The theory of right and wrong characteristics or good and bad behaviors is concerned with morality; its role can shape an individual’s personality which can affect his or her call of action. It is only natural that we should have some sort of sense of duty and physical forces from our experiences that make us have moral laws. It’s an aspect of humanity which helps them generate rational decisions and it also serves as guidance for mere goodness. Our existence defines who we are as an individual because of our values that aid us see past our wrongdoing and improve our future. Sophocles’ story of “Antigone,” Antigone’s character portrays a strong individual who is loyal and values her family more than the society. This tragic story demonstrates …show more content…
Zeus is the supreme ruler of the sky, the law, and the fate, who is the God in this story. Antigone feels obligated to bury her brother Polynices, who is dear to her heart, regardless of what he has done or was exiled from palace. Unlike Antigone’s other brother Eteocles, who is the patriot person in the eyes of King Creon, his death chamber was lavish with golds and offerings. “It wasn’t Zeus, not in the least, who made this proclamation-not to me. Nor did that justice, dwelling with the gods beneath the earth, ordain such laws for men.” (pg. 868) This confirms that Creon’s decree defies the god’s law for such a meaningful tradition of their religion. Antigone, being a woman may also be the reasons behind her opposition of the king. According to an online article, “Death, Burial, and the Afterlife in Ancient Greece,” by Geographical Region and Time Period, Greek women are the ones who perform the rituals which consists of three parts: cleaning the body, laying the body, and funeral process such as cremating or carrying the deceased person to rest at the grave site. Namely, if the dead isn’t given a burial ritual, the Greeks and the Gods believed that there will be a form of punishment and, that the deceased individual will not rest in peace in the …show more content…
First, his decision to leave Polynices out in the open field for the birds and dogs to eat his flesh body was an omission of human dignity. It’s the reason why Antigone argues for her dear brother, who still deserves a funeral service. Second, his decision to let Antigone settle for death demonstrates his faulty actions of carrying out his order regardless of any status she obtains: doomed she is, royal or not. “I’m not the man, not now: she is the man if this victory goes to her and she goes free. Never! Sister's Child or closer in blood than all my family clustered at my altar worshiping Guardian Zeus-she’ll never escape.” (pg. 869) Creon statement is clear that people in general or even families closest to him will suffer death if they do not obey his law. He is now the new king and he must do what is best for his country: to show people that he can rule and that he is bold in his words of
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.
She was committed to honoring her family and that is why she felt Polyneices deserved proper burial rites along with Eteocles. She took the idea to bury him to Ismene. Since it was against the law, she did not agree. Antigone responds to her by saying “That must be your excuse, I suppose. But as for me, I will bury the brother I love” (65). She argues that Creon is not enough to stand in her way (35) and Polyneices has the right to be buried being that he fought as bravely as Eteocles. So, Antigone took it upon herself to bury Polyneices. A sentry brings the news to Creon and soon Antigone follows. When taken to Creon, she fights that he is disobeying the laws of heaven. She argues, “Your edict, King, was strong, but all your strength is weakness itself against the immortal unrecorded laws of God" (360-363). She stressed to Creon that even though he holds a powerful position of authority, divine law will always come before civil law. Along with her upholding of the laws of heaven, Antigone expresses how her love for a brother is stronger than any other. She gives one last plea: she would not have defied Creon if the unburied body were her husband’s or her child’s. Both of those could be replaced, but a sibling whose parents are dead is suitable to accept such punishment. She would rather die with honor than live with the guilt of her brother’s soul left to wander the earth. With Polyneices left unburied, she feels she would have
After a war between Eteocles and Polyneices, the result is both brothers perishing. Following this, Creon the new king decides Polyneices shall not be buried because he believes he is a traitor just because he wanted a chance at the throne as their late father promised him and Eteocles. Upon hearing this news Antigone doesn’t take well to it and knows she must do something about this. This is because without a proper burial Polyneices will not be able to be rise to the next world and will therefore be stuck and left to rot for the rest of existence, this was her concern. Antigone has to make a decision here between what the law of mankind calls for or the immortal law of all existence that has created the earth and heavens, or more importantly mankind. She takes it upon herself that the better choice is to listen to the gods’ law and bury her brother because that is more important so he can live forever in the world to come. This goes hand and hand to what Saint Augustine says about evil that isn’t caused by god. “On the other
The larger issue between Creon and Antigone are whether family members should be above the law. I personally think that Creon is wrong but his point of view is that if he allows Antigone to get away with trying to
In Ancient Greece, new ideals surfaced as answers to life's complicated questions. These new beliefs were centered on the expanding field of science. Man was focused on more than the Gods or heavenly concerns. A government that was ruled by the people was suggested as opposed to a monarchy that had existed for many years. Freedom of religion was encouraged in city-states. These new ideals, though good in intentions, often conflicted with each other creating complex moral dilemmas. Such was the case in Antigone, a play written by Sophocles during this era of change. In the play, Antigone and Creon battle a philosophical war exemplifying the conflict existing in the Greek ideals.
When he gave his edict not all the citizens of Thebes agreed with his new law but they still followed it even though Polyneices was left to suffer. Besides, the people should be able to count on Creon not be afraid of him, “If the people cannot trust their government to do the job for which it exists - to protect them and to promote their common welfare - all else is lost”(Obama). This quote shows how a corrupt government can come to be if trust is not shown. For instance, when Creon found that someone had touched the body of Polyneices he was furious. Even when the elders tried to tell him that perhaps this was an act of the gods Creon quickly dismisses the idea and says that is ridiculous why would the gods bury him. But how would Creon know what the gods want especially if he’s going against their
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
In the text, Antigone wants to bury her brother, Polynices, after hearing about what occurred with their brother, Eteocles. Polynices and Eteocles had an argument over who should be the king and they ended up slaughtering each other to death in a battle for the throne. Polynices is looked at as a traitor. Antigone did not care and still wanted to bury him. The obstacle in the way her uncle Creon. Creon was the king and he proclaimed that the body of Polynices shall not be buried. Both Antigone and Creon followed separate rules and laws. That causes the difference in viewpoints between the two. With Antigone, she believes that it would be right to bury him, so she did. Once Creon found out, he was very angry. With the body of Polynices being banned due to the proclamation
Antigone believed that the actions she took were done for the right reason, because they adhere to the law of the Gods. In opposition to that, Creon believes that the actions he had taken were in fact the right ones, because he believed that Polyneices was a traitor to the land, and that anyone who should give him a proper burial would suffer the penalty of death. So, the actions that were taken by both of them individually were the right ones, in their own minds at least.<br><br>Antigone, in her plan to give her brother Polyneices a proper burial, kept in mind the consequences that she would suffer for having followed through with the plan. This doesn't necessarily mean that Antigone does not obey the human law that is set up by King Creon, it just means that this particular rule conflicted with the law of the Gods, something that Antigone believes highly in obeying, especially when it deals with her family. Antigone disregards the Olympian Justice that governs the land and also presides over the set laws that make civilized life attainable (Segal "Antigone" 172).<br><br>Antigone goes up against human law, by burying her brother Polyneices, knowing well that she will have to sacrifice her own life. She does this only because it is morally and ethically right, and this is why she stakes her life based upon her strong beliefs (Segal
“I do. I deny nothing.” In the play Antigone, the main character Antigone has a strong belief in her core values. The belief in her core values was so strong that it even caused her death. The play Antigone takes place and was written in 500 B.C.E. It is a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles. Antigone also has flaws like she is very stubborn and to loyal. Loyalty is a good virtue but too much can be a flaw. Antigone has many core values, but some of them outshine the others. One of her core values is that she has a strong commitment of loyalty to her family. Another core value is her strong commitment of her loyalty to ownership . A final core value of hers out of many is that she has a belief that dying with honor is important. While Antigone has flaws, her beliefs and following in her core values outshine her flaws and influence her choices through the play.
In the Greek play Antigone writer Sophocles illustrates the clash between the story’s main character Antigone and her powerful uncle, Creon. King Creon of Thebes is an ignorant and oppressive ruler. In the text, there is a prevailing theme of rules and order in which Antigone’s standards of divine justice conflict with Creon’s will as the king. Antigone was not wrong in disobeying Creon, because he was evil and tyrannical. The authors of “Antigone: Kinship, Justice, and the Polis,” and “Assumptions and the Creation of Meaning: Reading Sophocles’ Antigone.” agree with the notion that Antigone performs the role of woman and warrior at once. She does not only what a kinswoman would, but also what a warrior would do.
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.
Finally giving up on his hubris and listening to the Gods, it seems poor Creon may still have a
Though this order was made, Antigone disregarded it and buried her brother. The main point for her doing this was to stand up for her religious beliefs, which she was then oppressed for. While she was being confronted by Creon about her actions, she said, “Nor could I think that a decree of yours—/A man—could override the laws of Heaven” (453-454). Antigone believed that it was the law of the gods for a person to have a proper burial so, she disobeyed Creon’s law in order to obey the gods, who she deemed as more important due to their eternal state (457).
The main conflict in Antigone focuses on an unjust law promulgated by Creon. After Creon’s nephew Polyneices attempts to take power (resulting in his death), the king decrees that Polyneices is not allowed to be buried. In ancient Greek culture, this would