Theme Of Loyalty In Antigone

In Antigone, Sophocles introduces the struggle between loyalty to civil law versus familial loyalty and divine law, which is a central conflict in the play. Antigone has a firm belief in upholding family values and honoring the gods and deceased by burying her brother. In contrast, Creon wants to do what is best for the city which is, in his opinion, forbidding the burial of Polynices. Both Antigone and Creon believe that their point of view is more important, and neither is willing to change perspective, causing the chain of destructive events in the plot. Loyalty causes the deadly dispute between Antigone and Creon because of their conflicting perspectives about precedence.

In Antigone, Antigone and her sister Ismene return to Thebes in an attempt to reconcile their brothers—Eteocles, who was defending the city and his crown, and Polyneices, who was attacking Thebes. However, both brothers were killed, and their uncle Creon became the king. He forbade burial is the corpse of Polyneices, declaring him a traitor. Antigone, moved by love for her brother and convinced that the command went against the law of the gods, she buried Polyneices secretly. Antigone lines 72-74 “And if I have to die for this pure crime,/ I am content, for I shall rest beside him;/ His love will answer mine”. It was Antigone’s fate to die after burying her brother. It also was her fate to be Oedipus’ daughter/sister.

We read that Creon has issued a law that if anyone buries the body of Polyneices they will be sentenced to death. Antigone plans to bury her brother regardless of the law set into place. She is going to try and do it in secrecy and to avoid detection. She asks her sister, Ismene, to join her in the burial, but she refuses. At this point in the play the you realize the fear setting in. Ismene believes

Antigone is talking to Ismene and telling her all she has heard about the injustice that she has heard that Creon has created. She is very frustrated and wants only to bury her brother so he may have a peaceful afterlife and not go to the underworld or be stuck in purgatory. Creon’s edict stating Polynices cannot be buried under any circumstances is harsh because Creon most likely would have revolted against his brother if he was banish from Thebes just so he wouldn’t have to share the throne. After Antigone gathers up

In the play Antigone, written by Greek playwright Sophocles, loyalty to family seems to be a recurring theme. We first see it when Antigone defies King Creon's order to keep her brother, Polynices, unburied as a punishment for his betrayal of their country Thebes. We also see how Antigone's sister, Ismene, accepts partial blame for the burial (even though she refused to actually do it) in an affectionate, loyal act. Creon is also family (their father's brother), but he, however, betrays this family trust and loyalty when he sentences Antigone to death for disobeying his law. There are, however, repercussions for this death sentence, that prove that there are two central tragic heroes in this play. She is

The play “Antigone” is a tragedy by Sophocles. One main theme of the play is Religion vs. the state. This theme is seen throughout the play. Antigone is the supporter of religion and following the laws of the gods and the king of Thebes, Creon, is the state. In the play Creon has made it against the law to bury Antigone’s brother, something that goes against the laws of the gods, this is the cause of most conflict in the story. This struggle helps to develop the tragic form by giving the reader parts of the form through different characters.

The reason being is that Creon believed Polynieces was a traitor, and that Eteocles was a hero for killing him. He then states Polynieces will not be burried and that anybody who tries to bury him will be excecuted, but Antigone is too loyal to her family and goes against all rules to give her brother the burial he deserves, even if that means going against Creon. The citizens

Since Eteocles was fighting with the country he received a proper burial while Polyneices didn’t, Antigone didn’t like this and fought against Creon to get them both buried. Pride corrupts both Antigone and Creon and neither of them can overcome their stubbornness, this ultimately leads to a downfall. Antigone can show how being stubborn and full of pride may blind you. After Antigone has buried her brother in a thin layer of dust, Creon is notified about the action that has taken place.

Throughout the play Antigone nearly all the family ties are broken. In the play the value of loyalty and obligation are tested in numerous cases. Loyalty can be shown through either oikos or polis. Oikos is loyalty to family and ancestors, while polis is loyalty to the law. Loyality is important to each of the characters in many different ways. The concept of loyalty was one of the most significant aspects in Greek history. Loyalty and obligation is tested through the characters perspective on life and character conflict.

Antigone presents a number of universals in the role of a female, family loyalty vs state loyalty, and man’s laws vs gods’ laws. Ismene’s change of heart is undependable because of her previous stance on the decree created by Creon. Ismene’s original stance on Antigone’s plan of action shows her justifiable fear towards Creon and the power of the man. Ismene’s sisterhood with Antigone is clearly caring and loving when the two first interact in private Ismene states her concern for her sister “ What’s the matter?/Trouble, clearly.

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.

Sacred burial customs have been specified as: “Ritual mourning for the dead belonged to the women. The burial ceremony and interment of the body were the duty of the male. If there was no one in the immediate family to bury the dead, the obligation would pass to the male relatives” (The Theban Plays). According to the traditions, it was appropriate for Antigone to mourn for her brother, because as a female family member, that was her duty. In addition, Creon was the uncle of Antigone and Polyneices, therefore, with no immediate male family members alive or near, the responsibility of the committal of Polyneices would be entrusted to Creon. His decree was in contradiction with the religious burial custom because Creon refused to lay Polyneices to rest. Instead, he dictated,

Universal themes that are outside of time and space, but are rather applicable to human nature itself, are a key element in Greek tragedy. Antigone has a clearly defined theme of family versus state. In Sophocles's tragedy, he depicts the conflict of Antigone wanting to save her family from dishonor against Creon's obsession with law and civil order. Antigone is portrayed as a headstrong and close-minded woman who is determined on following the rituals Greek gods expect upon death by burying her brother, Polynices. Her sister, Ismene, warns her multiple times to pay her loyalty to the state, especially since they are women and cannot strive against men. However, Antigone wishes to create and live by her own rules. She buries her brother without feeling she owes any obligation to the law. On the contrary, Creon is shown as a very prideful man who eventually brings his own destruction upon himself. He believes his word is the law for he was appointed by the city.

As the play begins Antigone is just meeting up with her sister and is telling her about the decree of King Creon. Antigone and her sister, Ismene, had two brothers who had killed each other on the battlefield. One of their brothers, Eteocles, was buried with the military honors of a soldier’s funeral, and yet the other, Polyneices, was to be left out to be food for the carrion birds since he died fighting against the city of Thebes. King Creon forbade publicly for anyone to bury the body of Polyneices under the penalty of death. Antigone is now determined to bury her brother and wants Ismene to help her. Ismene does not want to go against what the king has ordered and is fearful of what may become of her if she

Have you ever had to choose between your faith and civic ideas and family? What if a member of your family ran your country and you had to choose to follow one or the other? This is exactly what happens in the play Antigone by Sophocles. Antigone is torn between following an edict that was placed by her Uncle, the ruler of her country, or her faiths in divine law and the underground world to bury her brother. Creon chooses to prove a point to his niece and looses everything.