Dreaming of Antigone Read Online Free PDF

Antigone off. In a sense, Iris and I are like Ismene and Antigone.
    I am the freak with the strange disease who doesn’t want to dress like anyone else. My sister wasn’t quiet, but she definitely tried to fit in with everyone. But Ismene didn’t die. Antigone is the one who dies, by committing suicide before Creon can kill her. She chooses to face death on her own terms.
    What a way to get behind your principles. Ismene might be scorned by her sister for being too weak to stand up for what she believes in, but she knows her family has suffered enough and pleads with Antigone to make peace with their uncle. But as a result of Antigone being stubborn and standing up for what she believes in, she dies, her boyfriend dies, and his mom dies. A high price to pay for one’s beliefs. Or is that being too proud to back down?
    Yes, Creon suffers too. His son and wife both commit suicide. He goes mad with grief.
    There is no happy ending in this story. Ismene is left completely alone, knowing her sister died without forgiving her. She’s lost the last members of her family by the end of the play.
    Our teacher points out the difference between the various suicides in Antigone. The main character kills herself because she’s accepted her fate, and is willing to die for her beliefs. Haemon and his mother kill themselves because they are unhappy with their fates, unwilling to live without their loved ones.
    Natalie is scribbling something furiously on a sheet of notebook paper. Trista is staring out the window, looking bored. The rest of the girls from the soccer team are tearing up dramatically, wiping mascara from their cheeks.
    I roll my eyes so that they don’t water. I can’t cry in here. I did not cry when Iris died and I won’t cry now with the rest of these drama queens. Iris’s death was officially deemed an accident. Not a suicide. But don’t you have to have some sort of death wish to smoke heroin?
    Natalie’s note lands on my desk. “Do you need to go to the nurse? I can take you if, you know, you might suddenly feel weak or dizzy. We could just go to the bathroom instead. Or we could go to Disney World. I’m here for you. Mr. Herrington is an obtuse dick.”
    I have to laugh. Which makes everyone look at me. The ones who think I’m about to commit suicide because I’m so depressed about my twin sister’s death. The ones who have been whispering all along that her overdose was intentional. The ones who call me Abby instead of Andria because they think I look like the goth chick on NCIS . (And I really don’t—Iris used to call my style more grunge than goth.)
    I don’t even own any black leather besides my boots. My hair is naturally black and curly, thanks to our Greek grandparents, even though Iris was only half as lucky. She always envied my curls while I lusted after her sleek raven locks.
    I laugh because Natalie is going into battle mode. Planning our retreat before the opposition attacks. Scorch and burn. I raise my hand. Natalie’s eyes widen as she prepares to get up with me. But I’m standing my ground. “Mr. Herrington? Do you think Ismene’s end is more tragic or Antigone’s? Because if Antigone had listened to Ismene, they’d both still be alive. Haemon and his mom would still be alive, too.”
    â€œIt depends on the reader,” our teacher says. “Do you feel your beliefs are worth dying for?”
    I have no beliefs. But I don’t say that. Perhaps I am more like Ismene, unwilling to speak out for fear of upsetting the status quo.
    Mr. Herrington continues, apparently not expecting an answer from me. “You might agree with Ismene, and think the ends justifies the means. That moral integrity is not worth the sacrifice of even one human life. But the ancient Greeks thought Antigone was right. That by standing up for her beliefs, she died an honorable death.”
    All this time, I’ve been