I
wish I was brave enough to help you.

ANTIGONE
Me too. Just, please, don t tell anyone. They… they ll find out
soon enough.

ISMENE
You don t have to do this.

ANTIGONE
I do though. I do.

(ANTIGONE exits. ISMENE watches her go,

shivering. The CHORUS enters. They
illustrate the following through dance)