Eurydice: The Unmourned Mother

One of the most compelling characters in the play, Antigone, is unfortunately the least mentioned. Eurydice, the wife of Creon and mother of Haemon, suffers this fate. Upon learning of her sons’ death, Eurydice, despairing and struck with grief, takes her own life. This is the only mention of her throughout the entire play! As a direct result of her insignificant role in the play, the reader is left with no remorse for a mother who deserves no less. It seems to be a transgression against the soul to allow one’s mother to go unmourned, yet this is the effect that the author has created. The reader is left to ponder and expand upon the life of Eurydice in the story of Antigone. One may even inquire as to what impact her death can have on the reader and how this can transform the story if her character is further defined. Step into the world of Antigone to perceive for yourself the true essence of Eurydice and why it is imperative for her character to be extraneous.

One could argue that Sophocles intentionally down-plays Eurydice’s character as a result of the fact that women possess little to no influence in Greece at this time. However, if chauvinism is the rationale, then the play itself would not be named after Antigone either. Taking a second look, the reader can plainly see that Antigone, a woman, is pivotal to this play, thereby ruling out the approach of sexism as a line of reasoning. The truth may lie closer to the reality that a central character already exists, and that Eurydice is a character with the potential to steal the spotlight away from that main character.

If the reader looks carefully, he or she might see that although Antigone is a chief character, that Creon is a main character of this play as well. When taking this into consideration, one can see that Eurydice’s role should in-fact remain small. If Eurydice’s part is magnified, perhaps Creon and Antigone would no longer be the two main characters. If truth be told, some readers begin to get frustrated with Antigone and Creon because of their blatant stubbornness. This frustration may entice a reader to relate better with Eurydice in her position as the loving mother. Consequently, this switch in central character(s) could completely jeopardize the entire story line of the play.

When Eurydice says, “sorrow and I are hardly strangers,” the reader very nearly begins to pity and bond with the character of Eurydice (l. 1312). For a mother to listen to the story of her own son’s demise must have been horrible! One can only sympathize with poor, unknown Eurydice at this time. However, in the very next moment, she is gone, providing no time for the reader to become too attached. This was a bold stroke of the pen by Sophocles who could have just as easily left Eurydice out of the play entirely. Instead, Sophocles chooses to give the reader just a taste of compassion for a woman we can never know. What little we do know about Eurydice resonates in this reader long after the play is done.

So, why did Sophocles choose not to tell us more about Eurydice and why is that so important? He chooses not to tell us more about her because Eurydice needs a story of her own. Eurydice is a character that is not easily described or summed up in just a few sentences; therefore, it would be impossible to get too involved in her character in this play. Her character is one with honor, love and commitment to her family—what more could a reader ask for in a heroine? However, in Antigone, we already have a main character or “heroine” if you will. Eurydice’s story is best left to her own tragic play.

Again I say—it seems to be a transgression against the soul to allow one’s mother to go unmourned—yet in this instance, one must see that it is essential. Just imagine a play solely about Eurydice; about her struggle with Creon through all of this; about the mother in her, aching to help her son. Then see her “loosing the bolts, [and] opening the doors / to appeal to queen Athena” in prayer (ll. 1306-1307). She hears commotion outside and runs to see what has happened. She asks her people to “[t]ell me the news, again… [for] sorrow and I are hardly strangers” (ll. 1311-1312). Then, just as one falls in love with her character, she takes her life. Would any reader not feel overwhelming compassion for her now? Now, of course, I must ask: would this not steal the main character positions away from Creon and Antigone? Of course it would and that is why it is absolutely necessary for Eurydice’s part to remain insignificant.

Works Cited

Sophocles. Antigone. Trans. Robert Fagles. Schilb and Clifford. 733-771.
Schilb, John and John Clifford, eds. Making Arguments about Literature: A Compact Guide and Anthology. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2005.