Civil Disobedience In The King Antigone

In the play, Antigone, the daughter of Oedipus is condemned to death for her act of civil disobedience against the king of the land. By burying her brother, Antigone broke the law and was rightfully punished. King Kreon was correct in enforcing his ruling over the land. Although Antigone was honoring her brother in his death, Kreon determined that it was right to ignore Antigone’s pleas as he sought the betterment of his society and his country. The play initially begins with Antigone speaking with her sister, Ismene, about how she seeks assistance with a criminal act. Having her sister explain the faults in her plan, Antigone proceeded with the illegal burial of her brother. Civil disobedience is defined by “the refusal to comply with a law as a way of political protest”[2]. Antigone was protesting the political standpoint of the king with whom she believed to be wrong because he was not willing to comply with the rule of the gods. Civil disobedience will, for the majority of the time, lead to an uprising consisting of a relatively large number of people. This point is present within the actions of Haemon and Ismene. The actions of one will lead to the actions of many in that because Antigone began the spark of revolution, more people will come to tend the fires until complete anarchy descends upon the land of Thebes. A

Her small role only played the part to show how fragile a person can be when exposed to the chaos that disobedience can bring. Especially after she implied that she could handle whatever news the messenger could throw at her (I, whom you speak to, have known grief before (pg. 40, 21)), her resolve to end her life is significant in that Antigone’s disloyalty can affect even those that did not play a major role in the government. Eurydike is the figure head for the innocence that the commoners of Thebes possess in the matter between the major