ISSUES: Suicide

In Antigone, suicide is portrayed as a sort of act of relief, and many of the characters commit suicide. "And if this hurries me to death before my time, why, such a death is gain." Antigone, a tragedy by Sophocles, Antigone, Haemon and Eurydice all commit suicide due to depression, love or hopelessness. Antigone – because she was starving to death, wanted to join her brother in heaven, and felt that life had no more meaning anymore. Haemon, who was engaged to Antigone, felt heartbroken that his lover had died, and committed suicide with her. Haemon also committed suicide because he disliked his father’s way of ruling, and they disagreed on law. In the end, Creon finally understood his flaw, but it was already too late, and his wife, son, and to-be daughter all died due to him. His wife, Eurydice killed herself because she knew she could not live her husband, the one who led her son to die. She felt that Greece would be filled with tyranny, even after Creon had his epiphany, because the commoners would also be affected by the death of the two lovers, and pluck up the courage, like Antigone, to speak out their opinions. Ismene said to Antigone: “let me share your death and the holy homage to the dead.” So she wasn’t afraid either, as long as she was with her sister and dead brother. She said that she would accompany Antigone together, and basically, love would make sure nothing would ever tear them apart. Currently, suicide is not a major topic in the news, but occasionally, terrorists have made suicide attacks. Many of these men are either depressed or hopeless. In Antigone, it is similar, but their deaths have been received by the people better, because she was higher in ranking. Some people also commit suicide due to heartbreak, but not very often do we hear of it. Currently, in mainly Japan and Korea, students have been committing suicide just because of bad grades or a drop in class ranking. This is because the education system is much tougher than the U.S. system.