Antigone: A Strike Against The Government

The conditionality of burying the dead shows that gods’ law is less sacred for Antigone than she claims to be. Neither does she care about her living families. She humiliates Ismene publicly, causing Creon’s death indirectly and set her uncle Creon in a dilemma where he needs to punish his daughter-in-law. Her real incentive is individual reputation, for she excludes Ismene from standing by her and asks Ismene to spread the news about her defiant act. She seems to use religion and family as elegant reasons to achieve honor. On the contrary, Creon, as a king, weights the interest of the overall state more than his own family. After experiencing the civil war caused by Polyneices, he understands the great need of the polis for order and thus enacts harsh laws to punish people causing riots. Unanimous obedience to law would also encourage his people to fight bravely in the war by being “loyal and dauntless at his comrades’s side”. Creon has to retain the validity and effectiveness of the law, because if every citizen can pursue any personal interest without fear for grave consequences, the entire social operation mechanism would break down. Punishing Antigone is necessary to retain the order of the polis.

Antigone has the strong belief that loyalty to the dead and to the gods has precedence over all other opinions, specifically those of Creon. Antigone does not at all care that the one with all governing power has the most disagreement with her decision to remain devoted to her family below. “Since I must please those below a longer time than the people here, for I shall lie there forever” (Sophocles 16). She knows and understands that time in the mortal world has a limit, however time in the underworld is eternal. Pleasing Creon and his belief to only stay true to civil laws are of no concern to Antigone, for all she wants is to please her family below and the gods above. An example of this is the burial of Polynices, because while it is right in Antigone’s eyes, Creon believes it is foolish and a sin

Being that Antigone is the protagonist, her character is important in the play. She made the decision to bury her brother knowing that it was against Creon’s law. Ismene refused to help Antigone, which left her angry, yet still determined to bury her brother. She knew that burying her brother could lead to her own death, but she continued to show courage, strength, and determination throughout her role. In the beginning, Antigone says, “Dear god, shout it from the rooftops. I’ll hate you all the more for silence/ tell the world!”(17,100-101). This was said to Ismene, when they were discussing burial plans and Ismene was telling Antigone that she was against the plan. Antigone’s dialogue shows that she is not worried about being punished or worried about who knows what she has done. It is clear that Antigone is sincere about honoring the gods, her actions show that she feels that she is pleasing the gods and that is all that matters to her. “These laws/ I was not about to break them, not out of fear of some man’s wounded pride, and face the retribution of the gods.”(30, 509-511). This demonstrates how she feels about man’s law vs. divine law. In the plot, there was not one time where Antigone denied

When a messenger comes to Creon, bringing the news that Antigone has buried her brother, he begins his arguments why Antigone has broken the law. He begins by stating that a man shows what he is made of by his "skill in rule and law." In other words, the law is everything and as a ruler, he must do everything for his country. He considers Polyneices an enemy of the city and a threat to the security of the city as well. Thus Polyneices will be called a traitor in life and in death and dishonored. The scene when Antigone and Creon face each other is the opportunity for both to defend themselves. Creon questions Antigone. She bases her responses on that the city laws proclaiming her as illegal are not the laws of Zeus or laws proclaimed by gods, but rather, laws made by a man that one day will also die. She will honor her brother's death because this is what the gods have proclaimed for all mankind. (lines 460-463)

In the play Antigone, Creon, king of Thebes faces a harsh conflict with himself, involving the values of family and religion verse the civic responsibility he must maintain for the city of Thebes that comes with being the new king. In theory no decision Creon makes is going to be the rite one. Although both Antigone and Creon have justified reasons for believing in there own laws only one can be upheld by the play and how Sophocles interoperates the play himself. Creon must decide whether to punish Antigone, a princess, daughter of king Oedipus, or fail at enforcing his own law and look weak in front of the citizens of Thebes as their new leader. The law stated that anybody who touched the corpse of Polyneices, a prince, and son of Oedipus

While Antigone followed her belief of burying Polyneices for religious reasons, she went against the law of Kreon. Antigone new that the punishment for burying Polyneices was a stoning by the city’s people (Sophocles 36), but she chose to bury her brother anyway, claiming, “He has no business keeping me from what is mine” (Sophocles 49). Antigone’s lack of negotiation is why her civil disobedience is a failure. Her choice to bury Polyneice’s body without any attempt of finding common ground with Kreon is foolish. Although Antigone met with Kreon after being discovered burying Polyneices body, she never actually attempts to negotiate with Kreon, instead choosing to accept her punishment as something already set in stone. When Kreon first meets Antigone, he asks if Antigone admits to the deed (Sophocles 442). Antigone’s only response was, “I don’t deny it; I admit the deed was mine” (Sophocles 443). This shows that Antigone made her choice of civil disobedience and accepted her fate before exhausting all options. Rather than pleading with Kreon and

Antigone refuses to let King Creon dictate what she does with her brother’s dead body. Antigone states, “he has no right to keep me from my own” (Sophocles, 441 BC, line 48). Antigone feels that nobody has the right to dictate how she plans to bury her family member. In addition, Creon demands civil disobedience above all. Creon believes that the worst thing an individual can do is act against authority. In contrast, Antigone believes that state law is not absolute. Meaning one should be able to act against the law in extreme cases to honor the gods. Divine law could be proved valid, for example, “the fact that Polyneices’ dust-covered corpse had not been disturbed by animals could be taken as a possible sign that burial was accepted as valid by the gods” (Sourvinou-Inwood, 1989, pg. 142). Sourvinou-Inwood is stating that because the animals had not touched the dead body, it could be a sign from the gods that a proper burial should be in order. That Creon could have been wrong and the gods wanted Polyneices buried. Moreover, the Greeks supported absolute monarchs, however, simultaneously they also believed in divine law and had a profound amount of respect for the gods and their laws.

Antigone’s argument with her sister about her plans to defy the king is the scene that opens the play. From the start, she appears certain that burying Polynices will restore justice when she says, “even if I die in the act, that death will be a glory (Sophocles 86).” She was so sure of the immorality of Creon’s law that she was willing to go to any means necessary to keep her brother from becoming a cautionary tale. In the philosophical statement made by Martin Luther King Jr., he says that, “An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law.” Antigone stood alone in defending her brother's honor, and did not waver from her beliefs at any point. She went to great lengths in order to convey her belief that Creon had been unfair in the conviction of Polynices. In doing so, she attempted to awaken the consciences of the other Thebans and prove to them that even though Creon was their leader, they had the ability to voice their concerns about

Creon?s regard for the laws of the city causes him to abandon all other beliefs. He feels that all should obey the laws set forth by him, even if other beliefs, moral, or religions, state otherwise. Antigone, on the other hand, holds the beliefs of the gods in high reverence. She feels that the laws of the gods should be obeyed above all others, especially when in respect to family. Her beliefs in ?The sacred laws that Heaven holds in honor? are for more important than those set by the king (Antigone 78). The king cannot, and should not in the gods? eyes, override her belief in the

If you will not, I will; I shall not prove disloyal.” (A. 2). All along, Antigone very well understood that if she opposed the rules of Creon, she would most definitely be killed yet she was determined enough to bury Polyneicies’s body.

Antigone retaliates by saying that his law is not that of the Gods so it does not stand. He wants to have Antigone killed, but his son his her fiancé. He tries to explain to the king that the gods would have wanted Polyneices to be buried and that Antigone did the right thing that she should not be punished for it. Creon’s hubris however comes out yet again. He will not even listen to a word his son has to say; however now he does not want to kill her, but to send her away into a tomb, where the Gods can determine her fate.

Antigone’s civil disobedience was in honor of her brother. She could not allow her brother, Polyneices, to be left to the dogs and the birds. In those times, the responsibility of taking care of the dead belonged to the families. She didn’t fear the consequences of defying the law of King Creon. She believed in obeying the law of the gods’ more than the law of man, especially in this situation because it dealt with her family. “Nor did I think your proclamations had such strength that, mortal as you are, you could outrun the laws that are the gods’, unwritten and unshakable” (Antigone, Sophocles 38). She felt like she was doing the

Antigone’s situation exposes a problem that has plagued societies to this day. The problem being religion and state. Religion and state is a very controversial topic and is quite difficult to navigate through. This philosophical issue raises moral dilemmas that can cause great divides among parties due to where the values of said parties lie. For example, an individual who was raised with nationalistic ideology that stressed the importance of being devoted to one 's country, rather than personal religious views would side with Creon. On the other hand, an individual who is god-fearing and puts their personal values above their country would not think twice about obeying divine laws and putting the laws of man aside. This is the mindset that Antigone possesses. Therefore, she is justified in her actions due to divine law reigning supreme. “ Nor did I think your edict had such that you a mere mortal could override the gods the great unwritten unshakable traditions”(Antigone 82). Antigone was honoring and being obedient to the decrees of the gods.

Antigone's strong beliefs eventually led her to her death by the hand of Creon. Never, though, did she stop defending what she thought was right. As Creon ordered her to her death, Antigone exclaimed, "I go, his prisoner, because I honored those things in which honor truly belongs" (Sophocles page #).  She is directly humiliating Creon by calling his opinions and decisions weak and unjust. She also emphasizes "his prisoner," which tells us that Creon's decision to capture Antigone was his own, and was not backed up by the majority of the people. She feels that Creon is abusing his power as king and dealing with her task to a personal level.

The only person in the city who is ready to defy Creon’s law is his niece, the sister to Polynices, Antigone. She is overcome with grief by Creon’s order, and sets out to bury her brother. She believed that Creon, “a mere mortal,” did not have the power to “…override the gods, the great unwritten, unshakable traditions…” surrounding the rights of a dead man (Line 503-505). Her loyalty was to her family, not to the new king of Thebes. When Antigone goes to her sister Ismene to plead for her help in burying their brother, even she is too afraid of Creon’s authority to assist her only family. “I must obey the one’s in power,” she says. “...defy the city? I have no strength for that.” (Line 79-80, 93). She is lead to go against what she feels is morally right because she is fearful of the consequences. Even though Antigone is aware of these deadly consequences, she is willing to face them and stand up for what she believes is right. Discovering that Antigone has gone against him, Creon immediately sentences