The Values Of Citizens And Values In Antigone

During the time period of ancient Greece, Athens was a city of great prosperity. Citizens of this ancient city could attribute part of their success to the fact that they held so closely to their defined set of values. All across the ancient world, societies adopted these values and put them into practice. One of the most important values to Athenian citizens and those who drew inspiration from them was the idea of holding the rights of the collective over their own individual rights. Upholding collective rights involves prioritizing the greater good of the city over something they think is right or fair for themselves. Oftentimes, this was portrayed through the keeping to a law even when it was unjust. This major Athenian ideal of emphasizing

Serving as a mirrored image of Athens, Thebes was a city in which the citizens prided themselves on their national identity and their military forces. Thebes’ citizens also held similar values to Athenians, such as their tendency to prioritize the rights of the collective versus those of the individual. The whole story of Antigone is an example of this. The protagonist, Antigone, was the sister of Polyneices, who died battling their brother for the throne. Polyneices was considered a traitor to Thebes, and therefore the King Creon would not allow him to be buried. The burial ritual was very important to those who believed in mythology, as it was what allowed them to cross over into the afterlife. According to tradition, an entire body must be preserved or it cannot cross over. Creon wanted to leave Polyneices’ body to be eaten by wild animals so he would be unable to cross over. Antigone buried her brother anyway and when Creon found out, he threw her in prison. As the story goes on, the general opinion begins to change and more characters begin to side with Antigone. Eventually, Creon was proven wrong and everyone around him

This was an ideal that Athenians only claimed to have but did not practice living out, as seen in the Apology, where a man faced death over encouraging people to think outside of the box. In the makeshift courtroom, Meletus stood for all of Athens in protecting the collective rights of the city. Collectively, it would be better for the city if they held tightly to tradition and went on believing in the gods. However, Socrates believed it was better for the individual to be able to think on his own, which he taught to his students by emphasizing philosophical thought. Athens contradicted itself by claiming to uphold freedom of thought but accusing a man who was doing just that. Meletus represents the hypocrisy of the city, as Socrates was charged and faced death for his crimes against the state. Socrates, representing the importance of individual rights, had a characteristic most men in Athens do not possess: the ability to understand that breaking unjust laws can sometimes uphold the greater