How Do Brain Chemicals Affect Antigone

Samantha Odom

Mrs. Cobb

World Literature and Composition

10 March 2023

Antigone and Brain Chemicals “Happiness, sadness, excitement, euphoria, and even fear are emotions that are triggered and maintained by chemicals in the brain…” (Pelletier 2). Brain chemicals directly affect how people and characters in stories act. In Sophocles’ tragedy Antigone, this is valid as well. In this tragic play, a girl named Antigone breaks King Creon’s law because she buries her brother, Polyneices. Brain chemicals steer her choices and guide how she thinks and what she does. Further, brain chemicals dictate parts of people’s personalities and who they are. Antigone is highly loyal, confident, and argumentative. The brain chemicals oxytocin, serotonin, and

Serotonin is a brain chemical that supplies happiness and confidence within the brain which directly affects Antigone. She is a lawbreaker, but she had confidence because she knew what she was doing was the “right thing” under the gods’ rules. Antigone says, “I assert that I did it; I do not deny it” (l. 452). She knew she had to do the “right thing” because she wanted to satisfy the gods and her brother. Serotonin constructed an effect in her brain that pushed her to be confident about the matter and simply tell the truth. To further exemplify this, “The human body manufactures serotonin, which many researchers believe plays a role in mood balance” (Campbell 1). Antigone takes full accountability for her actions and this is true because of the brain chemicals pushing her to. Additionally, “Serotonin has been labelled the confidence neurochemical. Higher serotonin activity is related to greater feelings of confidence, which in turn gives you the drive to do the things that build self-esteem” (Bishop 11). Serotonin affects the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. This plays a role in blood flow and breathing. This brain chemical settles Antigone’s body system so she can feel confident and certain about what she is expressing. It is transparent that she is confident, and because of that, she denounces what she has done. She does not care about the consequences at play. She

However, this is simply untrue. Some people argue that she is afraid when Creon decrees that no one may bury Polyneices, but she is able to overcome the chemicals that create her fear through free will. The opposing side argues that fear does not control Antigone, but she controls herself with her free will. However, she does not beat fear with free will. Instead, she fights fear with the chemical that causes her loyalty. Oxytocin allows Antigone to remain loyal. Since she is loyal to the gods and her brother, this stops her from feeling frightened when she buries her brother. This shows that free will had no factor in driving her actions. Her brain chemicals control her actions, and nothing else interferes with that. There is no “free will” in this situation or way to overcome the brain chemicals involved in her personality and actions. Brain chemistry drives Antigone’s actions, not free will. In summary, it is very transparent that brain chemicals pressure Antigone and her intentions. Antigone is a remarkably faithful worshiper and sister. This Greek tragedy emphasizes this through the oxytocin in her brain that drives her to bury her brother. Serotonin also causes her to tell Creon the truth. Even further, epinephrine compels her to disagree with her sister and be a quarrelsome character. Chemicals clearly overwhelm this character in Antigone. Antigone’s