Law And Order In Antigone

Set rules human beings give themselves in order for them to live in reasonable limits of social behavior, justice. The philosophical concept of good and bad, Morality. Justice is resolute, but unfortunately our perception of morality is different from person to person, so when one's personal conception of morality is not socially acceptable, one may end up having a conflict. In Antigone, morality and justice cross swords with each other and it leads to a devastating end. The cross hairs of morality and justice are complex; one is free to choose, but one is not free from the effect of one's choice.

The first specification for the tragic hero is one of the few that both Antigone and Creon exhibit; both characters are between the extremes of perfect morality and pure villainy. Antigone’s moral neutrality is illustrated through her noble intentions and the unorthodox way she acts upon them. When she is confronted by Creon and demanded to give an explanation for her disobedience, Antigone says, “For me it was not Zeus who made that order. Nor did that Justice who lives with the gods below mark out such laws to hold among mankind” (Sophocles 207 ll. 450-2). Along with love and loyalty to her brother, Antigone is largely motivated by her desire for justice and appeasement of the gods. While her intentions are noble, Antigone’s actions in the

One has the capability to determine from right and wrong and having the determination to stand up for what one believes in, no matter what the price is. In Sophocles’ Antigone, a written dramatic play, Sophocles portrays the theme that at times of one’s life, it is necessary to follow moral law and ignore political law. In the play, a determined and courageous woman named Antigone is loyal to her beloved brother by granting him a proper burial and having to suffer the consequences for revolting. Throughout Antigone, several incidents occurred where the political law was of no importance to the individual. Conflicts between Antigone and Ismene and then with Creon and Antigone are examples of the theme. The theme also ties with the

Since Antigone knew and admitted her action but not her guilt as Creon insisted she do, her defiance of Power appears not only as a demand for justice, an expression of the greatest love, a passion for an ideal and conformity to an ethical norm superior to the public one, but also as the head-on collision between individual rights and the requisites of the State.

Reason and truth are never based on authority. Not even a supreme ruler can decide the right and wrong things to do. Antigone, in “Antigone” is set on honroing her dead brother even if it means going against her uncle Creon, resulting in a classic father or fatherly figure daughter conflict. In Sophocles’ play “Antigone”, the combination of Antigone’s stubborn loyalty and her uncle Creon’s hubris result in the main conflict, while also demonstrating that stubornness and pride lead to destruction.

In the play Antigone by sophocles,Antigone has respect for her brother polyneices and wants to properly bury him even though it is against both her uncle creon/king and the law itself. Even though she would fight for the people she loves there would be consequences. She had the confidence to do what she thought was the right thing to do. But Creon thought otherwise. People should break or follow the laws based on whether their rights give them the confidence to protest for what they deserve.

Sophocles play titled Antigone, embellishes the opposing conflicts between Antigone who stands for the values of family, and Creon who stands for the values of state. Sophocles explores the depths of Antigone’s morality and the duty based on consequence throughout the play, as well as the practical consequences of Creon who is passionate and close-minded. Although Antigone’s moral decisions appear to be more logical and favorable than Creon’s, a personal argument would be that both characters’ decisions in society can be equally justified.

When Antigone accuses her of not caring about the laws of the gods, she replies, “They mean a great deal to me, but I have no strength to break laws that were made for the public good” (Prologue.62-63). Creon’s law comes first, before the laws of the gods, perhaps because of the immediate punishment for disobedience. She is more fearful of the direct consequences of breaking the law rather than being concerned with whether the law is morally right. In contrast, Antigone has little fear of disobeying the law if doing so is a moral decision. Antigone and Ismene’s opposite personalities create tension between the two and make it difficult for them to understand each other’s point of

In the play, " Antigone," many characters go through a phase that includes tyranny, injustice and Civil Disobedience. These phases are sometimes portrayed as themes in the play but it plays a big role in it. Antigone suffers from Injustice and Civil disobedience because she feel as though burying her brother would be the right thing to do but according to Creon, it is a sin. On the other hand, Creon is King but he doesn't know how to use his power quite right.

The play Antigone by Sophocles provides multiple themes to the reader. One of which is Individual vs State as Antigone goes against Creon 's rule. This act of defiance is due to the feeling by an individual that what they believe is correct over that of a states law. This theme when applied to modern times can be interpreted as government vs personal freedoms. A person will always act on the values that they have and on those values souly, even when that is against the laws set in place. This idea of personal freedom is not only something that was evident in the play but is an key element of human nature.

Sophocles’ Antigone sheds light on some questions some of these include, as question one says, human laws versus divine laws, and loyalty to the family versus loyalty to the state. Sophocles writes about how one should always follow divine laws. He does this through the character of Antigone, one of Oedipus’ children. Antigone says that she must act as per the religious law, the law of higher God. Ismene, her sister and another child of Oedipus declares that she cannot go against the law of the citizens. Antigone, knowing full well the consequences of defying Creon, acts on her principles as she realizes that law of God demands the burial of a dead body, her

In the play Antigone by Sophocles, the title character is engaged in a moral and legal battle with King Creon. The king has issued a legal verdict against the brother of Antigone. He is to be left to rot in the battlefield, rather than be buried. As such, his body will be eaten by vultures and not be given the honor of burial. This was considered the worst punishment that could be given at the time. Antigone believes that this is wrong. She decides to go against the legal orders of the king, or the law and bury her brother. Mostly, Antigone chooses to listen to a higher order: her moral conscience. In doing so, she commits an act of civil disobedience. While the play is an ancient one, this is an ongoing issue throughout society. Since the play was first performed, there have been numerous episodes of civil disobedience by individuals in society (Leshak 2009). They continue to the present. This paper will discuss the issue between Antigone and the King. It will then discuss how this play is still relevant to the modern world through the message of civil disobedience.

The human struggle to defy what is intrinsically wrong but established as permissible is openly apparent in the initial scenes of the play – strong-willed and brave-hearted Antigone reveals her plan to unlawfully bury her brother, only to be rejected and dismantled by cautious and law-abiding Ismene. Although Ismene is saddened by her brother's fate, nomos renders her helpless; social constructs have influenced her belief that their standings as women and individual citizens are no match for state law. Consequently, she is appalled that Antigone would even think of defying Creon, believing their brother's fate is out of their hands. She even warns her sister, "tis witless to be over busy."1 Her chance to rightfully bury Polyneices, and more importantly, to realize her innate responsibility to her kin, is temporarily barred by human-allotted law and practice.

Sophocles’s Antigone depicts the struggle between two different characters with their own struggles, doubts, and beliefs. The play opens with the eponymous character lamenting a terrible situation to her sister Ismene. Their brothers Eteocles and Polyneices fought over the throne and killed each other in battle. Creon, their uncle, has forbade anyone to bury Polyneices, since he is considered a traitor to the city of Thebes. As the king, Creon holds the authority of the state above family ties, refusing to “count the enemy of the land / friend to [himself]” (187-188).

The dramatic play Antigone that Sophocles had formulated, carries out a complex and increasingly suspenseful plot. Creon, the king of Thebes, establishes a law that deprives Polynices, one of the two brothers that had died fighting for his rightful seat on the throne, a proper burial due to the attack of his own city. In response, Polynices’ sister Antigone defies this law behind Creon’s back and is as a consequence, sentenced to death. Yet, Creon’s judgements ultimately lead to his downfall as he loses all things significant to him in life. Thus, the characters of Antigone and Creon within Sophocles’ play find themselves in a conflict between their own conceivement of the law, which mirror the conflict between the divine and state. What Sophocles’ intends to convey within the tragic conclusion of both characters is the individuality of law and the correlating misconception that a wrong or right can be established within its definition.