Question

Recall that in a story or play, the climax is the point at which the protagonist makes a decision or choice that irreversibly establishes the course of the rest of the story. It is the turning point in the plot. After the climax comes the falling action, which in turn leads to the resolution. The resolution is also referred to as the denouement. It’s the final event of a story or play. In Antigone, identify the play’s climax, falling action, and resolution. Cite textual evidence to support your claims.

Answer 1

The climax in Antigone occurs when Creon’s guards catch Antigone and bring her before him. Antigone’s decision to bury Polyneices not only seals her fate, but it also determines the fate of the play’s other characters. Creon decides that he will punish Antigone by entombing her, a sentence that causes her to soon after kill herself. In turn, her death leads to Haemon's and Eurydice's suicides. Creon realizes his folly too late and must live out his life as an old and lonely man.

The falling action of the play is a series of events that begin with the prophet Teiresias trying to convince Creon that he is going against the laws of the gods by denying a man proper burial rites. This conversation leads Creon to reconsider his decision to have Antigone entombed, and he decides to free her because of his fear of the gods’ wrath. Soon after, Creon finds out Antigone has hanged herself, and Haemon, in a fit of grief, commits suicide. All of these events lead up to the resolution of the play.

The play’s resolution occurs after Antigone and Haemon have committed suicide. Creon realizes how vain and arrogant he was for issuing a law that was in direct opposition to heavenly edicts. He realizes that the gods are punishing him for his hubris.  - PLATO ANSWER