Monologue

Messenger Monologue from Antigone

From Antigone by Sophocles

male · philosophical · 1:12 min

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Attend all ye who dwell beside the halls Of Cadmus and Amphion. No man’s life As of one tenor would I praise or blame, For Fortune with a constant ebb and rise Casts down and raises high and low alike, And none can read a mortal’s horoscope. Take Creon; he, methought, if any man, Was enviable. He had saved this land Of Cadmus from our enemies and attained A monarch’s powers and ruled the state supreme, While a right noble issue crowned his bliss. Now all is gone and wasted, for a life Without life’s joys I count a living death. You’ll tell me he has ample store of wealth, The pomp and circumstance of kings; but if These give no pleasure, all the rest I count The shadow of a shade, nor would I weigh His wealth and power ’gainst a dram of joy.

About this piece

The Messenger reflects on the fleeting nature of fortune and the emptiness of power without joy, lamenting the downfall of Creon who once held enviable status.

40s · melancholy · fate · power · loss · joy

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