A Comparison of Moral Conflict in Antigone and A Doll's House

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Conflict Between Individual Morals and State Laws in Antigone and A Doll's House

Mother, should I trust the government? Or should I trust myself? This dilemma is a common one in a great deal of literature. In Antigone and A Doll’s House, the main theme is the question of whether one should be true to oneself or true to one’s state or society. Should Nora (in A Doll’s House) and Antigone (in Antigone) “follow the rules” and do what the state and society want them to do or should they follow their own consciences? Both plays address the conflict between individual morals and state laws, obedience and disobedience, and understanding oneself.

Antigone shows the contrast between state law and divine law. Although the two have similarities, they are enforced in very different ways. The major conflict is this – according to divine law, Antigone’s brother must be buried, but, according to state law, Antigone’s brother is not to be buried due to his political standing. The divine law is a law that is the same for everyone and does not change, whereas the state...

... middle of paper ...

...hocles. Antigone. Translated by R. C. Jebb. The Internet Classic Archive. no pag. http://classics.mit.edu/Sophocles/antigone.html

Comments:

The organization of your paper is a bit confusing. To clarify this confusion you should be consistent in your points. If you separate your paragraphs by points then be sure that you always begin with Antigone and then in the second half of the paragraph discuss Nora or vice-versa. If you wanted to separate your paragraphs by character, then you should discuss the different points in the same order.

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