Antigone's Commitment To Creon

The conflict between allegiance to the ruler and faithfulness to family honor and the gods is a distressing problem for Creon and Antigone. They each express and are committed to extreme opposite views on where loyalties should be placed. Creon’s strict definition of citizenship calls for the ruler to come first, a commitment to the city’s laws that causes him to believe that Polyneices forfeits burial rights because he attacked the city. Antigone, however, is devoted to the gods and family above obedience to the ruler and believes loyalties to both gods and family outweigh loyalty to the city, and so disobeys Creon and buries her brother. It is the responsibility of all citizens to figure out whether Antigone is guilty or not guilty of the

Creon is a man of principles, who is devoted to the state as well as upholding the law in a dominant and control freak type of manner. Creon uses his first speech as a way to explain his ideas, expectations of the people, and his first law regarding the body of Polynices. Knowing the people of Thebes will disregard his word, he explains to the populace that, “Whoever places a friend above the good of his own country, he is nothing”(67). He brings up the threat of death due to the uncertainty of future rebellion and clearly states, “Our country is our safety”(68). This type of indoctrination starts from the head and trickles its way down to the people regardless of whether they want it or not. Bribery is another one of his major concerns. Knowing that corruption leads to dysfunction, rebellion, and torment, Creon poetically makes another law regarding, “Money! Nothing worse in our lives, so current, rampant, so corrupting… No limit, you make them adept at every kind of outrage, every godless crime-money!...

Antigone ignores the idea of civic responsibility and puts her family first. Her family is more important to her than the law because she finds religion more powerful than Creon. “The ancient Greeks were polytheistic, they believed in many different gods and goddesses. The Greeks believed that these gods and goddesses controlled everything, from the waves in the ocean to the winner of a race.” (Richmond)

After appeasing the Chorus and the audience, Creon justifies his right to rule the state, legitimizing this takeover of power. He states that he “now possess(es) the throne and all its powers, as I [he] is closet kin to the dead.” Creon reiterates that his takeover was not due to individual reasons or his greed, but because of his divine rights. By putting his transferal of power due to the gods, the Chorus will be less likely to question his right to rule Thebes. Creon, as the new ruler from the gods, showcases his ability to rule by stating his principles as “a man in command of an entire city.” His political ideals largely consist of placing loyalty to polis over philos and structuring it before the justification of handing out such a proclamation seems to iterate that his proclamation was not due to his love of kin (philos) but due to his strict political approach and loyalty towards the city state (polis). Creon, as a prudent, astute politician, assigns such a structure to his speech and links the different contexts with discourse markers because in doing so, he first gains the trust and confidence of the Elders, a central party of Thebes, then justifies his power and his ability and finally provides an explanation of his proclamation regarding the diverse treatment provided to the

The Greek play Antigone displays human spirit through Antigone when she believes that moral beliefs are greater than law. In the beginning of the play, Antigone is fighting with her sister, Ismene, about burying their brother Polynices. Ismene decides that she will not help Antigone bury the body. Antigone says, “No; then I will . . . to lie beside a brother whom I love” (58-63). This foreshadows the conflict that is moral v.s. state law with Antigone. Antigone wants to bury her dead brother, Polynices, however it is against the law because he was an enemy against the Theban empire.

Although he is king the law is still unfair, and that is why it was broken and why it will continue to get broken till it is fixed. Antigone understands she broke that law, and that there are consequences to be made. But she took a chance and now can die knowing that her brother is buried and has died in peace.

Throughout the play, Creon shows many examples of how he is imperfect. One example would be how he believes that the state is primary to his family and relationships, “If this is your pleasure, Creon, treating our city’s enemy and our friend this way … the power is yours, I suppose, to enforce it with the laws, both for the dead and all of us, the living,” this quotation said by the leader of the chorus describes how the elder people of Thebes respect their family more than the state, but they held back on their opinions, knowing of what Creon, the leader, wanted to hear (235-240). Another example of how Creon shows the audience of how he is imperfect is when, Creon meets with Haemon. Creon argues with Haemon about how people should act towards the country which they reside in, “But whoever steps out of line, violates the laws or presumes to hand out orders to his superiors, he’ll win no praise from me. But that man the city places in authority, his orders must be obeyed, large and small, right and wrong,” Creon believes since he has the highest throne in his country, that he should be obeyed whether the circumstance (745-751). Lastly, Creon demonstrates to the audience that he is imperfect by wanting to protect his country too much. This is visible when Creon sentences Antigone to a slow death, because of burying her brother, who was outcasted as a traitor. Creon put the state over his family which will lead to the complete

In Antigone by Sophocles, both Creon and Antigone think they are loyal, although they express their loyalty in different ways. Creon believes he is loyal because he protects Thebes and always puts the state before anything else, including his family. In Creon's first statement in the play he expresses that “No one values friendship more highly than I; but/we must remember that friends made at the risk of wrecking/our Ship are not real friends at all”(Sophocles I.i.30-33). At this point in his speech he is referencing the battle that had recently happened between Eteocles and Polyneices, where Polyneices became a traitor to Thebes.

Being female in the world today can be either a challenge or easy, the world continues to believe that because in most first world country equality has either been achieved or is close to being equal, that the issue has been eradicated but in countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq women are still pawns and are far from being equal to the opposite gender. There are countless books, plays, and movies that centre around the want for equality, One notable work is Antigone. In the play Antigone, by Sophocles, most of the major decisions are influenced by the idea of male superiority which raises the question of “What the biggest comparisons we can draw between ancient Thebes and modern-day relating to the idea of gender equality and rights for women?”.

Family is very important and is shown through the many ways in society. That family will often be more important than the authority or law. The tragic Greek play, Antigone written by Sophocles. Within Antigone, Sophocles presents many situations where characters are forced to face their feelings of law or family. Throughout Antigone, Sophocles proves his strong devotion to family, even more. Sophocles presents these through the actions of Antigone, Creon, and Haemon with the choices that they make throughout the play. For instance, Antigone had many chances to obey the law or her own familial bonds. Antigone chooses to obey family, and bury Polynices even though burying breaks Creon's law. Antigone pleads with her sister to help, but when she says no, Antigone responds, “But as for me/ I will bury the brother I love” (Prologue. 192). Antigone was willing to break Creon's authority as a family means much more to her, this presents her as selfless. Along with breaking the law, Antigone also risks execution for that crime. When Antigone learns of her punishment, after Creon discovers, Antigone decides if entombing her brother was worth it. Following Creon's warning, she says, “This death of mine/ is of no importance; but if I had left my brother/ lying in death unburied, I should have suffered. / Now I do not” (Scene II. 208). Antigone shows the courage that even death won't scare her from her goals. Antigone chooses family, when in the face of the capital punishment.

Throughout life you always have your family to share the smiles, the tantrums, the unseen moments, and tears. As we make it through to adulthood, we all secure those special bonds that we have with our family, but obeying the law has been embedded into our minds since a young age so which is more important? The book, Antigone is a greek-mythology tragedy play written by Sophocles about a curse put onto a man named Oedipus where he is destined to kill his father, marry his mother, and bring unfortunates to his city. Antigone, the main character is the result of an incest marriage between Oedipus and his mother Jocasta, the play begins with Antigone attempting to convince her sister to bury her brother, Polyneices’ body, going

In the beginning of Antigone, Creon and his people firmly believe in the power of his authority and his leadership of the city of Thebes. When Creon argues with his son Haemon, he tells him “that man the city places in authority, his orders must be obeyed,” so much that “whoever places a friend above the good of his own country, he is nothing” (748-750, 203-204). The citizens place Creon in authority, so he urges his people to obey his edicts and orders because their compliance is essential to his position. In his opinion, authority is the most meaningful entity in Greek life, regardless of friendship or family ties. For example, even though Antigone is his son’s fiancée, Creon refuses to absolve her of her crimes because in his eyes, no one should be exempt from the law. The city-state agrees with Creon, illustrated when the chorus sings, “When he weaves in the laws of the

Moreover, Sophocles’ “Antigone” shows how freedom, life, and a normal everyday life was the cost of fighting for social justice and the common good. In attempt to give her brother Polyneices the appropriate burial, chaos erupts in the kingdom of Thebes. Antigone wanted to honor her brother and the gods by burying her brother even though it was against the wishes of King Creon. Antigone knew her punishment would be death, but she did not care. Antigone was willing to risk her life in order to do what she felt was right. In regards to freedom, Antigone’s arrest and exile were both costs of her fight for social justice and the common good. Antigone’s fight for the common good affected her life as well as the lives of those around her. Her fiancé Haimon tried to fight for a good life for himself and Antigone by going against his father’s word. In the end, Haimon took his life as a result of Antigone’s death and his mother Eurydike committed suicide as a result of Haimon’s death.

Not only is Antigone courageous and highly motivated by her morals by standing up for her political and religious beliefs, she also protects her personal ones when she buries her brother. Antigone places family above her own life, and she refuses to let a man stand in her way of maintaining her ideals. She buries Polynices out of her own loyalty to her brother even after her sister, Ismene, refuses. Antigone is cruel to her for not taking part in illegally burying their brother. Instead of being caring and considerate, she becomes irate and at the end of their conversation says, "Go away Ismene: I shall be hating you soon, and the dead will too, for your hateful words," Antigone's flaw was her headstrong behavior and her stubbornness, which ultimately brought about her downfall and the downfall of those around her. Her persistence of course, is what forces Antigone to rashly take matters in to her own hands. Creon then decides to take Antigone's life "Away with her at once, and close her up in her rock-vaulted tomb. Leave her and let her die". To everyone's surprise Antigone does not run from her death sentence suggesting a great trait of braveness, which the chorus recognizes before her exodus from life. The notion that a person has no say in the affairs of their loved ones and the fact that those laws were defied deserves

disapproval but also against the King’s law. Antigone is very loyal and family oriented and takes