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. As he states in the play, "No man who helps a traitor can be honored with burial" (Sophocles, line …show more content…
Despite Creon's point of view, Antigone's decision to bury her brother is justified. Antigone's action is out of love and respect for her brother, and it respects the laws of the gods. As Antigone says in the play, "Not even the power of a king can deny me the right to bury him" (Sophocles, line 70). He recognizes that it is his duty to respect the divine laws and bury Polyneices with due respect. This is a sign of his loyalty to his brother and dedication to maintaining moral order. Another reason why Antigone is justified in her decision to bury her brother is that her action is a form of protest against Creon's tyranny. By burying Polyneices, he defends justice and respect for the rights of citizens. This is illustrated in the play when Antigone says, "I maintain that no one has the right to do evil and be honored for it" (Sophocles, line 55). Antigone's decision to bury her brother is a powerful statement of her commitment to justice and her refusal to accept Creon's
In the play, Antigone by Sophocles, Antigone argues that her older brother should be given the respect of a proper burial to be able to pass through Purgatory. Antigone supports her argument by using Pathos and Ethos to persuade the king Creon to go back on the law of anyone attempting to Polyneices a burial they will be punished. Antigone’s purpose is to give her brother the burial that will allow him to pass onto the afterlife she believes in. Antigone uses an argumentative tone for the proper burial of her brother. In seeking a proper burial for her brother, Polyneices, Antigone’s standards of divine justice provide a more effective argument than that of the king
Antigone Relevance In the book Antigone by Sophocles the main character is Antigone and her sister Ismene. Their close brother Polyneices has died in a battle against his brother over the city. Antigone wants to give her brother a proper burial but Creon the new ruler, announces that if anyone buries Polyneices they will be put to death. Creon believes Polyneices was a traitor.
During this time, the belief that Antigone had was that if one was not awarded a proper burial, they are never truly laid to rest. Since she went against Creon and buried her brother, she was executed. If she hadn’t
Antigone wants to bury her brother, but Creon will not let her. Creon and Antigone argue back and forth, multiple times Creon would say that his rules are rules. He was arrogant about his kingship and would not allow to bury Antigone’s brother because of his own pride. His pride overruled any and all reasons that Antigone should be allowed to bury the body even if they were good reasons. As Creon is being introduced to the chorus he states that he will not bury Polynices, and he has brainwashed his court of public opinion so much they add to his overweening pride by saying “Your will is law” (132 Sophocles).
Creon decreed that it would be against his rule to bury the body of Polynices; nevertheless, Antigone still goes to bury the body because she believes it to be morally right. She can not be seen as entirely evil because she kept the body of her brother from just laying there on the battlefield to rot, yet Antigone can not be seen as completely good since she has broken the first
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
In Sophocles Antigone it states “; but his brother Polyneices, who broke his exile to come back with fire and sword against his native city”. This shows that Creon decided that his actions were for the best for his people. This shows that Creon was trying to be justified by doing what's right for his people and not letting personal ties disrupt what's right. Antigone is justified in her own way because she is trying to bury her brother because she feels since he is dead he deserves to be out in peace. Antigone stated that her brother deserves a burial just like anybody else because he also fought.
In the play, Antigone by Sophocles when a new man Creon becomes king he forbids a traitor's body to be buried so that he would be an example, this man being Polyneices, Antigone’s brother. Antigone, fearless in her actions, will not let her brother's body rot in the street even if it's against Creon's rules, but Creon due to his pride will not listen to anyone including Antigone. This will lead to pain and suffering for Creon later in the story. The main character Creon is foolish, for killing Antigone for trying to give her brother a burial. Because he would not hear out Tiresias or others.
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.
Family is more reasonable than a law prohibiting peace of the family. Without a burial Antigone is hurt and can not think straight in her decisions so it is justifiable for her to disobey Creon and bury him to let his
Antigone believed that it was her moral duty to give her brother a proper burial, despite the king's decree prohibiting it. This conflict is evident in Antigone's dialogue with her sister Ismene: "Ismene, I am going to bury him. Will you come?" (Antigone, 86) " But how can I?
Antigone is put in a devastating position when her two brothers have both died fighting against each other and one has recieved burial and the other has not. One brother is being portrayed as honorable and a hero and the other as a traitor who deserves to rot because of his actions. Antigone is justified in her act of disobedience when she decides to bury her “traitor” of a brother, Polynices. This is made clear in the play Antigone by Sophocles when divine laws are said to be important over everything and when Antigone's rights are being violated. From a critical source and standpoint it is also true because Creon’s authority is questionable from the start and dishonoring the dead is prohibited by rules of warfare.
In the scene in which Creon will not allow her brother to be buried. This goes against her personal beliefs she confronts Creon when she says “if I had allowed my own mothers son to rot, an unburied corpse that would have been an agony.” Creon wouldn’t allow Antigone brother to be buried even tho Antigone felt it was the right thing to do. Antigone is talking to Ismene about burying her brother but Ismene tells her to keep the idea a secret but Antigone disagrees and says “But I know I’ll please the ones I’m duty bound to please.
As Antigone said when Creon asked her if she has heard of his edict, “It was public. Could I help hearing it?” (708). This tells us that Antigone knew that what she was doing was illegal and yet she still chose to bury Polyneices no matter the consequences for her. On the other hand, you could say that even though Antigone knew what she was doing was wrong, she did it because she knew that it was the right thing to do.
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.