ril
of such an undertaking, and endeavors to dissuade her from it, on which
Antigone replies:--

Wert thou to proffer what I do not ask--
Thy poor assistance--I would scorn it now;
Act as thou wilt, I'll bury him myself:
Let me perform but that, and death is welcome.
I'll do the pious deed, and lay me down
By my dear brother; loving and beloved,
We'll rest together.

She proceeds to execute her generous purpose; she covers with earth the
mangled corse of Polynices, pours over it the accustomed libations, is
detected in her pious office, and after nobly defending her conduct, is
led to death by command of the tyrant: her sister Ismene, struck with
shame and remorse, now comes forward to accuse herself as a partaker in
the offence, and share her sister's punishment; but Antigone sternly and
scornfully rejects her; and after pouring forth a beautiful lamentation
on the misery of perishing "without the nuptial song--a virgin and a
slave," she dies _a l'antique_--she strangles herself to avoid a
lingering death.

Hemon, the son of Creon, unable to save her life, kills himself upon her
grave: but throughout the whole tragedy we are left in doubt whether
Antigone does or does not return the affection of this devoted lover.

Thus it will be seen that in the Antigone there is a great deal of what
may be called the effect of situation, as well as a great deal of poetry
and character: she says the most beautiful things in the world, performs
the most heroic actions, and all her words and actions are so placed
before us as to _command_ our admiration. According to the classical
ideas of virtue and heroism, the character is sublime, and in the
delineation there is a severe simplicity mingled with its Grecian grace,
a unity, a grandeur, an elegance, which appeal to our taste and our
understanding, while they fill and exalt the imagination: but in
Cordelia it is not the external coloring or form, it is not what she
says or does, but what she is in herself, what she feels, thinks, and
suffers, which continually awaken our sympathy and interest. The heroism
of Cordelia is more passive and tender--it melts into our heart; and in
the veiled loveliness and unostentatious delicacy of her character,
there is an effect more profound and artless, if it be less striking and
less elaborate than in the Grecian heroine. To Antigone we give our
admiration, to Cordelia our tears. Antigone stands before us in her
au