When people defend what they believe in or who they love that is sacrifice. In order to be certain that her two brothers she loved had a proper burial and that their souls could rest, Antigone sacrificed her life. Regardless of the potential outcome; even if that means that she was going to have to challenge her uncle (King Creon), she plans on pursuing her quest. Polynices and Eteocles killed each other in battle for control over Thebes, leaving the city to the new King, Creon Jocasta’s brother and Antigone’s uncle. Because of the actions that Polynices took during the war, Creon labels him a traitor and halts any burial process, leaving his body for the animals (222-234). This law, by King Creon unhinged Antigone’s wrath and sorrow about the situation. Antigone’s tries to get her sister to consider helping her in the inception of the first episode, but Ismene tells her sister that it’s better off if they don’t end up the same as their brothers and father (Lines 60-81). That means if Antigone still wanted to proceed, it was going to be alone. Due to the fact that in Greek mythology, their belief was that the dead …show more content…
But Antigone did so anyways knowing the consequences were going to be brutal. This is significant because the sacrificial death of Antigone, who challenged a male counterpart is basically inevitable. This play challenged the beliefs of women during that day and age, giving them the power to criticize and proceed against an opposing male force. Without the sacrificial death, Antigone would only consist of the overpowering actions of King Creon. Her decisions and actions on challenging him was one of the main themes of the play. Arguably she made a heroic decision, but deciding what her intent was behind those decisions is questionable. Undoubtedly one of Antigone’s motivations was to be certain that both of her brothers were resting
Also, while Antigone is fully motivated to give her family a proper burial, Antigone also criticizes her family, Ismene, for being too much of a sissy and a conformist. For illustration, Ismene insists that whether they agree with or authorize Creon's action is fully inapplicable since Creon is the sovereign of Thebes, and thus, they must “ observe the bones who stand in power ”( Sophocles, 62). Ismene’s belief that simply following Creon’s law is the stylish course of action easily reveals the antipode between her and Antigone. While Ismene wants to bury Polynices just as important as Antigone does, she doesn't believe that burying her family is enough of a defense to simply ignore the law, and clearly enough to die for. This contradiction
This is related to Malcolm X and his famous line “by any means necessary.” Although she did not fight back physically, which was a strong belief by Malcolm X, Antigone stopped at no cost to achieve her goal of burying her dead brother. She tries to reason with Creon by appealing to emotion and the Theban beliefs. Polynices was not only Antigone’s brother, but also Creon’s nephew. Antigone commits this “crime of piety” because she knows that she would not be dishonoring her gods.
More than any other character in Sophocle’s plays, Antigone shows an inordinate sense of pride and willpower. Antigone’s brother Polynices was killed in battle against the king Creon. Creon’s orders forbid anyone from burying Polynices after the war because he feels Polynices was a traitor to Creon. Antigone disagrees with Creon, however, and buries her brother’s body properly to be received by the gods. Each is certain of their own integrity; they each believe in the rightness of their position.
In the play Antigone, written by Sophocles, burial customs of the ancient Greeks play an extensive role. The women of the family perform the burial rites, and believed that if their distinct methods were not followed, the soul is destined to suffer between worlds until the correct rites were performed. Antigone, the sister of Polynices and Eteocles, is aware of this and is not going to stand by and let her brother, Polynices, linger between worlds in pain, after being killed by Eteocles. With her ambition and determination she does the deed, and of doing so she follows the god's laws, but breaks Creon’s laws in the midst of it. Creon is also aware of the burial rites but still decides, through his stubbornness, that Polynices shall not be performed these rites, because of his actions against Thebes.
Antigone being the one to fight for her beliefs and obeying the god's laws attempts the burial of Polyneices and goes against Creon’s law to prove to him that he’s in over his head that he has too much pride in himself, in lines 15-35 Antigone claims that she is going to go
In the play "Antigone" by Sophocles, Antigone rightfully decides to bury her brother, Polynices, but when the king, Creon, finds out, she does not repent for her actions. She is a woman that stands for what she thinks is right, which in this case is that Creon is wrong for condemning the burial of her brother. She shows braveness with her actions because not all people have the courage to risk their own lives so that their brother can rest in peace. For instance, Ismene states "What? You 'd bury him – when a law forbids the city?"
Antigone is a play written by Sophocles that focuses on the consequences of Antigone's decision to defy her uncle the king and bury her brother Polyneices. The play presents Antigone as a brave and noble character who is willing to sacrifice her life to bury her brother, which is a death sentence. Although her uncle, King Creon, sees her decision as treasonous, Antigone's actions are justified when she honors her brother in ways only known. First, it is important to note why King Creon feels guilty about Antigone's actions. Creon makes it clear that the body of Polyneices must not be buried because he is a traitor and an enemy of the state.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” (Martin Luther King Jr.) Antigone takes the decision to resist Kreon, and insists on burying Polyneices. The act is something that brings her into a sharp conflict between familial duty based on divine law, and the commands of the king (Kreon). Leaving Polyneices unburied means that he becomes part of nature, as vultures and wild dogs will feed on him.
In the classic play by Sophocles, Antigone is a tragic story of the bold Antigone who defied her uncle, King Creonʻs, edict by burying her brother, Polyneices, who died attacking the city of Thebes, trying to take the power away from their brother, Eteocles, who refused to share the throne with Polyneices. Even though Antigone knew that going against Creon and burying her brother would not end well for her, she still choose to risk her life to do what is right. After being caught breaking the law, Antigone is appointed to be locked away, isolated in a cave until she dies, but she hangs herself at the end. At the same time, things for Creon are not looking good, as everyone around him seems to be against him in his decision for punishing Antigone. Everyone Creon cares about kills themselves from a curse that is put on Creon for not following the Godsʻ laws.
This stands true for Antigone and her sister Ismene. While Antigone is fiercely loyal to her brother and willing to risk her life to give him his burial, Ismene is too intimidated by society to participate in the burial. She believes that Antigone is wrong to challenge Creon’s law. “I needs must do, but yield obedience to them that walk in power; to exceed is madness, and not wisdom.” (Sophocles, page 4) After Antigone is caught and she realizes that she will have no family left after she is executed, Ismene starts to sing a different tune.
She will only accept complete or no help at all, demonstrating how her decision is made in absolutes, with Antigone considering no other factors or consequences that may come as a result. Antigone demonstrates her resolve and her solitary motivation, as she brushes Ismene off harshly at any hint of hesitation. To do that indicates that she tolerates disloyalty to an extreme level, even if it comes from another member of her immediate family, even her own sister. This also reveals the fatalistic nature Antigone, as she says she is ready to die by breaking the law.
Antigone felt that Creon’s laws were prejudiced against her belief in God's proclamation and her personal morals or core values. She put her family first the whole time,
In Antigone, there was two brothers who shared being the King and one of the brothers, Polynices, wanted to start a war with the kingdom because he wanted to be the main ruler. Polynices and his brother Eteocles fight and they both end up killing each other. Their Uncle Creon, who takes position as King when they are both killed, decides that only Eteocles will have a proper burial and Polynices will be left to rot. Antigone, Polynices and Eteocles sister, thinks that Creon’s decision is unfair and takes upon herself to give Polynices a proper burial. When their other sister Ismene finds out, she is stuck between helping her sister bury their brother and following Creon’s demands.
Antigone’s actions are motivated by her allegiance to her family, moral conscience, and religion amid Creon’s political injustice and tyranny. Antigone’s actions motivate her to demand Ismene to prove whether she is “a true sister or a traitor to your family” (26-27). Antigone maintains loyalty to her brother despite his actions which threatened Thebes. Her inability to bear the thought of her brother’s corpse being picked apart by animals and not being honored with proper funeral rites forces her to act. Antigone’s fierce allegiance to her family is laid bare as she is willing to sacrifice her life to honor her brother and defy the law in an act that she believes is morally just.
The fact that Antigone was stubborn and wanted to bury her brother no matter the cost teaches us this lesson. It can also be seen in Creon’s unwillingness to give in to Antigone no because he didn’t want to be looked at in a certain way. Instead, he lost everything that he had and was left at the end of the play in great pain and alone. The story Antigone was a classic Greek tragedy, a continuation of the immense tragedy that has already befallen the house of Oedipus. “Tragedy has a satisfying, redemptive ending because the events in tragedy are arranged so well that we would not have the play end any other way, we accept the conclusion” Antigone does indeed satisfy that requirement as a tragic play.