1-17.
mvp-comment-1-1
The opening speeches reveal the contrast between the sisters, while the affectionate address of Antigone in l. 1 gives greater emphasis to her violent outbreak in l. 69. Cp. О. Т. 85, and note.
1.
mvp-comment-2-1
κοινόν not only means
Of common parentage, but has the further significance of common interests and feelings. See Essay on Language p. 96, and for αὐτάδελφον (where the compound merely adds a pathetic emphasis), Essay on Language p. 91, 6.
Ismene, my own sister, who sharest all with me. Antigone and Ismene were united by a common grief in an affection
Dearer than the natural bond of sisters.
2-3.
mvp-comment-3-1
(1)
Do you know, that of the ills derived from Oedipus there is not one which Zeus will not bring upon us two before we die? ὁποῖον οὐχί is the indirect form of ποῖον οὐχί ; =
all without exception. So Böckh: and this agrees better with what follows in ll. 7, 9, 10, 11 ff. than (2) reading ὅ, τι with the Schol. and rendering, 'Know'st thou which of the evils is such that Zeus will not accomplish it?' or (3) (ὁποῖον α resumption of ὅ, τι), 'Know'st thou what of all the evil Zeus will not accomplish?' or (4) supposing ὅτι pleonastic: 'Know'st thou what' etc.
2-3.
mvp-comment-3-2
τῶν ἀπ᾿ Οἰδίπου Oedipus in the Antigone is simply the author of misery to his race: infr. 49 ff., 864 ff., although the misery has an earlier source in the Doom of the Labdacidae. The action of the O. T. and O. C. must not be presupposed. See Introd. p. 452.
3.
mvp-comment-4-1
vῷv is dative. (Essay on Language § 12. p. 18). For ἔτι ζώσαιν, cp. Hom. Il. 18. 10, Μυρμιδόνων τὸν ἄριστον ἔτι ζώοντος ἐμεῖο | χερσὶν ὑπὸ Τρώων λείψειν φάος ἠελίοιο.
4.
mvp-comment-5-1
ἄτης †ἄτερ Neither the defence of these words by Böckh, who places them between commas,
Calamity apart, i.e.
no disgrace, not to speak of calamity, (cp. Dem. de Cor. p. 255); nor that of Wecklein, who treats the privative as a redundant negative, i. e.
4.
mvp-comment-5-2
ἄτερ = οὐ πλέων, nor Linwood's, who makes ἀλγεινὸν οὔτ᾽ ἄτης ἄτερ = άλγεινὸν ἀτηρόν τε, is satisfactory. Yet Didymus knew of no other reading, and interlinear glosses before the Christian era can hardly be assumed. Else there is much plausibility in Porson's conjecture that a gloss ἀτηρ', i. e. ἀτηρόν, has taken the place of ἔχον (sc. μετέχον), or some other word. The corruption occurring at such an early period is more probably due to the confusion to which all negative expressions are liable (Essay on Language § 29. 2, p. 49), but which in the present instance cannot be attributed to the poet; i. e. οὐδὲν ἀτηρόν ἐσθ᾽ ὁποῖον οὐκ ὄπωπα, has become confused in the mind of some early interpreter with οὐδέν ἐσθ᾽ ὁποῖον οὐκ ἀτηρόν = οὐδέν ἐστ᾽ ἄτης ἄτερ. Qy. ἄτης πλέων? The emphasis culminates on ἄτιμον, which pointedly refers to the dishonour she is now to speak of.
6.
mvp-comment-6-1
τῶν.. κακῶν, partitive genitive, as supplementary predicate. See Essay on Language § 10. p. 15.
7-8.
mvp-comment-7-1
πανδήμῳ.. στρατηγόν The Thebans had gone forth πανδημεί under Creon's generalship, and he had made the proclamation as στρατηγός, before assuming the civil power. Cp. Thuc. 5. 60, § 5, τὰς ἀπὸ στρατείας δίκας πρὶν ἐσιέναι κρίνουσιν. The publicity of the edict makes it more painful. Antigone knows what she is doing. Infr. 44, 907.
9.
mvp-comment-8-1
τι is adverbial.
10.
mvp-comment-9-1
τῶν ἐχθρῶν
When evils devised by enemies are threatening those we love. In the vehemence of her resentment she already speaks of Creon as an enemy. Cp. infr. 62. τὰ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν κακά, Schol. According to others τῶν ἐχθρῶν is abl. gen.
passing from enemies, i.e. no longer directed towards them, or descriptive,
evils which belong to enemies, i. e. which should be confined to them.
11.
mvp-comment-10-1
οὐδεὶς μῦθος.. φίλων
Νo word concerning any of our friends. Essay on Language § 9. p. 13.
12.
mvp-comment-11-1
ἐξ ὅτου Sophocles has not been careful to mark the exact sequence of the events preceding the action of the Play. (See Introduction.) But the death of the brothers is supposed to have taken place some little time before the rout of the Argive host. Infr. 144-148.
14.
mvp-comment-12-1
μιᾷ.. διπλῇ Essay on Language p. 69.
17.
mvp-comment-13-1
μᾶλλον is redundant, the whole expression being epexegetic of οὐδὲν ὑπέρτερον, and in construction with οἶδα.
18-19.
mvp-comment-14-1
καί σ'.. ἐξέπεμπον
And it is for this that I have been leading thee forth. Thus a probable reason is given for the appearance of the two maidens before the gate. Their usual seclusion has been somewhat relaxed during the absence of Creon and Eteocles with the army. Infr. 578-579. Cp. El. 517.
20.
mvp-comment-15-1
δηλοῖς γάρ τι καλχαίνουσ᾽ ἔπος
It is plain that your thoughts are darkening with some troublous word.
20.
mvp-comment-15-2
καλχαίνω is formed on a fancied analogy to πορφύρω, as this is used in Homer of the agitation of the sea, and, metaphorically, of the mind. According to others the first notion of καλχαίνω is to stir from the depths, as in dredging for the murex (κάλχη).
21.
mvp-comment-16-1
τάφου is genitive of respect with both participles, but chiefly privative genitive ve ἀτιμάσας. See Essay on Language p. 66, 1, 68. She implies that both brothers had been dishonoured by the decree. Cp. infr. 515-517, οὐ μαρτυρήσει ταῦθ᾽ ὁ κατθανὼν νέκυς.. οὐ γάρ τι δοῦλος, ἀλλ᾽ ἀδελφὸς ὤλετο.
23.
mvp-comment-17-1
ὡς λέγουσι, resumed in φασιν l. 27, φασι l. 31, points to the fact that the maidens in their seclusion could only know of the edict from hearsay.
23.
mvp-comment-17-2
σὺν δίκῃ | †χρησθεὶς δικαίᾳ καὶ νόμῳ χρησθείς has been generally condemned, and ἐχρήσθην only occurs elsewhere in a strictly passive sense. Yet, as Shilleto observes (Journ. of Phil. No. 13, p. 149), ᾐδεσάμην and ᾐδέσθην, the former in lyric verse, the latter in senarii, are found within a few lines of each other in O. T. 647, 651; and χρησάμενος does not occur in Sophocles.
23.
mvp-comment-17-3
Ἐτεοκλέα ἔκρυψε, χρησθεὶς (αὐτῷ) σὺν δίκῃ, is not impossible in point of syntax. On the other hand neither χρησθεὶς δίκαια, nor χρηστοῖς δικαίᾳ, nor προσθεὶς δίκαια, can be approved. In 1871 I suggested προθείς.
After laying him out in state, with the righteous meed of honour and all customary observance, he has covered him in earth. Cp. Hdt. 1.112-115. 8, τρεῖς μὲν ἡμέρας προτιθέασι τὸν νεκρόν: inf. 196, καὶ τὰ πάντ᾽ ἐφαγνίσαι. This part of the treatment of Eteocles would contrast with the prohibition even to mourn for Polynices. Cp. Thuc. 2. 34, where the words καὶ ἐπιφέρει τῷ αὑτοῦ ἕκαστος ἤν τι βούληται throw some light on the custom implied in σὺν δίκῃ δικαίᾳ καὶ νόμῳ. For the emphatic δικαίᾳ, cp. Αj. 1100, ἐς ταφὰς ἐγὼ θήσω δικαίως: Hdt. 8. 106, νόμῳ δικαίῳ χρεώμενοι. προθείς may have been changed to προσθείς (which Donaldson conjectured), and to this may have been added an interlinear gloss ἃ χρή. Cp. 1. 243. κάφαγιστεύσας ἃ χρή. Another guess is χρῆσθαι δικαιῶν (sc. αὐτῷ). For similar fullness of expression on a solemn occasion, cp. O. T. 219, 259.
25.
mvp-comment-18-1
τοῖς .. νεκροῖς
Holding his honours amongst the dead; i.e. not ἄτιμος, or deprived of common rights.
26.
mvp-comment-19-1
θανόντα .. νέκυν Cp. infr. 515, ὁ κατθανὼν νέκυς.
27.
mvp-comment-20-1
ἐκκεκηρύχθαι Passive.
That proclamation has been made. Cp. προκεῖσθαι,
l. 36
.
29.
mvp-comment-21-1
ἐἂν. Sc. πάντας. The affirmative subject is supplied from the negative Cp. the language of the proclamation in O. T. 241, and see Essay on Language p. 59.
29.
mvp-comment-21-2
ἄκλαυτον, ἄταφον Cp. Od. 11. 72; Il. 22. 386; Eur. Hec. 30.
29-30.
mvp-comment-22-1
οἰωνοῖς .. βορᾶς (1)
To the vultures a sweet treasure as they eye him with a view to the gratification of food. Cp. infr. 371 τόλμας χάριν : 908, τίνος νόμου δὴ ταῦτα πρὸς χάριν λέγω; Or, perhaps. (2)
To the vultures, eyeing him, a glad store of food to gratify their desire. For πρὸς χάριν in the latter rendering, cp. Phil. 1156, ἀντίφονον κορέσαι στόμα πρὸς χάριν, and for the combination of adverbial phrase and noun, El. 1336, σὺν χαρᾷ βοῆς.
31.
mvp-comment-23-1
τὸν ἀγαθὸν Κρέοντα Cp. Phil. 873, ἁγαθοὶ στρατηλάται.
31-32.
mvp-comment-24-1
σοι | κάμοί, λέγω γὰρ κἀμέ] Antigone first says,
There is Creon's proclamation for you! (σοι unemphatic as in l. 37:) then, going off upon the word,
For you, did I say? ay, and for me too, for I count myself also amongst those forbidden. This is said with bitter emphasis, showing that she has fully counted the cost of the act she meditates.
The proclamation extends to me-I accept the consequences. For λέγω in this sense, cp. Aesch. Prom. 973, καὶ σὲ δ᾽ ἐν τούτοις λέγω: Cho. 989, Αἰγίσθου γὰρ οὐ λέγω μόρον. Others take κἀμέ as κάμοί,
Το me, I say! (whose spirit he little knows).
