She defies Creon’s law because she is trying to honor her brother and preserve the God-given rights of a proper burial after death (Leshak). Even though she recognizes death as the consequence for her action, Antigone fights the struggle of the individual and still feels the need to bury her brother. She does not only feel the need to bury Polynices because he is her brother, but there she strongly feels that is is her moral duty to due so in order to please the Theban gods and will only be found “guilty of the holiest crime”. Another reason that Antigone’s civil disobedience is symbolic is because she is a woman. Creon states that no woman will rule him as he lives and since Antigone loves the dead, she will join
Tragedies often deal with a problematic character that leads to a disastrous ending. A work of literature that contains a character that causes his or her downfall is in the book Antigone. Creon’s excessive pride lead to his downfall by not listening to anyone and believed that he was never wrong, causing the death of his beloved family. This is important to the work as a whole because Creon causes the tragedy of Thebes and it conveys that tyrants, due to their excessive pride, think they don't have to abide to the laws, which leads to their downfall. Upon being crowned king, Creon is portrayed as a responsible leader.
" It has come to our notice that the war between Polyneices and Eteocles has angered the people of Thebes and has led Antigone to go against her uncle Creon the King. The new law states that Polyneices is to not have a burial, that no man is to touch him or say the least prayer for him." As soon as the law was established Antigone was infuriated. Antigone decided to tell Ismene her plan, she was not going to be stopped even if she died in the process of honoring her brother. Ismene was starting to think that her sister was going mad and wished to not be a part of her actions.
Because of this, it shows the audience Creon's pride in his decision making. Comparing Antigone's reverential faith and Creon's pride and self-assurance, a clear contrast can be made, Antigone’s faith leads her to do things against Creon ’s rule due to her beliefs, while Creon implements and enforces these rules due to his self-assurance. In conclusion, Antigone is a major foil in the Greek tragedy of Antigone against Creon due to her unyielding religious faith, causing her to go against Creon, and Creon’s exceptional self-assurance, causing these rules to be made and punishments to be carried
History has shown that religious and personal beliefs frequently clash with societal norms and laws. An example of this is present in Antigone, a Ancient Greek play written by Sophocles in 441 BC. Antigone is a teenage girl(inferred) who was forced to decide whether to give her brother, Polynices, a proper burial or follow Creon’s edict which condemned Polynices’ body to be ravaged by nature. Eventually, Antigone chooses to uphold her beliefs and bury her brother even if it would lead to her death. Antigone’s immense dedication to her morals and her response to Creon’s edict help in understanding her views on moral authority and death.
Both Antigone and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. can be viewed as rebels. Despite strict laws being enforced by their governing bodies, each chose to challenge authority in favor of their moral compasses. By objecting to the laws set in place, both Dr. Martin Luther King and Antigone fought for what they felt was truly right and just in each of their given situations. Although each character’s circumstances and actions seem to differ greatly, Dr. King would agree with Antigone’s choices to question authority in order to uphold mutual respect and honor for all individuals, as well as religious values, despite the laws set in place. Religious beliefs were Antigone’s driving force in opposing the law of Creon.
Antigone expresses extreme pride from the start of the play, telling her sister how Polyneices “is [her] brother still and [...she] shall not abandon him” (345). Although the burial of Polyneices is outlawed, Antigone will stick to her morals before following the law. The diction of abandon shows how Antigone feels as though not defying the law would be wrong because it goes against her principles. Not only does she show her pride, but she has a very noble cause, something some may argue Creon lacks. Antigone displays this nobility again, when she is in the custody of Creon and her sister end up being brought in as well.
Below is the description of the major characters of this play. Antigone is the shocking courageous woman of the play. In the first snippets of the play, Antigone is restricted to her brilliant sister Ismene. Ismene: Antigone's last surviving kin, Ismene is the foil for her stronger sister.
Antigone was justifiable in her action to disobey the proclamation that Creon created. Creon is immoral in the condemned burial of Polynices. Antigone is moved by her religious perspective, family ties and passionate aspects to go against the law of the land that makes her actions just in what she did rather than unjust. The Gods’ law was more crucial than any mortals law. Antigone’s view on the gods being of a higher power made her decision non-defiant since she only broke a mortals law not the gods.
Throughout the play Antigone and Haemon urge Creon to reconsider his law and see that his views are not always right and a wise man considers others views and ideas as well. Antigone asks her sister if she would join her mission to bury their brother Polynies, knowing that if they were to be caught they would
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.
In the play, Antigone, Sophocles reveals a story of a character who responds significantly to an injustice. After a war between brothers’ Eteocles and Polyneices, both brothers are slain, but Creon, Antigone’s uncle, refused to bury Polyneices due to him fighting against the city. Antigone, the main character, decides to bury her brother against Creon’s orders, resulting in a conflict between the already cursed family. With the unjust refusal from Creon to not bury Polyneices, Antigone decides to stand up against this injustice, even if it means losing her life. Sophocles writes about a stubborn Antigone who believes she is following God’s law, in order to create justice between the cursed family and solve the unjust created by Creon, to
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 which she is following God. Antigone’s choice to go up against Creon’s law is influenced by her core value of believing in
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.
