Preview

Society's Laws In Antigone

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
90 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Society's Laws In Antigone
Often, people must choose between what they believe to be right, and what the authority in a society has deemed to be correct. Such is the case in the Greek tragedy Antigone, where a woman has chosen to bury her brother despite the law enforced by her uncle, the king. While exploring the tragedy Antigone, Sophocles develops the theme of divine law taking precedence over society’s laws by creating conflicts such as Polyneices and Eteocles battling for their lives, Antigone defying her Uncle Creon, and Creon struggling with his

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Additionally, violating the law brings harm to others. For example, in Scene 5 it states, "The burden you carry in your hands is heavy, But it is not all: you will find more in your house... The Queen is dead." (Lines 1000 & 1002). Due to Antigone breaking the law it lead to the death of many. Antigone's one decision to bury Polyneices consequently caused a chain reaction of negative outcomes such as harm to others.…

    • 76 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Sophocles' play "Antigone”, the ideas of obeying the law of one’s community and following ones own moral beliefs come into conflict. The plot revolves around two brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices having killed each other in an attempted to gain rule and their Uncle Creon gaining power after their deaths. He orders Eteocles given an honorable funeral and Polyneices to be left in the streets to rot. Creon believes that Polyneices' body shall be condemned to this because of his civil disobedience and treachery against the city. However, the dead brothers’ sister, Antigone, believes this unfair to Polyneices and insulting to the Gods.…

    • 103 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Inner Turmoil in Antigone

    • 693 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In Sophocles’ Antigone, the tragic hero, Antigone, must choose between the laws set by man, and her religious beliefs and family loyalty. When her brother, Polynieces, is killed in battle, King Creon sets forth a law prohibiting the burial of Polynieces. Antigone is very loyal to her family; we see this when he buries Polynieces’ body, even when Creon forbade it. On many occasions, people are faced with tests where both answers are right, but those people are forced to determine which option provides them with the best possible solution to their predicament. This often creates inner turmoil within the individual.…

    • 693 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    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.…

    • 302 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Sophocles play “Antigone”, Creon the king demanded that his people obey his rules and order even if it’s wrong. He believed this because it stops chaos and keeps order, but when he puts out the law that whoever were to bury Polyneices body will be put to death and this upsets all of the citizens, including his son. A true ruler must give his people what they want unlike Creon did, Creon’s people and his son told him he was making the wrong decision. When the towns people act like the counsel listen to them. The play disagrees with Creon because while he was a feared and mighty ruler in his own eyes, his own people were scared and untrusting of his rules and decisions.…

    • 965 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    All though later punished for her denial of the law, Antigone ultimately made the correct decision. In Ancient Greece, it was a moral code to bury anyone and everyone, friend or foe. In the play Antigone, By Sophocles, Antigone has to choose between following this ancient duty or acquiesce…

    • 403 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Antigone, Sophocles illustrates two characters, Antigone and Kreon, whose morals clash throughout the play, leading to their inevitable fate. Although Kreon qualifies himself to become a leader of a city which grieves from the attacks of Polyneices, Antigone’s actions elicit more admirable qualities, because they stretch beyond the unthinkable and challenge the idea of authority. While Kreon tries to become a good leader, Antigone also becomes a leader in a sense, much like her father Oedipus, however one that believes the rules of the gods overpower the rules of the land in every situation.…

    • 1049 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    All through the play of Antigone, written by Sophocles, Antigone believes in the supremacy of religious law and tradition. Although Creon has proclaimed to the city that the traitor, Polynices, should not be buried, Antigone insists on following the religious law requiring that females bury the deceased of their family. Antigone’s pride ensures that she will die rather than renounce her beliefs or loyalty towards her brother, thereby brining further tragedy to herself and others.…

    • 1028 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Many people in today's time and even in Greek mythology struggle between legal authority and moral law. Example of these are in the plays Trifles and Antigone. Antigone is faced with the predicament of wanting to provide a proper burial and being executed for breaking the law of King Creon. In the play Trifles Mrs. Hales and Mrs. Peters figure out the motive of the woman killing her husband. They, however, do not tell anyone ,including the police, because they found out the husband was abusive towards her. The struggle between what is expected and what is believed the right thing to do is the difficult decision made throughout life.…

    • 194 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Very few things in life are entirely one-sided, with the clear and unbiased result being obvious. Life in general is much more complex, with multiple viewpoints and intricacies being required in order to have a grasp on the reality of a situation. In Sophocles’s Antigone this fact still holds true. Antigone and Kreon are locked in an argument over the burial of her brother, Polyneices, with Antigone going against the law set up by Kreon and burying her brother. Both have their views and reasons for the way they act. Despite this, Antigone deserves more sympathy for her actions. She bases her actions on honor and dignity, while Kreon appears to play the role of an overbearing and cruel leader.…

    • 1054 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The play Antigone Is about Oedipus’s three two sons Eteocles and Polynices killing each other in a conflict over who rightfully is king of Thebes. With both of the possible heirs to the throne their uncle Creon is king of Thebes. Creon passed a law stating that giving Polynices a proper burial was illegal. Creon stated that “proclamation has forbidden to dignify him with the burial, morning him at all” (Sophocles, 1109, 228). The reason for this law is that Polynices shared the throne with his brother for years but since he wanted the kingdom for himself he fought his brother. This lead to both of them killing each other so, Creon labeled Poylnices a trader. However, this goes against the religious duties of the people in this era of burying the dead so they can pass over to the afterlife.…

    • 320 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    What do you think are the circumstances in which the law should be ignored? In the story “Antigone”, Antigone herself gets in trouble by her uncle Creon for ignoring the law and burying her brother, who no one wasn’t allowed by the new king to be buried. The law can be ignored when you are doing it for the right cause and you are not harming anyone by doing so.…

    • 112 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the ancient Greek tragedy, Antigone, Sophocles’ character, King Creon will issue a law that no one will perform the burial rites over a dead traitor of the state. In advocating his law, he will deem Polynices a traitor. Antigone will unapologetically revolt against Creon’s law citing the rite's for the dead are the concern of the gods. Creon, believing himself to be omniscient in all matters of state and church ignores the coherent warnings given to him by his family and friend. Ironically, when he judges Antigone as a traitor to the state, Creon has committed the most grievous offense himself: treason against the laws of the gods,…

    • 636 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    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.…

    • 507 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Disobedience In Antigone

    • 742 Words
    • 3 Pages

    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.…

    • 742 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays