What Is Antigone Like Creon

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In the play, Antigone, by Sophocles, Polyneices and Eteocles, have killed each other and Creon orders Eteocles to have an honored burial while Polyneices is to be left without a burial. Antigone tells Ismene, who are both sisters of Polyneices and Eteocles, that they must bury Polyneices, Ismene tells her she can not so Antigone buries Polyneices alone in defiance to the state laws. Creon and Antigone have conflicting values. Creon holds the laws of the city higher even when other beliefs state otherwise. Antigone, however, feels that the laws of the gods should be obeyed above all others, especially when it comes to family. Although Antigone knows she is committing a state crime by burying her brother, Polyneices, she knows that the right …show more content…

Antigone strongly believes in the god's beliefs and not in Creon laws, “What laws? I never heard it was Zeus Who made that announcement … I never thought your announcements Could give you a mere human being Power to trample the gods' unfailing, Unwritten laws… No man could frighten me into taking on The gods' penalty for breaking such a law.” (Antigone, 450-460). Antigone states again that the laws of the gods are above a man's law and nothing would make her back down from what she believes in even when confronted by the king and death. Antigone goes on to say that death is nothing to her but if she had disobeyed the gods by not burying her brother then that would have been more painful than anything else, "So if that's the way My life will end, the pain is nothing. But if I let the corpse my mother's son Lie dead, unburied, that would be agony.” (Antigone, 465-468). Antigone and Creon have different ideas of what laws should be followed. Antigone believes in the laws of the gods and the honor of her family, while, Creon is concerned with the laws of his city. Creon believes that if someone dishonors the city then they must be punished, “He was killing and plundering. The other one defended our land.” (Antigone,517) which is his reasoning for dishonoring Polyneices. Antigone does no care for the law of man because she follows the laws of god and the love for her family, “I cannot side with hatred. My nature sides with love.” (Antigone,