Theme Of Death In Antigone

The idiom that death is the greatest equalizer has been portrayed throughout the ages within literary works, which ultimately stems from the idea that after death no man is greater than another. That is until Sophocles, a Greek tragedian, challenged that idea by showing readers that being equal in death is more about who is living once the other is dead, within his playwright of Antigone. Within Sophocles’ Antigone, the main theme wrestles with the concept of whether all men are equal and require the same respect in death or do some men deserve more honor than others. To illustrate, Sophocles uses a young girl named Antigone, whose parents have long been dead, and now faces a moral dilemma with the death and burial of her two brothers. One

An example of this can be seen in many modern cultures, where it would be considered socially unacceptable to spit on or abuse a corpse, just for the simple fact that the person is no longer living. Another example can be seen within the American culture with the superstition of holding one’s breath when passing a cemetery, which is done out of respect for the dead, as they are no longer able to breathe. These simple examples show that regardless of who the dead is/was, one still deserves a level of respect. Within Antigone, Sophocles makes it know that the gods decide the fate of the dead and what respect one would be given in the afterlife. That can be seen when Antigone is questioned with breaking the law and responds by telling Kreon that she “did not believe that Zeus was the one who had proclaimed it; neither did Justice, or the gods of the dead…” (Sophocles 39) and later goes on to say she didn’t believe King Kreon’s “decree had strength enough… to violate the lawful traditions the gods have written merely, but made infallible” ( Sophocles 39). Antigone’s criticism further solidifies the argument that King Kreon was not qualified to decide on the honor of Polyneices’s burial, since that authority belonged to the gods. This shows that King Kreon is left in wanting on the scales of justice by not only his people but also the gods. All the while, Antigone is fulfilling Aristotle’s definition of

By using Mill’s definition of justice, as giving the greatest good to the greatest number, it can be argued that Kreon was just doing what was best for his kingdom. While talking to Koryphaios, the chorus leader/ right hand man to Kreon, Kreon becomes irritable about the idea that someone buried Polyneices and tells Koryphaios that “certain men in this city… have scarcely been able to stand up under my command. They mutter about me, they hide shake their heads…” (Sophocles 32). After suffering a rebellion, it is understandable for Kreon to feel there is insurgency occurring. So, it can be argued that Kreon is simply trying to regain that respect that was lost by decreeing and in turn trying to deter citizens from revolting again. This can be seen when Kreon tells his council, “I shall never let criminals exceed good men in honor” (Sophocles 29). This helps further the counterargument that Kreon was trying to preserve the entire society by punishing the rebels thereby making it evident that acts of rebellion are not to be condoned in Thebes. This provides justification for Kreon’s actions by fulfilling Mill’s utilitarian approach to justice.
Although it can be argued that Kreon’s end goal of not wanting “criminals [to] exceed good men in honor” (Sophocles 29) were morally justified, however Kreon’s means of achieving his just goal, is what made him step into the unjust. It can be seen