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May 29

Antigone

Was she mentioned by anyone before Sophocles? Ghirla^-трёп- 14:51, 29 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

She occurs in Aeschylus' Seven Against Thebes, which was written before Sophocles' Theban plays, but it is possible she was only introduced in a later rewrite of the play's ending. Other than that, if she was mentioned in earlier texts, these have not been preserved. It is conceivable that her name occurred in the lost Oedipodea, but since she is not commented on before Sophocles (or Aeschylus), this cannot have been in a major role. --Lambiam 22:28, 29 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

There is a discussion of the issue here, in a chapter of a book on Sophocles' Antigone character. Concerning her appearance in Aeschylus' play, pleading for the burial of her brothers, the author states that "the consensus is that the lines in which she does so are spurious" – which leaves the possibility open that she originally also appeared, but with different lines. The author also writes, "It is possible, but not certain, that Antigone had already appeared in some guise in one of the early, epic versions of the Theban saga, the Oedipodeia." --Lambiam 22:39, 29 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]