In Sophocles tragedy, Antigone, the play unfolds by Antigone obeying the laws of the gods, instead of the law of the city. This tragedy incorporates the main recurring themes of pride, justice, and fate. Enraged by the idea that she cannot bury her brother, Polynices, Antigone goes against Creon and does what she feels is just and right by her brother. Antigone’s decision to follow the god’s law is the correct one based on moral thought. Antigone not only did right by her brother’s death, but followed her decision all the way to her death. Of course to others, her brother’s death was nothing since Creon made him seem like such a criminal for convicting him for treason, but to Antigone her family was a priority and she knew it was her duty to …show more content…
Antigone says as she is speaking to Creon, “By such a law as this I honored you, my own dear brother, higher than them all; but Kreon thought I was doing and daring awful deeds.” (Sophocles, 58). Antigone is emotional here speaking to her brother, while Creon sentences her to her death. She knows that what she did was right, and she will die and reunite with her family. By following her own moral conscience she abided by the god’s law to bury her brother. Creon is stubborn and evil on his part for sentencing her to such a cruel way to die, but this conflict ultimately leads to his demise. Another instance where Antigone states that her action was justified was when said that, “If this is viewed amongst the gods as something fine, I’ll find out, after suffering, that I was wrong; but if these men are wrong, may what they suffer be as evil as the unjust things they do to me.” (Sophocles, 58). Antigone is suffering and hurt by the fact that her just action lead to her incarceration and ultimately her death. It is sad that by trying to do something right by her own family, she lost her life. The decision to save her brother was justified by her actions leading up to her death. This was a decision that had consequences in her part, but it was morally the right
(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.
In Sophocles’s tragedy “Antigone”, loyalty is a big part of the story. Creon voiced loyalty to his people by keeping his word on the his laws. Antigone expresses loyalty to the family by giving her brother, Polyneices, a proper burial. She also would rather die than leave her brother unburied. She is able to truly defend her ethics to the King, Creon.
In Sophocles Antigone it states “; but his brother Polyneices, who broke his exile to come back with fire and sword against his native city”. This shows that Creon decided that his actions were for the best for his people. This shows that Creon was trying to be justified by doing what's right for his people and not letting personal ties disrupt what's right. Antigone is justified in her own way because she is trying to bury her brother because she feels since he is dead he deserves to be out in peace. Antigone stated that her brother deserves a burial just like anybody else because he also fought.
Having witnessed the demise of her family due to horrible curses and fates, she knows that reverence and adherence to the Gods will comes before any earthly pursuits. The tragedies of her father, mother, and brothers has left her extremely dedicated to family, and to the Gods. When questioned by Creon, Antigone justifies her action “Your edict, King, was strong, but all your strength is weakness itself against the immortal unrecorded laws of God. They are not merely now: they were, and shall be…” (2.208) Antigone justifies that there will never be a higher authority than that of the gods, and that the laws of the gods are paramount to anything. She reveals that she finds honoring the gods more important than her life, and accepts her death at the hands of Creon.
After sending Antigone to her death in a tomb in the woods, Creon felt guilty about it. He knew that the right thing to do was let her go, but he was too selfish and too focused on being respected that he ended up killing his own niece. Creon realizes he made an irreversible mistake towards the end of the story when his family commits suicide. Creon remorsefully proclaims, “I alone am guilty, I know it, and I say it. Lead me in.”
In the scene in which Creon will not allow her brother to be buried. This goes against her personal beliefs she confronts Creon when she says “if I had allowed my own mothers son to rot, an unburied corpse that would have been an agony.” Creon wouldn’t allow Antigone brother to be buried even tho Antigone felt it was the right thing to do. Antigone is talking to Ismene about burying her brother but Ismene tells her to keep the idea a secret but Antigone disagrees and says “But I know I’ll please the ones I’m duty bound to please.
Antigone broke his law by burying Polyneices and not leaving her own brother out to be eaten by wild animals. This action that Antigone took angered Creon because he did not like the fact that someone disobeyed him. Also the way that Antigone spoke to him contributed to to his anger. Creon reacted to her pride of burying her brother by saying in the play Antigone that “This girl here was already very insolent in contravening laws we had proclaimed. Here she again displays her proud contempt—having done the act, she now boasts of it.”
When Antigone attempts to bury her brother, according to Creon’s laws, she had committed treason. He states, “Let’s lost a man at least! Is a woman stronger than we?” (Sophocles 792). His egotistical refusal to relent and mercifully let Antigone grieve her brother, was his initial mistake (Bloom).
She has a heroic and courageous personality. Throughout her quest to bury Polyneices, Antigone encounters many hindrances along the way. The death of her father Oedipus led to her greatest disputant being given power, her Uncle Creon. He would show her no mercy for breaking his laws, until it is too late. Even when her sister Ismene states “Our own death would be if we should go against Creon And do what he has forbidden!
In the classic play by Sophocles, Antigone is a tragic story of the bold Antigone who defied her uncle, King Creonʻs, edict by burying her brother, Polyneices, who died attacking the city of Thebes, trying to take the power away from their brother, Eteocles, who refused to share the throne with Polyneices. Even though Antigone knew that going against Creon and burying her brother would not end well for her, she still choose to risk her life to do what is right. After being caught breaking the law, Antigone is appointed to be locked away, isolated in a cave until she dies, but she hangs herself at the end. At the same time, things for Creon are not looking good, as everyone around him seems to be against him in his decision for punishing Antigone. Everyone Creon cares about kills themselves from a curse that is put on Creon for not following the Godsʻ laws.
Pride can do great things but it can also lead good people to make terrible decisions. In the play, Antigone buries her brother Polynices. Polynices was announced a traitor by her uncle Creon. Creon punishes Antigone; Creon ends up trying to take this back. It is too late, and Antigone is dead which leads to the death of Creon’s son and wife.
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).
Antigone felt that Creon’s laws were prejudiced against her belief in God's proclamation and her personal morals or core values. She put her family first the whole time,
Antigone’s actions are motivated by her allegiance to her family, moral conscience, and religion amid Creon’s political injustice and tyranny. Antigone’s actions motivate her to demand Ismene to prove whether she is “a true sister or a traitor to your family” (26-27). Antigone maintains loyalty to her brother despite his actions which threatened Thebes. Her inability to bear the thought of her brother’s corpse being picked apart by animals and not being honored with proper funeral rites forces her to act. Antigone’s fierce allegiance to her family is laid bare as she is willing to sacrifice her life to honor her brother and defy the law in an act that she believes is morally just.
The search for justice is never ending. Justice 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 that will help the people of the community. However, many times justice is not sought and not given to those who need it most.