ipl-logo

Justice In Antigone

1019 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Antigone and a search for justice

Justice is a defining factor of human motivation—it can result in the triumph or demise of a person’s actions. Nevertheless, justice is not only the blade that separates good from evil, but it is the adhesive that cements all of humanity together to form an overall gluttonous species. In the midst of injustice, both works by Martin Luther King and Sophocles question the rule of political law over moral law through civil disobedience, yet their purposes and outcomes differ from one another. Sophocles emphasizes the consequence of resistance to political rule in Antigone’s search for moral justice, while King depicts the racist cause behind his opposition to social injustice. In Antigone, Antigone portrays the suffering that comes from the consequences …show more content…

It is significant that Antigone immediately states she “will bury [Polyneices]; and if [she] must die…the crime is holy” upon hearing Creon’s ruling because Antigone validates that she isn’t committing this crime for attention or proving a point to the law, but because it is what she believes to be right and moral (60). Antigone later responds to Creon, stating that his ruling is “not Zeus’ proclamation” therefore she would never “transgress the laws of heaven” because of a statement Creon decreed (450). Antigone refuses to abide by political rule and her action serves as a means of justice not only to her brother, but also as an act to uphold the divine law. The reiteration of ancient ideals through the hierarchy of law is emphasized by Antigone’s self-condemning act, asserting that the political law is not what controls her actions, but the divine law she believes is morally correct. The result of Antigone’s act of disobedience is concluded by the Chorus, stating the universal attitude of all ancient Greeks—that there is “no wisdom but in submission to the gods,” affirming that no human is superior to another (1350). Although Antigone’s action results in her ultimate demise, she embodies the true meaning of freedom and justice: the role of a single person has the ability to fight for moral beliefs and has the right to control their own destiny—to make a difference for themselves and for

Show More
Related
338 Words | 2 Pages

Sophocles’ play Antigone, and Martin Luther king Jr’s Letter from Birmingham Jail analyze the underlying truth concerning their moral situations tied in with the legal systems of their times. Antigone was faced with whether to follow her heart and go against her very own uncle, while King himself did not face any personal dilemmas but was providing the intended audience a choice, either to side with his methods or fall in to the power of their faulty legal system. In this paper, I will argue how both pieces face different moral and legal dilemmas in their own unique way which ultimately questions the jurisdictions set forth by those in power. Does law reflect morality? In this short play, Antigone is faced with the choice to either bury Polynecies

Read More
847 Words | 4 Pages

In the story written by Tim O’Brien called “The Things They Carried”, he tells a story set during a war about the evolution of young soldiers as their mindset is affected by what they see and feel. The soldiers each carry physical and emotional weights that allow them to keep their humanity but in war, the same things that are valued in the outside world become a distraction and potentially fatal. While Martha is not physically fighting the mind with them she is subconsciously in the mind of Lieutenant Cross. Martha represents everything war is not, she represents innocence, love, and affection, that to him is a way to get away from what’s going on around him. Martha is described as a very artistic person; she is a junior at Saint Sebastian college and in the letters Lieutenant cross carries with him she writes in a very beautiful way about trivial things like her professors, roommates and her midterm exams.

Read More
575 Words | 3 Pages

Antigone's actions consistently display her dedication to the will of the gods, and Creon's behaviour steadily exhibits his fierce devotion to state laws. Thus, this Greek tragedy compellingly establishes and thoroughly explores the intricate and perplexing relationship between the two themes by utilizing the literary device of

Read More
698 Words | 3 Pages

Civil Disobedience The play Antigone is one of the three plays written in the book Sophocles. In this play, the main focus of Sophocles is to capture Antigone's religious beliefs, loyalty towards her family, and her act of civil disobedience. This relates to modern-day activists, like Rosa Parks, who protested against racial injustice by refusing to give up her seat in front of a public bus. Antigone and Rosa Parks are examples of women who broke societal boundaries, within their given areas, to fight for equality.

Read More
848 Words | 4 Pages

In the play Antigone, Sophocles tells the story of the titular character as she buries her traitorous brother in defiance of a tyrannical despot. Through this action, the play asks the question of whether the laws created by one man “could override the gods, the great unwritten, unshakable traditions,” (504-5). Some may argue that Creon's decree is merely one of necessity, an unavoidable evil to allow the city of Thebes to heal and unite. He is a patriot holding his city together in times of strife. While Creon may believe this, saying "our country is our safety" (211), it is actually his lack of love that causes him to deny Polynices his burial.

Read More
1501 Words | 7 Pages

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.

Read More
1766 Words | 8 Pages

In “Antigone” Sophocles proves that it is a moral choice to do something that will result in our death if we have a good enough reason to do it because it shows bravery, proves the importance of human rights, and can create role models for

Read More
765 Words | 4 Pages

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

Read More
905 Words | 4 Pages

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,

Read More
1332 Words | 6 Pages

Justice is an underlying idea that humans revolve around. It is our sole concept that constructs how we think and behave. Justice creates morals and therefore how we judge those around us. If we didn’t have justice, our society would be in chaos and completely unruly. When identifying what is just, there are quite a few traits that can be clearly spotted.

Read More
1353 Words | 6 Pages

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

Read More
981 Words | 4 Pages

When accused by Creon for attempting to bury Polyneices, Antigone retorts that “I should have praise and honor for what I have done” (2.113). Antigone appeals to reason by stating that she was doing the right thing for giving respect to a deceased person. However, blinded by his own personal motives, Creon responds, “You are alone here in that opinion” (2.118). Creon feels as he is doing the right thing, and no one except for Antigone would dare challenge his opinion. Even Haimon questions Creon’s decision, but Creon asks him if it is “right to stand up for an anarchist” (3.103).

Read More
1224 Words | 5 Pages

In the play Antigone by Sophocles, he demonstrates the many ways an unjust leader can overpower those who fight for what is right (Adams 1). In Antigone’s case, she fought for the just treatment of her brother in his afterlife and for giving him a proper burial. In her fight for justice, Antigone exhibits strong beliefs of fairness to her community regarding family, rights and morality in her battle against a seemingly unjust leader, Kreon. Sophocles’, in Antigone, displays the type of justice called fairness. He pulls the laws and unjust teachings of his time and puts them into a play for all to see and analyze.

Read More
1197 Words | 5 Pages

Aristotle founded the idea that all the best arguments have three key parts: ethos, pathos and logos. Translated from latin, this means ethical, emotional and logical. In the play Antigone by Sophocles, the characters frequently make use of these tools when attempting to persuade another character to conform to their beliefs and thoughts. Antigone tries to get her sister, Ismene, to help her in a crime that she believes is just. Haimon attempts to lessen Antigone’s sentence by lecturing his father about what it means to be a good leader, and the Chorus is just trying to help out anyone they can with wise words from a third party opinion.

Read More
958 Words | 4 Pages

In ancient Greece, a common saying that all citizens had in their very core, a traditional Greek principle, was this: love your friends, and hate your enemies. This rule seems pretty straightforward and would appear easy to apply in real life. However, in the timeless play Antigone, Sophocles shows his audience a situation where this maxim does not apply. Sophocles concentrates on a complex story where the values and principles of the ancient Greek culture come into conflict. Religious or moral versus secular, family versus community, and living versus dead: all of these conflicting aspects are explored in Antigone.

Read More

More about Justice In Antigone

Related Topics

Open Document