The seek for justice is never ending. It may be delayed, denied, or postponed, however, the search is timeless. To be just is to argue for fair rights for all. It is to be someone and bring something that will help the surrounding people of the world. However, many times justice is not sought and not given to those who need it most. In the play Antigone by Sophocles, he demonstrates the many ways an unjust leader can overpower those who fight for what is right (Adams, 1). In Antigone’s case, she fought for the just treatment of her brother in his afterlife and bringing him a proper burial. In her fight for justice, Antigone exhibits strong beliefs of fairness for her community regarding family, rights and morality. In Sophocles’ play, Antigone, he displays a variety of different types of justice. In fairness, he pulls the laws and unjust teachings of his time and puts them into a play for all to see and analyze. In his play, Sophocles demonstrates fairness. Fairness is defined as “impartial and just treatment or behavior without favoritism or discrimination” by the Webster Dictionary. To be fair is to allow everyone the same opportunity to …show more content…
He introduces the character Antigone and describes her feelings of her brother, Polyneices’, passing and how he will not receive a proper burial. “...Polynecius, who died as pitiably - Kreon has proclaimed that his body will stay unburied, no mourners, no tomb, no tears, a tasty meal for the vultures” (Sophocles, 22). Antigone is distraught at the thought of her brother being left to be “a tasty meal for the vultures” and soon vows to bury him regardless of the law. “The body. Give me your hand. Help me” (Sophocles, 22) states Antigone, pleading with her sister to help give their brother a proper burial. In this instance she exhibits Fairness by wanting all other aspects to be thrown aside and giving her brother a fair right to a proper
Justice comes in many different forms and this part of the play was definitely an example of
Antigone: Writing Prompt In the Greek play Antigone,the character Antigone decided to disobey her uncle’s law about burying her brother Polyneices. The law said that no one was allowed to bury polynices and to leave him to rot. Polyneices was also declared as a traitor,while her other brother Eteocles had a soldier's burial with military honors.
In the play, Antigone by Sophocles, Antigone argues that her older brother should be given the respect of a proper burial to be able to pass through Purgatory. Antigone supports her argument by using Pathos and Ethos to persuade the king Creon to go back on the law of anyone attempting to Polyneices a burial they will be punished. Antigone’s purpose is to give her brother the burial that will allow him to pass onto the afterlife she believes in. Antigone uses an argumentative tone for the proper burial of her brother. In seeking a proper burial for her brother, Polyneices, Antigone’s standards of divine justice provide a more effective argument than that of the king
Throughout his letters, sermons, and other writings, Martin Luther King, Jr. expresses the idea that one has a moral obligation to disobey an unjust law – most notably in his “Letter From Birmingham Jail.” King also conveys the idea that change must be demanded, and not waited for by the oppressed. Additionally, Michael Sandel describes Aristotle’s idea that justice is teleological and honorific in Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do? This means that determining whether something is just requires delving into the telos, or true meaning or purpose of that thing.
In the play Antigone, written by Sophocles, burial customs of the ancient Greeks play an extensive role. The women of the family perform the burial rites, and believed that if their distinct methods were not followed, the soul is destined to suffer between worlds until the correct rites were performed. Antigone, the sister of Polynices and Eteocles, is aware of this and is not going to stand by and let her brother, Polynices, linger between worlds in pain, after being killed by Eteocles. With her ambition and determination she does the deed, and of doing so she follows the god's laws, but breaks Creon’s laws in the midst of it. Creon is also aware of the burial rites but still decides, through his stubbornness, that Polynices shall not be performed these rites, because of his actions against Thebes.
”(Sophocles Pg 4) Antigone is going to bury her brother but Ismene thinks it’s a bad idea and tells her to keep it on the low but Antigone thinks she is going to please the ones who agree with her.
Antigone uses both logical and emotional appeals to persuade her sister Ismene that their brother Polyneices should be honored and have a proper burial. During an argument between Antigone and Ismene, Ismene believes that the law should be obeyed therefore she will not help Antigone. Antigone states, “Polyneices, who fought as bravely and died as miserably…no one shall bury him, no one mourn for him… his body must lie in the fields (Sophocles et al.190).” Antigone is trying to communicate to Ismene through the use of an emotional and logical appeal by explaining that he was, left to be decomposed by the birds. In the Greek culture, having a burial is a civic and religious duty which is necessary to proceed to the afterlife unaffected.
Throughout the play, Sophocles illustrates that family is the most prominent aspect of life. Antigone made the ethical decision to bury Polyneices. Family means more to Antigone than her own life. She would
Instead of relying on one voice, my voice, it would be more reasonable to receive other opinions, for I am “not in a position to know everything that people say or do, or what they feel” (Sophocles 447). In order to sculpt a proper consequence, it would be necessary to merge my ideas with the reasoning of the suspect and another person of authority simply because they are more than likely to have a motive to justify the validity in their position; therefore, I could attain mercy for them on a lighter scale since then I would have a fit understanding of their emotional and logical perspective. All in fashion that will assist my understanding in why Antigone wants justice for her beloved brother. Moreover, because family and country, under distinct circumstances, face different beliefs on how to proceed with situations, it would be quite difficult to honor both sides of the
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.
In the play “Antigone”, Polyneices and Eteocles, who are her brothers, have killed each other while in battle. Creon was an unjust leader, who has given Eteocles an appropriate burial for their religion, however, his proclamation stated that no one shall bury Polyneices. Antigone, a headstrong individual, then went against Creon 's proclamation, and gave the proper burial to her brother Polyneices. In the text, Antigone states, “Ismene, I am going to bury him. Will you come?”(Sophocles 752).
Antigone believes she should have the right of her brother’s burial. Creon states, “No one shall burry him, no one mourn for him” (Sophocles 2) illustrating that Polyneicis is irrelevant in the city of Thebes. The law in Greek society is a female should not have power or freedom over any circumstance. Antigone demands rights over her brother and will not accept
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.
In the play Antigone by Sophocles, he demonstrates the many ways an unjust leader can overpower those who fight for what is right (Adams 1). In Antigone’s case, she fought for the just treatment of her brother in his afterlife and for giving him a proper burial. In her fight for justice, Antigone exhibits strong beliefs of fairness to her community regarding family, rights and morality in her battle against a seemingly unjust leader, Kreon. Sophocles’, in Antigone, displays the type of justice called fairness. He pulls the laws and unjust teachings of his time and puts them into a play for all to see and analyze.
The drama Antigone places the culture of Greece on display by showcasing the many values that this culture held in reverence, including remaining loyal to family, honoring the dead, and honoring the gods. In Sophocles’ renowned drama entitled Antigone, one of the main values that Antigone chooses to honor is loyalty to family, even when that means that she has to forgo loyalty to her city and community. Even though her uncle the king, Kreon, forbade anyone to bury Polyneikes’ body because he had been on the opposing side in the battle, Antigone felt a duty to her brother to bury him. When speaking with her sister, Antigone says that Kreon’s command “…threatens our loved ones / as if they were our enemies” (Antigone 14-15).