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The Burial Of Polynices In Sophocles Antigone

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The Burial of Polynices

Is one’s duty to their family more important than the law? What if the law is extremely unjust and unfair? An unfair law can be defined by its ethicality or its ability to bring justice. These laws are often common and affect many, because they are unfair and should be ended. In Antigone, an ancient Greek tragedy, written by Sophocles, the King of Thebes, Creon creates a decree to prevent the burial of his nephew Polynices, who waged war against Thebes to win back his throne. The protagonist, Antigone, disobeys this decree to bury her brother, claiming its her brothers right to be buried. After discovering what occurred, Creon sentenced her to death by exile. Antigone attempts to justify her decision to break the law, claiming that even though her brother committed treason, he should still have the right to be buried. Antigone uses gods law versus mans law to show Creon that she was in the right to bury …show more content…

Antigone believes burying her brother is a sacred duty that must be carried out by her, so her brother may rest in peace. “I will bury him myself. And even if I die in the act, that death will be a glory” (Sophocles 85-86). Antigone’s loyalty to her her brother is so strong that she is willing to risk her own life to bury him. She believes it is her duty to complete the god’s laws and bury her brother, even if it means disobeying the king. Antigone’s decision is also motivated by her belief in the god’s laws, and that they are more important than man’s laws. When Creon confronts Antigone about her actions, she responds “I did not think anything which you proclaimed strong enough to let a mortal override the gods and their unwritten and unchanging laws”(Sophocles 450). Antigone belives the god’s laws are timeless, and no human can override

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