The Clash Between Civil and Divine Law Charles Dickens once said, "The law is an ass." Though at first, it seems harsh and very strange, the deeper meaning is one that is a perfect summary of the Greek tragedy Antigone. The meaning of an "ass," is a stubborn, obstinate, perverse, immovable animal. Throughout Antigone, the characters must deal with the clash between Civil and Divine law. They struggle to discover what is truly right and wrong, good and bad. In the end, they are forced to make
Antigone: Divine Law vs. Human Law Possibly the most prominent theme in Sophocles' "Antigone" is the concept of divine law vs. human law. In the story the two brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices have slain each other in battle. The new King Creon, who assumed the throne after Eteocles' death, decrees that because Polyneices committed treason against the king, he shall not be buried, but instead "He shall be left unburied for all to watch The corpse mutilated and eaten by carrion-birds and by dogs"
quarrel between the understanding of God’s law versus human law, and how man can be corrupted by attempting altering God’s law. In Antigone by Sophocles, Antigone defies her uncle’s austere orders and buries Polyneices based on her perception that God’s law overpowers man’s law in all circumstances. The overall moral conflicts in the play are between Antigone and her religious beliefs about God’s law, and between Creon and Thebes’ justice system about human law. When an individual is not allowed to be
Antigone: Divine Law vs. Human Law The play entitled Antigone was written by a man named Sophocles, a scholarly author of philosophy and logic. The play Antigone is probably one of the most prominent interpretations of a tragic drama. The two main characters of the play are Antigone and Creon. There is much conflict between Antigone and Creon throughout the play, both of them having their own ideas and opinions regarding divine law versus human law. The theme that I am going to analyze is the conflict
argues that religion and law should join together to harmonize society, but in reality the text demonstrates that society would collapse if they are both joined. In Sophocles, Antigone seems to represent the difference between divine law and human law. Antigone’s brothers were at war against each other in a battle for the throne of Thebes, she decides to prevent her brothers from killing themselves. At
Divine Law Versus Government According to philosophers, there are four types of law that guide morality and behavior for humans. Eternal, divine, natural and civil laws all contribute to the quality of life for mankind, but these laws often get confused with each other. This paper will examine two instances of a clash between the civil laws of government and divine laws of religious conviction. Human beings have always inherently known the difference between good and evil. Natural law is universal
The Theory of Natural Law, defined in three aspects, there being a natural order in the world, everything having a purpose and how things are and how things ought to be. This theory also states that humans can distinguish between what is right or wrong through human reason/moral knowledge. On the other hand, the Divine Command Theory is a view of morality and believes that what’s right or wrong is set by God’s moral commands. God’s commands tell us what is morally obligatory, permitted and wrong
Divine Law versus Human Law Sophocles' famous play, Antigone, can be perceived as a conflict between individual conscience and state policy. Yet the issue of the play goes beyond that conflict and touches the universal conditions of suffering, religion, and loyalty. Through Antigone's character--which represents the spheres of family loyalty, divine law, and human suffering, Sophocles conveys the idea that a law of man that violates religious law is not a law at all. He expresses this idea by
The concept of divine law versus the human law is a prominent theme in the Greek play, Antigone. Sophocles creates the epitome of the inferiority of a king to reinforce the fact that monarchs will always be secondary to the Greek divine powers. Due to Creon’s unhealthy obsession and grip on personal power and his complete disregard of the divine law and fate, he later fails not only as a ruler but as a father and husband. Evidence of the superiority of religion can be encountered when Antigone rebels
a person who is dying. Moreover, we have no right to ask for this act of killing for ourselves or for those entrusted to our care; nor can any authority legitimately recommend or permit such an action. We are dealing here with a violation of the divine law, an offense against the dignity of the human person, a crime against life, and an attack on humanity. Legalizing euthanasia would also violate American convictions about human rights and equality. The Declaration of Independence proclaims our
The Trial of the Sensational Oscar Wilde Ed Cohen's Talk on the Wilde Side discusses the trial of Oscar Wilde in 1895. Cohen explores the lack of legal transcripts of the case which relies on newspaper press reports and accounts to document this lawsuit. His investigations into the clarity of the newspaper accounts found that they "were themselves highly mediated stories whose narrative structures organized and gave meaningful shapes to the events they purported to accurately represent" (4)
Religion in Huckleberry Finn Religion is one of the most constant targets of Twain's satirical pen. In Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain portrays contemporary religion as shallow and hypocritical. He criticizes the hypocrisy of conventional religion by comparing it with the true religion of Huck. Most of the characters in Huckleberry Finn, while ostensibly devout Christians, in reality behave in anything but a Christian way. Some use religion as a tool to obtain wealth. The king
Although I do not believe that either Antigone's or Creon's view is "twisted," I do believe that their fate is a direct result of their extreme pride and stubbornness. In "Antigone," Sophocles examines the conflict between the requirements of human and divine law that is centered on the burial of Polynices, Antigone's brother and Creon's nephew. On the issue of the burial, their views are opposed and they each believe that one is right and the other is wrong. The views of Antigone and Creon are opposed
Douglass (act. 1852-1880), Booker T. Washington (act. 1895-1915); and W.E.B. DuBois (act. 1895-1968) are some of the most important African-American jeremiads in our history. Black jeremiads stem from the Jeffersonian idea of "natural and divine law." This law emphasizes the right to freedom as well as liberty. The American jeremiad originated amongst 17th century Puritans who believed that their destiny was to form a utopian society in the Americas. By the 19th century, black jeremiads had adopted
We should obey God’s laws and surrender our loyalty to him. Curses and punishment will come if we do not stay loyal and follow the laws from God. For example, when Creon first became King. Creon wanted nobody to bury Polynecies and even stated that as a law in his speech. Polynecies was to be left to rot without a proper burial. Antigone comes in a defies Creon’s law putting the laws of God first. Creon questions her asking why and Antigone responds with, “That final Justice that rules the world
Divine Love in The Canonization Describing the complexities of love, Pascal states that "the heart has reasons which reason knows nothing of" (qtd. in Bartlett 270). Similarly, in "The Canonization" by John Donne, the speaker argues that his unique love obtains reasons beyond the knowledge of the common man. The speaker relates his love to the canonization of saints. Therefore, he implies that his love is a divine love. In "The Canonization," the speaker conveys a love deserving of admiration and
The Divine in Gilgamesh, The Old Testament, and Metamorphoses Along with different languages, customs and traditions, ancient Hebrews, Middle-easterners and Romans had very different beliefs about the divine. For example, Hebrews are monotheistic, while Middle-easterners and Greco-Romans of early time periods believe in many gods. Writings from the ancient time period sketch these differences, as well as the many similarities between religious beliefs. The Old Testament is an excellent reference
Nine Stages of Divine Vision Nine stages of life are formed by nine crises that shape our awareness and the way we envision and experience the divine in both our cultural and isolated lives. Out vision of the divine is determined by the unique forms and forces in each stage of our lives. The first stage is the unborn stage of the womb. The first part of the first stage is the unborn womb. Since the womb is almost perfect for our prenatal needs, there is an incomparable experience of Kinesthetic
Divine Punishment in Oedipus Rex and Leda and the Swan Divine punishment is an irreversible occurrence that creates distinct attitudes in characters. In Yeats' poem, Leda and the Swan and Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, Divine punishment plays a crucial role, and is the basis for the actions of both Oedipus and Leda. Yeats and Sophocles explore the idea of Divine punishment in various ways. Yeats shows Leda's attitude towards the experience of the rape, and the result of the rape leads to Leda's
Beauty and the Divine in Edgar Allen Poe's To Helen To Helen presents beauty as necessary for apprehending the divine. Poe celebrates beauty, specifically the beauty of a women, as represented by two women known for beauty in Greek legend (Helen of Troy and Psyche). Helen's beauty escorts him to Hellenistic culture and values, which brings him to Psyche, who illuminates the divine. To Helen by Edgar Allan Poe Helen, thy beauty is to me Like those Nicean barks of yore, That gently, o'er