Character Analysis Of Antigone By Sophocles

In Antigone, written by Sophocles, Antigone faces the consequences of burying her brother against the king’s rule. The king, Kreon, banned the burial of her brother Polyneices because he was considered a traitor. In Antigone, each character uses one’s mind in ways that can be recognized through stages on Kohlberg’s Moral Hierarchy. Antigone, a loyal and loving sister manages to remain at about a stage five or six throughout the entire play. In the play, Antigone, written by Sophocles, the author conveys various moral hierarchy stages through character traits, reasoning, and moral development within the character Antigone. Sophocles’ character Antigone is very determined, which can be shown by her strong will to give her brother Polyneices the proper burial. For instance, Antigone says, “I will bury him myself. If I die for doing that, good.”(Sophocles, ll 87-88) She is bent on making sure her brother is going to be taken care of and strongly believes she knows what he deserves. At this time, Antigone is a very independent character in that she wants to bury Polyneices on her own. She says, “I wouldn’t want the help you could give. It’s too late. You must be as you believe. I will bury him myself.”(Sophocles, ll 84-86) She was finally offered help, but she confidently denied it because she wanted to prove to herself and to her brother that she will do what is right, no matter what the king says. Nevertheless, Antigone is extremely loyal to her family. For example, Antigone