The natural right to freedom, though defended in society today, has not always been guaranteed (single word adverb). Racial inequality in America divided the people to the point of a civil war. Long after, men opposed those who sought suffrage for all genders and races. In both instances, individuals were not ensured the freedom to choose their leaders or to express their opinions without fear of punishment. This fear is not present in Antigone’s actions, depicted in Sophocles’ play Antigone, as she defies her uncle Creon’s rule over Thebes so she can give her fallen brother Polyneices a proper burial. Polyneices and his brother Eteocles died in a power struggle for ownership of Thebes because Eteocles and Creon refused to give Polyneices the …show more content…
For example, during her interrogation, Antigone emphasizes that she does not believe “‘anything which [Creon proclaims is] strong enough / to let [him] override the gods / and their unwritten and unchanging laws. / [….] / So [Antigone does] not mean / to let a fear of any human will / lead to [her] punishment among the gods’” (511-518) (intervening non-essential phrase). Antigone adheres to laws made by an eternal authority whom she honors as a vital part of her religion, as does the rest of her city. Despite Creon’s threats as king, Antigone knows the gods would punish her and the entire city much worse for her disobedience. Antigone therefore favors her own welfare and her city’s welfare over the avoidance of any punishment created by Creon, whose only goal is to preserve his pride and image. Further in the interrogation, Antigone is not intimidated by Creon’s threat to kill her because she believes there is no better way that she could “‘gain greater glory / than setting [her] own brother in his grave’” (570-571). Obeying her natural desire to observe her religious beliefs, Antigone continues to follow her own moral code, which includes the idea that her familial connection to Polyneices extends beyond his or her own death (single word adjective, adverb prep phrase). Creon lacks this sense of morality as he immediately prevents his nephew from entering the underworld, an unjust fate that complies with Greek religion (action verb, essential phrase). Later, before Antigone is led to her death, she reminds Creon that “‘since [her] father and [her] mother, too, / are hidden away in Hades’ house, / [she will] never have another living brother. / That [is] the law [she uses] to honour [Polyneices]’” (1022-1025). Antigone understands the value of every member of her family. She fulfills
The opening events of the play Antigone, written by Sophocles, quickly establish the central conflict between Antigone and Creon. Creon has decreed that the traitor Polynices, who tried to burn down the temple of gods in Thebes, must not be given proper burial. Antigone is the only one who will speak against this decree and insists on the sacredness of family and a symbolic burial for her brother. Whereas Antigone sees no validity in a law that disregards the duty family members owe one another, Creon's point of view is exactly opposite. He has no use for anyone who places private ties above the common good, as he proclaims firmly to the Chorus and the audience as he revels in his victory over Polynices. He sees Polynices as an enemy to the state because he attacked his brother. Creon's first speech, which is dominated by words such as "authority” and "law”, shows the extent to which Creon fixates on government and law as the supreme authority. Between Antigone and Creon there can be no compromise—they both find absolute validity in the respective loyalties they uphold.
Antigone, as a character, is extremely strong-willed and loyal to her faith. Creon is similarly loyal, but rather to his homeland, the city of Thebes, instead of the gods. Both characters are dedicated to a fault, a certain stubbornness that effectively blinds them from the repercussions of their actions. Preceding the story, Antigone has been left to deal with the burden of her parents’ and both her brothers’ deaths. Merely a young child, intense grief is to be expected; however, Antigone’s emotional state is portrayed as frivolous when it leads her to directly disobey Creon’s orders. She buries her brother Polynices because of her obedience to family and to the gods, claiming to follow “the gods’ unfailing, unwritten laws” (Sophocles 456-457). CONTINUE
It is Antigone's morals, which drive her to betray the laws of man, in order to honor the laws of God. Knowing and comprehending the consequences of defying Creon's ruling do not restrain the intensity of Antigone's self will, yet it feeds her hunger to achieve her principles. Losing sight of her future, Antigone allows her stubbornness to consume her life, taking with it, the prospect of marriage, motherhood and friendship. As the story continues, we find that Antigone focuses more on the need to establish her human ethics in spite of Creon, rather than proving the incorrectness of man defying god's laws.
... by vultures because she had a strong belief in family honor and the will of the gods, one which as long as no harm is done should be upheld above other laws. There are two competing forms of justice throughout “Antigone” which inform the argument of whether or not Antigone should have followed Creon’s laws through the tension of the city state and the will of the people as well as the gods. Creon’s argument was flawed in his disregard for public opinion and that he overlooked Antigone’s valid argument because of her gender and his pride. Antigone argues that a mortal man cannot override the will of the gods, a valid argument of the times. It is and was crucially important to fully consider the best interest of the citizens that is being voiced at the time of decision making, if it is not taken into consideration the city, as seen in Thebes will fall into shambles.
Antigone was a selfless person with pride as a strong characteristic of her personality. She possibly had feelings of loneliness and anger from the way society has looked upon her family from their past. It took a strong willed person who has no fear of the repercussions to stand up to a king as she did. To make everything all the worst she stood up to a king who was her Uncle and she being a female back in those time, standing up and speaking out for herself was not heard of.
Creon doesn’t believe in the family ties that Antigone is deeply connected to. He is loyal to the idea of his city, rather than the people of Thebes and their needs. Creon, although not villainous, is the antagonist of the story. An antagonist in power is a recipe for corruption and misconduct within a government. By forbidding the burial of Polynices, Creon is proving that he recognizes his attempt to overthrow the king. This shows a certain weakness and fear within Creon, and shows that he wants to keep his position. Creon’s thirst for power and control is a clear example of the corruption within the government. Overall, it can be pretty easy to find corruption within a absolute monarchy, but Creon takes it to a new level by putting his followers in complex moral situations. Antigone must choose between her loyalty to her family and lost brothers, and her loyalty to her city and Creon. Evidently, she sided with her family, going against Creon’s rule. The fact that she was put into this situation by Creon proves that he is not only the antagonist, but the source of corruption within the government.
Antigone’s opinions are distinctive as she clearly states her beliefs to Creon after being caught for performing her brother’s burial rituals. Antigone strongly believes that law has no validity when laid by a human as she questions Creon saying, “What laws? I never heard it was Zeus who made that announcement” (Antigone 450). This quote shows her reliance on the Gods for moral direction instead of the kings who reign over her. Although she disregards the law, she also accepts punishment; Antigone is able to follow her opinions and independently rule herself, yet also recognize the societal expectations of law and accept punishment. When being taken by Creon with her sister Antigone takes the responsibility of the crime all herself and recognizes what she did despite not being ashamed of it. One of the main views of Antigone that causes her disobedience is the belief that rulers should not keep loved ones from each other. Antigone clearly states, “He has no right to keep me from my own” this shows how she believes the connection between family overpowers that of a law passed by a vengeful king (Antigone 48). Antigone’s opinions contrast to those of Creon who is a gender biased ruler who sees women as lesser as he states “I will not be ruled by a woman” (Antigone 24). This shows his belief in who is credible within law. Not only does he have opinions on who
The opening conversation of the play is between Antigone, and her sister, Ismene. Their two brothers have just slain one another in a battle at Thebes; the brother who defended Thebes, Eteocles, is receiving an elegant burial, while the brother who attacked Thebes, Polyneices, is being left out to rot. Antigone and Ismene are arguing over what to do about Polyneices’ burial, or lack thereof. Antigone is urging Ismene to defy Creon’s order to leave Polyneices unburied. She says to Ismene, “What are Creon’s rights / When it comes to me and mine?” (9), Antigone is explaining that the law of the land should not come before the law of the gods. When Ismene starts to become skeptical of Antigone’s plan, Antigone tries to sever their relationship forever by
Creon believes that his laws are absolute and must be followed above all else, even Divine Law. Therefore when Antigone, in accordance with divine law, goes against Creons edict by burying her brother she is forcefully imprisoned and sentenced to death by Creon. In Creons opening speech he says, “Of course you cannot know a man completely, his character, his principles, sense of judgment … Experience, there’s the test” (Sophocles, p. 67). How Creon handles Antigones unlawful actions serves as his first test as the new king of Thebes and ends up showing the Thebans a glimpse of his true nature, that of a tyrannical ruler. This can be seen again when Haemon comes to Creon with the hope of dissuading him from his current course of action. He does this by trying to make Creon understand that the citizens of Thebes don’t agree with his use of power and planned execution of Antigone. Again Creons authoritarian nature comes to light in his response to Haemon, “And is Thebes about to tell me how to rule… Am I to rule this land for others – or myself?” (Sophocles, p. 97). To which Haemon counters by saying that “its no city at all, owned by one man alone” (Sophocles, p. 97). Creon, being the tyrant he is, fails to heed the wisdom of his sons’ words, which ultimately leads to his downfall. Creon, like Machiavelli, believed that it was
But freedom is still inseparably tied to responsibility, consequences, and justice. That is, if someone has the right to think and act, it is his responsibility to think and act correctly and to take charge for the consequence. The true “freedom” only means much when people holds right knowledge and right training since one’s exercise of his/her entitlement must be linked to certain limits. (Freedom & Responsibilities, n.d.). In the Antigone, it could be said that King Creon has his own freedom to make decrees and control the regime in his way. However, in fact Creon infringes on the freedom of the people of Thebes by expecting them to obey him without question (Sophocles, 59-128). When Creon regards himself as the incarnation of the city-state, he demands all the people bow down to the dictatorship and completely abandon the rational pursuit as independent entities (Griffith, 1999).As Tiresias says, “Stubbornness brands you for stupidity---pride is a crime (Sophocles, 112),” what Creon believes in is only kind of mistakes and tyrants instead of real truth and freedom. However, for Antigone, she dares to exercises her freedom to act and speak by openly resisting King Creon’s ban to bury her brother Polyneices due to love, loyalty, and humanity (Griffith, 1999). She shouts indignantly, "Yes! He is my brother...No one will ever convict me for a traitor…No; he has no right
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.
Brad Moore, a famous athlete once said, “Pride would be a lot easier to swallow if it didn’t taste so bad.” In Sophocles’ well known Greek tragedy, Antigone, the main character undergoes immense character development. Antigone transforms from being stubborn and underestimated to courageous and open-minded. In reality, it is Antigone’s insular persistence that leads to her ultimate decline in the play as well as others around her. After the death of her two brothers, Eteocles and Polynices, Creon becomes the new ruler of Thebes. With this, he grants Eteocles an honorable funeral service for his brave fighting. Claiming that Polynices was a traitor, he shows complete refusal to grant Polynices a respectable and worthy service. Clearly disagreeing with Creon’s inexcusable demands, Antigone declares she will bury Polynices herself so that his soul can be at peace. Entirely aware of the consequences and dangers of this action, which include death, she goes forward vowing her love for her family. Antigone shows strength and determination towards her brother. However, her growing sense of pride leads to her downfall as she sacrifices everything for her family. Antigone develops into an admirable character in which she portrays her defiance and courage, pride and open mindedness, and sense of moral righteousness to show vital character growth as the play progresses.
In Sophocles' Greek tragedy, Antigone, two characters undergo character changes. During the play the audience sees these two characters' attitudes change from close-minded to open-minded. It is their close-minded, stubborn attitudes, which lead to their decline in the play, and ultimately to a series of deaths. In the beginning Antigone is a close minded character who later becomes open minded. After the death of her brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices, Creon becomes the ruler of Thebes. He decides that Eteocles will receive a funeral with military honors because he fought for his country. However, Polyneices, who broke his exile to " spill the blood of his father and sell his own people into slavery", will have no burial. Antigone disagrees with Creon's unjust actions and says, " Creon is not strong enough to stand in my way." She vows to bury her brother so that his soul may gain the peace of the underworld. Antigone is torn between the law placed against burying her brother and her own thoughts of doing what she feels should be done for her family. Her intent is simply to give her brother, Polyneices, a proper burial so that she will follow "the laws of the gods." Antigone knows that she is in danger of being killed for her actions and she says, "I say that this crime is holy: I shall lie down with him in death, and I shall be as dear to him as he to me." Her own laws, or morals, drive her to break Creon's law placed against Polyneices burial. Even after she realizes that she will have to bury Polyneices without the help of her sister, Ismene, she says: Go away, Ismene: I shall be hating you soon, and the dead will too, For your words are hateful. Leave me my foolish plan: I am not afraid of the danger; if it means death, It will not be the worst of deaths-death without honor. Here Ismene is trying to reason with Antigone by saying that she cannot disobey the law because of the consequences. Antigone is close-minded when she immediately tells her to go away and refuses to listen to her. Later in the play, Antigone is sorrowful for her actions and the consequences yet she is not regretful for her crime. She says her crime is just, yet she does regret being forced to commit it.
The notion of honor and justice is prevalent throughout all types of literature. In Greek culture, honor is essential for creating a solid foundation within a society and family. Honor will follow you until the day you perish, and beyond. The honor for men in Greece is spiritual in that loved ones show respect to the deceased by giving them a proper burial. Nevertheless, when a man acts upon betrayal of the city, that man looses the privilege to die in such honor. This is evident in the life of Antigone when her two brothers, Polyneices and Eteocles, both die at each other’s hands at war when deciding the ruler of Thebes. Polyneices cannot have a proper burial, because the new king, Antigone’s uncle, Creon created a law that decrees that anyone who tries to give Polyneices a proper burial will have a dire consequence: death. In Sophocles’ Antigone, the quest that Antigone endures to stay true to her pure intentions of honoring Polyneices by giving him a proper burial is in juxtaposition with the fact that her defiance towards Creon is not only to do with Polyneices, but also to show appeasement to the gods.
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.