Evil is generally characterized as morally wrong, wicked, or immoral. Jean Paul Sartre, a French philosopher, discussed evil as an absolute evil where a person purposely debases another into an object; Sophocles' and Anouilh's version of Antigone both demonstrated two characters that, at times, showed Sartre's "absolute evil." Sophocles wrote of two main characters with different ways of representing their beliefs. With both Creon and Antigone, the power of their ideas and perspectives controlled their actions in this play and could be seen as "evil." In Anouilh's version of Antigone, politics brought out the desire for power in Creon and Antigone and pride overrode their actions and, at times, was titled as "absolute evil."
[...] Creon conversed with Antigone about Polynices body. He said, the people of Thebes have got to have their noses rubbed into it a little longer But if the featherheaded rabble I govern are to understand what's what, that stench has got to fill the town for a month!” (Page 34-35 Creon's 2nd passage) Creon used Polynices body to show the people what would happen if someone went against Thebes. He turned Polynices into an object that he used to warn the people and the body became something of disgust and fear. [...]
[...] Haemon told him he would be a good ruler for a desert island because nobody else would be there and he could continue to rule a city all about him but not at the risk of others. He debased every person of Thebes when he said that the city is the kings. He thought he didn't need them except to manipulate them and use them basically only seeing them as object. Creon clearly demonstrated actions that could be characterized as absolute evil and Antigone did not, in Sophocles' version of Antigone. Anouilh used politics as the bases of his version of Antigone rather than beliefs and religion. [...]
[...] Antigone played both roles in the play. She was the sensible caring one who wanted to bury her brother because it was the right thing to do but also she may have done it with a hidden agenda. Antigone told Creon, “Polynices is home from the hunt. I owe it to him to unlock the house of the dead in which my father and my mother are waiting to welcome him. He earned his rest.” (Page 29; her 3rd passage) In many regards she buried Polynices because he was human and he deserved it. [...]
[...] Although this may not be true, Antigone showed one more instance that can be interpreted as debasing a person into an object or symbol. At the end of the play she was talking to a guard and writing a letter to Haemon. She told him to write that she did not know why she was dying. Then she immediately told the guard, Scratch that out. Nobody must know that. They have no right to know. It's as if they saw me naked and touched me, after I was dead. [...]
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