This is a tragedy written by Sophocles in Ancient Greek. Because of this, Gods are very important to the Ancient Greek people. Antigone refuses to obey Creon’s laws that he is the King. Creon is a double standard leader that he values his own laws that it means he does not care even Gods’ laws and rights, although Antigone values her own…
The central conflict of Antigone is not a simple hero versus villain clash because both Antigone and Creon are driven by what they believe is morally right. Creon and Antigone simply have extremely different viewpoints on how to handle the same situation. Antigone believes that the laws of the Gods overpower any decrees of man, and she assumes that regardless of Creon’s decree and risk of her own death, she must bury her brother because it is a religious obligation. On the contrary, Creon believes in handling the death of Polynices in vastly different manner. The king is pro-government and prioritizes the jurisdiction of the state regardless of any emotional or religious ties.…
The most significant theme in Sophocles’ Antigone is whether or not the law of man conquers divine law. Amidst the play, the newly crowned king Creon proclaims that the body of Polyneices will not receive a proper burial, but instead will be publicly shamed and left to be preyed upon by wild animals. Upset with Creon’s mandate, Antigone mourns the death of both of her brothers, Polyneices and Eteocles, and gives Polyneices a proper burial so he can move on to the afterlife.…
Antigone believed that not burying her brother Polyneices and burying her other brother Eteocles due to the command of her uncle Creon was a very wrong thing to do and being the loyal person she was she did not accept this law carried by her Uncle and disobeyed him with the mindset knowing burying her brother Polyneices was the right thing to do know the consequences that came with it.…
Through the course of Antigone, a play by Sophocles, various characters justify their actions based on their own perception of duty. A strong example of one of them is Antigone. In the play, Antigone experiences a series of moral tests. She has to choose whether to abide by the laws of Thebes or take her own path and follow moral laws and obey the gods instead of the King Creon. She chooses to go against Creon and follow her own moral laws and bury her brother.…
While these matters are important in life, they definitely played a great role in the play Antigone. Another huge role was the Gods and how Antigone felt that she was being loyal to them, claiming “all for reverence, my reverence for the gods”(1035). The last of her words was showing how she felt she also buried her brother because she knew the gods would want it that way. For her being punished she knew the gods would be looking down on Creon and he would get what he deserved. Creon was sticking to his word, about no one being able to bury Polynices, he was being loyal to himself and the state. He didn't know his choice he made would cause so much pain and suffering but in the end his loyalty was just in the wrong place, even though as king he felt like it was exactly where it should have been. Once a prophet came in to talk to Creon to let him know something tramatic was going to happen, is when Creon realized he needed to be loyal to the Gods and respect their wishes. He didn't want to be punish for being selfish but by then he was too late. The gods had spoken and he was left with nothing but pain. Creon said, “when the god came down and struck me-a great weight/shattering, driving me down that wild savage path”(1404-1405). Loyalty towards the Gods was something that was a very big deal in Greek but not being loyal towards what they believed in was something they paid…
The play Antigone supports Creon’s claims that the rule of the king must be obeyed even if it is wrong in order to avoid anarchy and chaos. It is tragic that so many lives had to be lost. It is hard to be a king and maintain the rule of law. King Creon is a strong king that demands to be obeyed no matter what the cost. Tragically he lost so many that he cared for. First his brother dies, then his two nephews fight over the throne and end up killing each other. Eteocles was the king however his brother Polyneices fought to take his place. To no avail they both die. Eteocles was giving a proper burial for a king where Polyneices was just left to rot on the battlefield.…
When she was questioned by her uncle why she broke the law she the law was wrong and stated “nor did I think your edict had such a force that you , a mere mortal, could override the gods, the great unwritten, unshakable traditions”( Sophocles ,1117,505). Antigone is saying that burying the dead is an important religious duty that needs to be done to respect but the gods. Creon also is aware of this because earlier in the play when one of his guards suggested that the gods buried the body he questioned why the gods would care about “a corpse” (Sophocles, 1112, 320). The main conflict in this play is the religious duty versus the law of the land. This forces Antigone to either be true to the law or true to her ethical or religious beliefs. Antigone chose standby her religious beliefs and to rebel against the unjust rules of her uncle. This ethical conflict put the whole plays plot into…
“I did not think anything which you proclaimed strong enough to let a mortal override the gods and their unwritten and unchanging laws,” (lines 510-513) proclaims Antigone, once again asserting her opinion on whose laws she is justified to follow. Antigone’s persona contrasts with Creon’s character ultimately due to their conflicting motivations about which laws should be followed: the word of the gods, or the laws of man.These conflicting motivations the characteristics of unreasonableness, anger, and disrespect to be highlighted within Creon’s character. In the end, these conflicting motivations develop Creon as a tragic hero by ensuing his stubbornness, and damaging his pride.…
In every person’s life there are laws that they follow, whether they are set by the authority in the country or their belief in a higher deity the laws one follows while leading their life can sometimes be in conflict. In Antigone divine and state law are incompatible forcing the characters to make difficult decisions. Antigone’s personal obligation to following religious rites and traditions puts her at odds with Creon’s insistence on enforcing his will as the king. Sophocles examines the conflict between rules and order to illustrate how adherence to the law of the state can be mislead. Through the conflicts between characters in the play, Sophocles exemplifies that in his best world divine or religious law is obeyed over the law of men or states.…
The play “Antigone,” by Sophocles displays an interesting storyline in which the main characters Antigone and Creon undergo various obstacles due to their actions. Throughout the play, Antigone attempts to secure a respectable burial for her brother Polyneices. By choosing to protest and defy Creon’s rule, Antigone unquestionably breaks the law. However, her defiance does not seem like an act of civil disobedience against injustice because Antigone was acting in her own self-interest when considering dying for her brother.…
Antigone contrasts Creon’s character throughout the play. Primarily, she shows contrast in her views about the gods. Although, their views are very contrasting, both characters are arrogant and selfish in their own ways. In the play when Antigone gets caught and is brought to Creon she states her thoughts about the gods “ ...you [Creon] proclaimed strong enough to let a mortal override the gods and their unwritten and unchanging laws”. Antigone believes that the gods have the highest power to any living thing on earth. Gods created the laws of what is right and nobody of mortal status can change that. Creon, however,thinks…
has a conflict with going against the civil law under Creon, and not burying Polynices.…
The drama Antigone by Sophocles written in the 5th century BC concerns the issue of man-made law versus divine law. This theme of confrontation has not been limited to ancient times alone but continues into our modern era. Everyday, not matter what the law, there are and always will be someone who does not agree with that law. If you take a look at congress in our modern era, there will always be confrontations between the Republicans and the Democrats as long as we live. It takes a lot of time and patience for issues to be resolved in Congress and other parts within the government. There are also times where the Republicans and the Democrats cannot agree on a resolution to an issue so the issue is left alone until someone comes around and decides to fix it. As you can see, not only does the playwright Antigone face confrontations in law but so does Congress and the government. Just like Antigone and Congress, presidential elections can also be an issue of the law. When citizens vote for who they want to become president they will most likely vote for the president whose party is the…
Antigone and Socrates both because seen as problematic to the political order in their cities. Antigone challenges the new ruler’s orders in order to honor his dead brother and show respect to the gods. She broke the kings law because she felt to not burying her brother Polynices with the proper religious rites would be immoral.…