essay

In Antigone, the two brothers, Polynices and Eteocles, battled for the throne of Thebes and killed each other. When Creon became the king of Thebes, he buried Etecoles with honor but not Polynices. He left Polynices’s body to rot and be eaten by vultures and vermin, because he believed Polynices was a traitor. Because Etecoles died fighting to protect Thebes he should be buried with honor, that was Creon believes. Antigone on the other hand, believed that they both should be honored with a proper burial despite the crime Polynices committed. The two main characters of the play Antigone and Creon had different beliefs regarding divine law versus human law. That's why an argument started between Antigone and Creon, which led to a tragic ending of the play. Between the two of them Which one had the best argument? Antigone, who believed that God’s law is more important, because according to God’s law, the burial of a person is a must regardless of the person action. She couldn’t bear to see her brother unburied. She fought to give him a proper burial, even though she knew that she would be sentenced to death for her action. On the other hand, Creon believed that human made law had a higher power than God’s law, because it is based on personal action. For instance, because Polynices’s action as the traitor he should not get a burial. Antigone defied Creon’s order because of the values she held, she felt it was only right to bury her brother, Polynices, and She believed that God’s law was more important, and should come before anything else. Antigone seemed to be the only character to have over lasting loyalty, as she was willing to die for her brother Polynices’s right to a proper burial when she said ”I can face death, but I cannot ...

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...eved is right. Her position is acting out of love, respect, and loyalty to her family and concern for her brother’s after life. I believe that divine law that can be described as the law of god, should be highly regarded, but I also believe that the law set up by man, such as the law that king Creon made up, should be acknowledged and followed. One must weigh the divine law and human law if they are put in a situation where one of the sides must be taken. My conclusion is that Antigone has the best argument and right, when she choose to go against Creon and bury her brother, in accordance with the fact that God’s law is much more important than man’s law. And that Creon was wrong for even making up this law with the penalty of death. Antigone had the right to bury her brother and her brother had the right to receive a respectful burial which would honor their family.