Justice In Antigone

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

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