Love under Penalty
In one of the most awesome moments of world drama, Antigone buries the corpse of her brother fallen in battle. Her future father in law, Creon, had forbidden any honours being bestowed on him. He condemns her to death, a sentence she rejects by committing suicide before the repentant Creon can save her. In Britain and the USA every serviceman, or woman dead in war is received in full view of the nation, triggering the rhetoric of sorrow. The ancient myth that Sophocles brought alive informs the understanding of those who grieve the fallen.
The Natural Protest of Grief
In an article, Bonnie Honig invokes this myth to pose the problem of balancing the "aristocratic" homage to the individual against the "democratic" challenge of seeking equality for all. Creon insists on equality before the law. Mourning is forbidden because the city must be loyal to the war effort. Antigone puts the natural aristocracy of the family first. The protests of bereaved families ring through the modern cities and the claim of justice is challenged. To win a war a nation must be obedient. To grieve, a person must be free to protest.
Just Anger
Research by Kubler-Ross shows if nothing else that a person must express anger if the natural process of grieving is to lead to acceptance. This has a direct implication for the conduct of war. Unlike in the past, contemporary armed conflict is being openly questioned for its justice and legality while being waged. Public grief is a tactical feature in the success of war. Wars are lost if the personal defeats the public. Yet the nation can gain if it allows the process of grief its due.
The Radical Loser
In her affliction, Antigone goes through the five stages of grief. Hers is a daunting part for a young actress. She acts like a little girl to begin with, as if in an unreal state, soliciting the support of her sister. Then in reaction to the law she repeats the burial acts in anger. She then bargains with Creon on the issue of freedom. Condemnation brings depression. This she cannot resolve into acceptance, leaving the city to mourn the mourner. The nations that carry out armed conflict under the law must allow for the personal to intrude on loss. If not they risk a culture of desperation, one that the German poet, Hans Magnus Enzenberger has called the condition of the Radical Loser, whose grief can only be expressed in isolated violence.
This condition was often endemic among ex-combatants after the World Wars. Distant formal obsequies can sometimes sharpen the despair felt by those who grieve. Above all a nation must welcome the new world of spontaneous public mourning on behalf of those who fight in such wars.Those who fight live to mourn for all, including themselves.
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