The decree was then enforced by Creon to not bury Polynices so his soul may not rest. In a conversation between Antigone and Creon, Antigone expressed why she broke the decree saying “Ashamed? Ashamed of what? Ashamed of being loyal to my own family, my own brother?” (Sophocles 13).
Antigone was forced to respect the law. She broke the law that states” Polyneices, I say, is to have no burial: no man is to touch him or say the least prayer for him; he shall lie on the plain, unburied; and the birds and the scavenging dogs can do with him whatever they like” scene 1 line 169-173. This says that if you bury Polyneices, who was Antigone’s brother would be punished. So they are
His free choice is represented by a quote from the guard surveying Polyneices body, “We saw this girl giving that dead man's corpse full burial rites—an act you’d made illegal” (337). Although Creon's own niece turns out to be the one that went against his word, he still chooses to follow through with the punishment even though the deed Antigone did was morally right. The punishment that he lays upon Antigone is excessive and unjust considering the crime. While in an argument with her, he calls to his guards proclaiming, “Take her and shut her up, as I have ordered, in her tomb’s embrace [...]
In Sophocles’ devastating ancient Greek tragedy Antigone, the life of Antigone, a brave independent woman who is forced to question her morals, drastically changes due to fate and crucial decisions that are made. When Antigone’s brother Polyneices is killed at war, he is not given a proper burial, nor is he allowed to, according to Antigone’s uncle and the King of the state, Creon. Antigone wants to bury him, therefore causing the characters to struggle with the decision of who is morally correct. This theme of choosing between following one’s individual conscience or following the state’s law is seen throughout the entire play, and the three main characters who struggle with this decision are Antigone, Creon, and Ismene. Antigone, the brave female protagonist in the play, is determined to
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.
She was to loyal and this ultimately got her killed. She was so loyal to her family, specifically her brother, that she had to make sure both her brothers got the proper burial they deserved. She did all she could to make sure of this even though it was illegal and she knew she would be caught and punished, but she didn’t care. Loyalty is generally not a flaw, but in the circumstances that Antigone was in, it is a flaw because it is what led to her demise. Creon ordered that Polyneices was not to be buried, but because of her loyalty to her family, she went against the rules and did not care who knew.
Courage is the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery. In the Greek tragedy Antigone, continues to fight for her for her family’s name although it has been slandered because of mistakes her ancestors made in the past. When Creon creates a law that forbids anyone to her brother, Polynices, Antigone heroically attempts to save her brother’s honor her brother even though she knows the harsh consequences that may follow. Although Creon is always loyal to the state based on what he believes, Antigone’s courage to her family can't be matched by any other character. Antigone is the courageous character of this play because she would accept any consequences for her brother, she would die for him, and let her dream of being a mother and wife vanish.
Creon was furious at the fact that someone would dare to disobey the law. To Antigone, however, burying Polyneices was the only correct thing to do; “He has no right to keep me from my own.” (Sophocles line 50) Because of Antigone’s stubborn loyalty to her family, she ultimately died. Did she have to die? No.
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
Laws have maintained the order and stability of society from old days of ancient civilization to today’s contemporary society. As law-abiding citizens, we allow the laws to be enforced through punishments and consequences; however, when these laws threaten ethical values and justice, they are challenged in a non-violent method known as “civil disobedience.” In Sophocles’ Antigone, Antigone challenged the political authority of Creon in a defiant act that related the struggles between her duty as a citizen of Thebes and her loyalty to her family. In “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” written by Martin Luther King, Jr., King protests racial injustices and systemic racism throughout the South and laments the need for civil disobedience to be used
The search for justice is never ending. Justice may be delayed, denied, or postponed, however, the search is timeless. To be just is to argue for fair rights for all. It is to be someone that will help the people of the community. However, many times justice is not sought and not given to those who need it most.
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 believes she should have the right of her brother’s burial. Creon states, “No one shall burry him, no one mourn for him” (Sophocles 2) illustrating that Polyneicis is irrelevant in the city of Thebes. The law in Greek society is a female should not have power or freedom over any circumstance. Antigone demands rights over her brother and will not accept
In the story “Antigone” written by Sophocles, Antigone breaks the law by burying her older brother Polyneices when her uncle King Creon prohibited him from being buried. Consequently after getting caught trying to rebury him by a guard, Antigone gets arrested and Creon questions her on why she disobeyed his orders. Antigone explains why she disobeyed him “You still dared to break this law? Yes, because I did not believe that Zeus was the one who had proclaimed it; neither did justice or the gods of the dead justice lives among” (Sophocles, Page 39). The most logical conclusion from this evidence is that Antigone was aware of the consequences; she believed that her actions were justifiable accordingly to what she did, which could have prompted Creon to change the law.
Antigone refuses to betray her brother and thus breaks the law by burying Polyneikes. In doing so, she steps past what was considered normal
