Antigone Essay
In the play Antigone, written by sophocles in 441 BC, two main characters, Antigone and Creon, must decide who is right and who is not. There are many arguments as to why Antigone is right and why Creon is right but there are a bit more logical reasons to why Antigone is right. Out of most the arguments there are three very important and persuasive ones. These are only some of the reasons why Antigone is right and Creon is a fool.
The first reason is that she did what the gods wanted, and what the gods want overrule the laws. She disobeyed the king's law to please the gods and this is what makes her right. Creon thinks just because he his king he has all the power when really the gods have all the power. Then again Creon is in fact king and whatever the king said went and he could punish people who disobeyed him however he pleased, but even kings look up to the gods because they know that they have full power over them. Creon probably wouldn’t have had anybody die in his own hands if he had did what the gods wanted and not what he wanted for his own pleasure. Another reason why Antigone is correct is because she did what the whole city would have
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Even if someone had a close relative or friend fight against them they would most likely still want their soul to rest peacefully. Antigone didn’t care about any law, if it meant letting her own brother’s soul go to rest she didn’t hesitate for a second. That’s not always the case, Polyneices was a relative of Creon and Creon wanted his corpse to rot in the desert. Nobody wants their opposition to die peacefully. Creon acted as though Polyneices the worst person in the entire world. Antigone’s reason is still better, just because someone relative opposes someone else doesn’t they suddenly aren’t their family anymore. Family is supposed to support and take care of each other and that is exactly what Antigone is
(Sophocles 193). Antigone is confident and even surprised that Ismene wasn't willing to join her in her protest. Creon is a tyrant that was power hungry, and too controlling of his family and the people who lived in his city. Antigone saw this overuse of power and could stand to bear it anymore. She had to bury her brother because that was what she believed was right.
Creon was not only looking to be a good ruler, he was looking to prove that he was strong or may be better than Oedipus. He did not accept offenses, but it was worse in the case of Antigone because she was a woman. For example, when Creon realized that Antigone had taken her brother’s body and she accepted her guilt without feeling scared from his rules, he said “She is the man, not I, if all unscathed, Such deeds of might are hers” (532-33). In that statement, he was making a difference between what a woman can do or not.
Along with many other men who also died in battle, her brother did not get a proper burial because of King Creon’s laws. Because of this, Antigone decides to give her brother a proper burial so he can rest in peace. For her actions, Antigone is sentenced to death by Creon. Because of their selfish pride, Antigone and Creon don’t see how alike they really are. Antigone and Creon are both trying to fight for something they both believe in.
Creon acknowledges that everyone is against him when he says, “Old man, you’re all like archers shooting at me-/ For you all I’ve become your target-/ even prophets have been aiming at me” (Scene 5: 149-1151). In the quote, Creon states that he is everyone’s target. He even specifies that the prophets are against him. His decree that violates the laws of the god might have something to do with that, that and his pride.
Antigone being the one to fight for her beliefs and obeying the god's laws attempts the burial of Polyneices and goes against Creon’s law to prove to him that he’s in over his head that he has too much pride in himself, in lines 15-35 Antigone claims that she is going to go
INTRODUCTION: Open your argument to the audience and give them reason to listen on. I. Hook (Opening Statement): Get your audience’s attention! Consider a quote from the story. Are there any circumstances in which the law should be ignored?
So from Antigone’s perspective, it is a dishonor and indignity to the family. Trying to persuade Ismene and
In the play “Antigone” by Sophocles, the question of whether loyalties to family or loyalties to authority are more significant is brought up when personal matters are intertwined with legal affairs. Antigone is persecuted and punished severely by King Creon because she buried her brother, Polyneices, whom the king believes to be a traitor to the city and outlawed any burials or honor for the fallen man. In this situation, Antigone is right in going against the king’s law because in burying her dear brother, she honors the promise she made to him before he died, she pays respect to the laws of God and not the laws of mere mortals, and she shows her commitment to family by displaying her unwavering loyalty towards them, even in death. Antigone is right in crusading against Creon because in essence, he is unjustly punishing her in trying to punish her brother, Polyneices.
/Must I rule the land by someone else’s judgment rather than my own? (Antigone, 790 & 792) This bold statement made by Creon suggests that he sees himself as a leader with the power and dignity of the state entirely with himself. With that power Creon also comes off as prideful as he states “I swear I am no man and she the man/ if she can win this and not pay for it. (Antigone, 528-529), this quote is evidence that Creon decision to stick to punishing Antigone is based off of his pride as a male as he deems that he won’t lose to a woman, as well as his belief that he has absolute say as the king.
“ Mistakes made by a foolish mind, cruel mistakes that bring on death.” (1406 to 1407.) In this quote, King Creon of Thebes is acknowledging that he has made tragic mistakes, because he wanted to the laws of his state, that he put in place, instead of preserving the safety of his family, which consequently lead to suffering for many. In the play Antigone, by Sophocles, the character Creon makes decisions based on what he feels is right, and refuses to pay attention to other’s advice. His stubbornness and selfishness prove fatal, and as a consequence of his moral deficiency, he kills an innocent woman, and loses his son in the aftermath.
In addition, Antigone has her own struggle, faceing her uncle King Creon, by herself. Moreover, Antigone was declared the death penalty, on behalf of giving her brother funeral honors. This is a very unruly move, because her brother is considered a traitor to the king and people, which ultimately means he shall not be buried. However, it shows King Creon that Antigone would do anything to modify the law, as well as risking herself, just so her brother has a proper funeral. To emphasize, Antigone responds to King Creon, “ If I die young, I say I’d gain something” (Sophocles 20).
Creon believes that whatever he says or decide is true, he has so much of self-righteousness. The word that Creon said “Am I to rule by other mind than mine?” (Antigone, page 26). He thinks that he should rule everything because he is a king, he believes that people should obey him and the law he sets because he thinks that it is the right thing to do. Creon does not want other people to tell him what to do.
This law, by King Creon unhinged Antigone’s wrath and sorrow about the situation. Antigone’s tries to get her sister to consider helping her in the inception of the first episode, but Ismene tells her sister that it’s better off if they don’t end up the same as their brothers and father (Lines 60-81). That means if Antigone still wanted to proceed, it was going to be alone. Due to the fact that in Greek mythology, their belief was that the dead
Antigone’s first core value is that she believes in putting her family first. This core value influences her decision that leads to her attempting
Antigone exhibits Fairness by wanting all other aspects to be thrown aside and give her brother a fair right to a proper