Other characters

Eurydice

In the play Antigone by Sophocles, Eurydice is Haemon’s mother and Creon’s wife. She does not make her appearance until the epilogue and has only a small part in the play in which she addresses the citizens of Thebes, especially the Chorus and its members as the representatives of the people. The reader learns that she finds out about the death of her son while praying to the goddess Athena: “Tell me, men of the city—I caught what you said / As I was about to leave the house / To pray for help to the goddess Athena. / I was just sliding the bolt to unlock the door / When word of disaster in the family struck my ears.” (Epilogue, Scene 17, ll. 1182-1186).

Afterwards, the messenger tells her about the events surrounding Haemon’s death, which he witnessed as Creon’s companion in Antigone’s cave. After hearing this, Eurydice retreats into the house without a word. When Creon returns to the city with the corpse of his son, he gets the message that Eurydice has also taken her life: “Your wife is dead, poor woman. / Fresh-kille...