Antigone Essay When unjust laws exist, it is up to us for to decide if we are satisfied to be under such obedience or if we should either go beyond the bounds of moral principle if we find it to be a justifiable reason. Many, such as Henry David Thoreau, express that we should rather put our priorities in front and break an unjust law for it is the fault of an inequitable government who should provide for reform. If the law is unjust to such an extent, then we should go beyond and disobey that law. The boundaries of law should not be followed if it comes to the point if we wonder if we are treated as humans or subjects. We are loyal to the government, but if the government is not loyal to us, then we should take it as an leeway to break the law.
Civil Disobedience Martin Luther King once stated in "The Letter from Birmingham Jail", "Any individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust and willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment to arouse the conscience of the community over it injustice is in reality, expressing the highest respect for the law" (King 411). King meant that, if anyone feels a law is unjust and needed to expose its injustice, should willingly accept any penalty that comes in their way to help arouse people 's conscience in changing that law. In “The Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King explains the four powerful steps of the nonviolent campaign he used to protest against racial injustice for African-Americans
They both support their own failures, but Antigone’s reason is religious purposes and familial relations, quite contrasting to Creon ’s cause of oblivious selfishness. Creon cannot read the mood, taking everything personally and believing threats to others were direct aggression to him. When Polynices goes against Thebes, Creon takes it way too far and refuses to give the man rights even after he’s dead. When his son threatens suicide if Antigone is to be killed, Creon misunderstands and thinks that he is the one who could die.
An Annotated Bibliography on Antigone Reed, Valerie. " Bringing Antigone Home. " Comparative Literature Studies (2008): 316-340.
Antigone is last book in a play trilogy by Sophocles about the tragic downfall of a family. The play focuses mainly on Antigone’s conflicting motivations developing Creon as the tragic hero in the play, causing him to be greedy and power crazed and unwilling to take others opinions. This leads to Creon’s tragic downfall and the death of Antigone and others important to Creon. In the play Antigone’s motivations contrast Creon’s due to the difference in beliefs.
Laws have maintained the order and stability of society from old days of ancient civilization to today’s contemporary society. As law-abiding citizens, we allow the laws to be enforced through punishments and consequences; however, when these laws threaten ethical values and justice, they are challenged in a non-violent method known as “civil disobedience.” In Sophocles’ Antigone, Antigone challenged the political authority of Creon in a defiant act that related the struggles between her duty as a citizen of Thebes and her loyalty to her family. In “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” written by Martin Luther King, Jr., King protests racial injustices and systemic racism throughout the South and laments the need for civil disobedience to be used
In Antigone, there was two brothers who shared being the King and one of the brothers, Polynices, wanted to start a war with the kingdom because he wanted to be the main ruler. Polynices and his brother Eteocles fight and they both end up killing each other. Their Uncle Creon, who takes position as King when they are both killed, decides that only Eteocles will have a proper burial and Polynices will be left to rot. Antigone, Polynices and Eteocles sister, thinks that Creon’s decision is unfair and takes upon herself to give Polynices a proper burial. When their other sister Ismene finds out, she is stuck between helping her sister bury their brother and following Creon’s demands. Ismene is very different from her sister Antigone. Antigone
Throughout one’s lifetime, conflicts between justice and reputation often arise. Due to this, one must be able to realize the consequences when standing up against an oppressive power. In the play Antigone, Antigone is motivated and acts upon justice as seen in her defiance to the law, love for Polyneices, and her persistent moral compass. Antigone’s fight for justice shows just how powerful she can be with her words and actions.
People in families tend to claim that they would do anything for their family regardless of the circumstances, whether or not they don 't agree with, for example, if two related people departed and one had a funeral, but the other didn’t is unfair, so someone in a family would fight to make sure they both be equal to have a proper rest in peace memorial. The government law is too extreme when the tradition is prohibited leads to anarchy in society because not every citizens agree with the law terms. For this, analysis paper, Antigone was right to justify King Creon about denying the law terms and keep up with the tradition, however Antigone had broke the law so she was forced to make it up for the King. This paper will start out examining the
Antigone emphasized the importance of religious law compared to man-made law putting the truths of men and women against the truth of the gods. This story shows the diversity of opinions and beliefs between the powerful and the morally
Antigone's actions consistently display her dedication to the will of the gods, and Creon's behaviour steadily exhibits his fierce devotion to state laws. Thus, this Greek tragedy compellingly establishes and thoroughly explores the intricate and perplexing relationship between the two themes by utilizing the literary device of
In Sophocles’ Antigone, Antigone had disobeyed specific laws given by King Creon, in order to defend the honor of her late brother, Polynices. However, Antigone is in no way considered to be lawless. Antigone believes that violence is not the answer, and therefore instead non-violent direct action should take place. However, Antigone’s approach of civil disobedience happened to be an anarchic and dramatic form of civil disobedience. Antigone decided to act on her beliefs by giving Polynices a proper burial. She believed she had a duty to protect and honor her family while having to “please those down below a longer time than those up here” (Blondell 74-75). In other words, if she herself wants to live a happy life after her death, then she
Antigone enact this civil disobedience as a way of fighting and refusing to follow an unjust law made by and unjust King. The people of today can learn from Antigone. We the people today can take the courage and strength from Antigone and look the injustice in the eyes and fight back. We can take action like the Sons of Liberty and start a movement against the injustice and unruly laws. We can look to Antigone and partake in civil disobedience in order to make a movement to prompt change for the better in our world today.
The play, Antigone, is a tragedy written by the Greek poet Sophocles. A common theme among tragedies is that they have a tragic hero, and Antigone is no different. The tragic hero of this poem is Creon, the King of Thebes. Creon is faced with the difficult task of punishing his niece, Antigone. She has broken one of his laws stating that no one is to give proper burial rites to Polyneices, Antigone’s brother, because he tried to overthrow Creon.
Antigone: Gender Difference and Power As we are all aware that for generations, gender difference and power have been an issue for centuries. That being said the play Antigone by Sophocles, displays many examples of these struggles. The main topics that will be discussed, are: Antigone’s background history in Oedipus the King, the conflict between Creon the king of Thebes and Antigone, the gender difference and power. In order to know who Antigone is, you must know some of her and her families background, which is from the play of Oedipus the King.