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Abstract
“In Sophokles every word is a universe,” claims renowned Classicist and translator Anne Carson. One can observe this complexity of language in the Antigone through the use of different words for brother and sister. This paper explores the contextual understanding a reader gains for specific passages due to the different connotations of each word, such as ξύναιμος "of common blood" versus κασίγνητος "from the same mother." Each one inspires different images in the reader's mind. Sophokles uses five words both for brother (ἀδελφός, κασίγνητος, ἀυτάδελφος, ὅμαιμος, and ξύναιμον) and sister (κασιγνήτη, αὐτάδελφον, φιλάδελφα, ἀδελφῆς, and ξύναιμος), with differing frequency levels. In my examination of Sophokles’ word choices, I combine philological theory, cognitive schema theory, and etymology from an Anthropological perspective. Through these analytical lenses, I argue their usage is meant to reflect and emphasize the perspective and/or motivation the character holds at that moment. Some examples of this include a sense of familiality, relation through blood, or shared parentage. In this vein, the brother/sister words exclusive to each gender (ὅμαιμος and φιλάδελφα, respectively) reveal that Eteokles and Polynikes are grouped together by blood, both shared and shed, whereas Antigone and Ismene are grouped together by mutual fondness. My analysis of this play illuminates the nuance of Sophokles’ specific word choices in the characterization of sibling relationships.