Frances Wong

English 110
Professor Lacker
November 14, 2023
Painful History

Family history haunts the past of our ancestors and the actions of theirs that shape who

you are and how you act. Intellect, power, and morals are all shaped by the ones that raise us. In

Antigone by Sophacles and True West by Sam Shepard, generational trauma plays a role in

the actions of our characters. The deeds of Antigone’s family cause her to break orders and lead

to her demise. Similarity, in True West by Sam Shepard, Austin and Lee’s personalities reflect

their parents, and even when they try to break free, they instead drag each other into each other’s

downfall. In Antigone by Sophacles and True West by Sam Shepard, generational trauma

hinders a character's progression through life and negatively affects their viewpoint of the people

around them.

Antigone is a play featuring Creon, the new king of Thebus, and Antigone, the former

princess. The legacy Antigone has is full of misfortune. Her father, Opedius, married his mother

and had children with her. It is also revealed that the person he killed on his walk was the former

king. In addition, her brother is a traitor because he fought against Thebes in the civil war known

as the Seven Against Thebes. During this time, the Greeks buried their family to ensure a

peaceful transition to the afterlife and to avoid the gods' wrath. However, Polynices, Antigone's

brother, was a traitor, and as such, his punishment was to be denied the opportunity to be buried.

The play begins with Antigone pleading with her sister Ismene to help bury her traitor brother

Polynices. She believes that although her brother committed a crime, he was still human and

deserved a proper burial. However, Ismene is against this idea, stating, “I must obey the ones
who stand in power. Why rush to extremes?" (Sophacles 4) Antigone is not caught the first time

she buries her brother, but she is more rash the second time, crying while burying her brother.

“There, we saw the girl! When she sees the corpse, she bursts into a long, shattering wail. And

she scoops up dry dust. She crowns the dead.” (Sophacles 16) To see how her family is being

treated after their deaths makes Anitgone mourn. Her family's misfortune continues to plague

them even in the afterlife. If her brother isn't kept buried, he won't be protected from the gods,

and his transition to the afterlife would be painful. Her family has already suffered enough; it is

not right for them to suffer for eternity. When Anigone is caught, she defends her actions. “But it

was his brother, not some slave, that died... no matter—death longs for the same rites for all.”

(Sophacles 20) Although Antigone’s speech sways the attendants, Creon wants to assert power.

If Antigone were a male, the story would be about a brave, courageous man who buries their

brother, but instead Antigone is a woman. Women are “underlings, ruled by much stronger

hands.” (Sophacles 4) To be a woman is to be weak, so if word gets out that Antigone buried her

brother, Creon would look weak as a ruler, so he gives Antigone a harsher punishment. Antigone

was supposed to be starved to death while imprisoned in a cave, but the prophet Tiresias suggests

that King Creon release Antigone from the cave because doing so would bring misfortune upon

him. Finally, we learn that Antigone hung herself and the prince, and that Antigone's finance

committed suicide. Antigone defied Creon's punishment by killing herself, thereby reducing his

power.

True West takes place in a suburban home, featuring the main characters Austin and Lee.

They are the typical “bad and good” brother duo. Austin, the smart, nerdy, weak one, and Lee,

the adventurous thief, start off the play, preparing a play for a producer. It is clear Austin didn’t

want Lee in the house while he met the producer because he offered Lee his car to get him out of
the house. “Look, if I loan you my car, will you have it back here by six?” (Shepard14) However,

during the producer's visit, Lee comes home and intervenes, proposing a story. Austin and Lee’s

power struggle is apparent when the producer chooses Lee’s idea. The producer even tells Austin

that Lee has “raw talent.” (Shepard 36) Austin has been working to be a screenwriter for the

majority of his life. He has ambition. Lee’s impulsiveness causes him to have nothing he has

worked for. Even when he stole the show from Austin, he was being impulsive; he didn’t “want”

to be a screenwriter, but he didn't want Austin to have the chance he wanted. “I have to go with

my instincts, my gut reaction.” (Shepard 37) The dynamic is switched when Lee finally has the

opportunity to be a screenwriter. Instead of making his own characters and story, Austin could

help write Lee’s story, but he declines. He would rather lose money and a chance to make it big

than to help his brother. Soon enough, the roles switch; Austin starts drinking and stealing, and

Lee is trying to type a script; however, neither is good at their new roles. Soon enough, they

return to their original characteristics and almost make up, but when Lee decides to go on an

adventure without Austin, his complex returns. Even their mother believes Austin doesn't have

what it takes to be in a desert. Austin retaliates against Lee by strangling him, confronting him

for all the harm he caused him in life, but even when he confronts Lee, it is using a cord; he

knows he is too weak to use his own hands to strangle Lee. Instead of his own power, he uses

artificial power. The relationship between the two brothers is unstable. Austin always feels

inferior to Lee because Lee's impulsiveness always causes him to take what Austin has, but

Austin can't steal what Lee has because of his weak nature.

As previously stated, during Antigone's father's "Oepedipus'" life, he committed incest

and murdered the previous Thebus king, bringing misfortune to his family. Moreover, her

brother, Polynices, committed treason against his own country. The combination of the two
resulted in a terrible fate for the family and their descendants because of their heinous deeds.

Antigone showcases that at this point, the majority of her family is lost, and carrying out the

bloodline would only bring more misfortune to her family. As a result, she decides to bury her

brother Polynices properly because he deserves a sacred burial. “​​No matter, death longs for the

same rites for all.” (Sophacles 20) Even when nobody is by her side with the idea of burying her

brother, Antigone chooses to, even if she needs to do it twice. Antigone shows that even though

her family was broken, she would still be by their side, even if it meant she would be thrown in

jail. “I go to them now, cursed and unwed, to share their home.” (Sophacles 34) Antigone has not

yet experienced life; she has not yet been married, had a child, or owned a house. She could have

married Haemon and led a comfortable life if she had turned a blind eye, as her sister did, but

instead, due to her actions, she was exiled to a cave, and her life instead ended in suicide. In

contrast, Lee and Austin stunted their lives because of their poor relationship. They were raised

in toxic environments; their father was showcased as a hopeless drunk, whereas the mother was

dismissive of the two brothers, leading the two to be unfriendly with one another. When Austin is

presented with an opportunity with Saul, Lee makes it his mission to ruin it and puts the spotlight

on himself, even inviting Saul to a game of golf. After coming back from his game, Saul changes

his mind and even gets offered three hundred thousand for Lee's idea. “Three hundred thousand,

Austin. Just for a first draft. Now you've never been offered that kind of money before. (Shepard

36) Together, Lee and Austin have the potential to be an incredible team because of Lee’s natural

ability to generate ideas and Austin's ability to articulate them verbally, but Austin refuses to

collaborate with Lee, thereby forcing an inarticulate Lee to write screenplays, and Lee’s

stubbornness, coming from his father’s influence, causes him to refuse help from a screenwriter.

Their inability to team up hinders their ability to pursue their dreams and capitalize on them
because of the lingering influence of generational trauma following their parents. In the passage,

Antigone chooses to honor her brother in spite of suffering generational misfortune. However,

Lee and Austin's generational surroundings caused a rift in their bond and ultimately led to their

own demise.

Although the characters' relationships differ, their generational trauma causes them to

crave power enough that they would stop at nothing. In the case of Antigone, Creon showcases a

desire for power. When Creon eventually gains authority, he makes sure to assert it and make

sure no one challenges him. He had the authority to "go easy on her" when Antigone committed

a crime because she was not only his niece but also his future daughter-in-law. However, he

chose to be more harsh. If Antigone were a "normal person," she would have received a death

sentence without the right to be buried; however, he chose for Antigone to be starved to death in

a cave. Creon wanted to make a point that he would not have a lighter sentence for a crime even

if he had familial ties with them. By sentencing Antigone to a slow, painful death, it would send

a message to be careful of crime because the king is not easy on punishments. This backfires on

Creon because his son, Antigone’s fiancee, kills himself upon hearing the news. “The misery!

My plans, my mad fanatic heart, my son, cut off so young!” (Sophacles 49) In an attempt to

establish dominance, he unintentionally led to his son's suicide. In another case of wanting

power, Austin strangles his brother Lee. Lee was strong, adventurous, and creative, while Austin

only had the ability to write. Even so, Austin's writing ability was limited because, in the event

that Lee shared his ideas, Saul was willing to hire a screenwriter to put Lee's ideas on paper.

When Lee decides to leave without Austin, he feels inferior. In an attempt to get Lee to bring him

on an adventure, Austin uses a cord to strangle him. “Austin subdues him (Lee) with a cord...

Lee is motionless. Austin very slowly begins to stand, still keeping a tenuous hold on the cord
and his eyes riveted to Lee for any sign of movement. Austin slowly drops the cord and stands.

He stares down at Lee, who appears to be dead." (Shepard 63) Austin is reluctant to let go even

after Lee's death is confirmed, as there is always a chance Lee could still be alive. Similar to

Creon, in an attempt to obtain power, Austin chooses to kill. In addition, both characters attempt

to obtain power, cause them to lose someone: Creon loses his son, and Austin loses Lee

Finally, generational trauma in Sophocles' "Antigone" and Sam Shepard's "True West"

reveals the influence of family history on individual choices and outcomes. Whether Antigone

would disregard family history because, at the end of the day, they are all family On the other

hand, Austin and Lee's relationship was stained by the influence of their parents, leading to their

demise. The desire for power drives characters like Creon and Austin to kill, even if they are at a

loss in the end. Generational trauma continues to influence their successors. Family history

leaves a mark on their lives.