Antigone Moral Dilemma

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Antigone’s Moral Dilemma Margaret Walsh South University Online Antigone’s Moral Dilemma Perhaps the most pronounced question in the play "Antigone" by Sophocles' is the value of human law vs. divine law. In this tragic play a newly appointed king Creon declares to his people that treason was committed during battle, and one of the two brothers (Polyneices) killed shall not be buried according to the Gods, but instead "He shall be left unburied for all to watch the corpse mutilated and eaten by carrion-birds and by dogs" (Sophocles, 1900.). This dilemma is felt by…show more content…
Antigone answers no to all that she finds to be vile, “I have longer to please the dead than please the living here: in the kingdom down below I'll lie forever (Sophocles, 1900. Lines 88-90). These lines show how much personal power she possesses compared to King Creon. Antigone remains consistent, even contentious in her disobedience. By offending the king, it is as if Antigone is leaving him no choice and his prideful ways force him to sustain her sentence. After Creon realizes that fulfilling his order may be a mistake , he also knows that he cannot retract the ordering of her death. He had surrendered his actions to the power of the state, and thus rendering himself to a loathsome state. Unlike Antigone, who finds free will and faith in the laws of the god’s. Playwrights such as Sophocles attempt to understand the meaning of human suffering and reexamine the many traditions and ideals from the past. Greek mythology questions the public and private responsibilities of individuals. As in any circumstance fighting against what is valued as right can become a conflicting power. Antigone’s decision to go through this treacherous act alone enabled her to find peace within the divine laws of nature during her time. The act of surrendering to a fate that was unjust prepared her for the desire she clung to despite its unbalanced position. Antigone’s fatal removal from the
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