The Concept of Citizenship: Antigone
November 6, 2013
Antigone Essay The concept of citizenship and the duties that citizens owe to the state were topics of debate that are a very important theme in the play Antigone. Antigone and Creon represent the extreme opposite political views regarding where a citizen of a city should place his or her loyalties. Creon puts enforcing the rules of the state over everything else including his family. When Antigone disobeys Creon, unlike the townspeople, Creon does not take into account her reasoning and he sends her to exile. This theme presents the question of whether enforcing to follow the rules of the state, like Creon, or doing what you believe is the right thing for yourself and others, like Antigone, is more important.
In the play, Creon has a strict definition of citizenship that calls for the state to come first, he says, "…whoever places a friend above the good of his country, he is nothing I have no use for him." From Creon's perspective, Polyneices has given up the right to a proper burial as a citizen of Thebes because he fought against the city. In attacking Thebes, he has shown his disloyalty to the state and has lost his right to be a citizen. In fact, Creon is more devoted to his laws than he is to his own family's happiness. Refusing to pardon Antigone for burying Polyneices even though she is Haemon, his son’s, fiancée.
Antigone, on the other hand, places traditions and loyalty to her family above obedience to the city or to its ruler. Antigone knowingly goes against Creon's orders to have Polyneices rot out in the field, and she gives him a burial. In doing so, she makes the case that there are loyalties to both the gods and one's own family that outweigh one's loyalty to a city.
Creon can be shown as the King and Antigone as a criminal for simply not obeying his laws, but Antigone can be shown as a heroine and Creon a tyrant for disobeying the overall laws and Antigone following them. The theme in Antigone of either doing what
Antigone Essay The concept of citizenship and the duties that citizens owe to the state were topics of debate that are a very important theme in the play Antigone. Antigone and Creon represent the extreme opposite political views regarding where a citizen of a city should place his or her loyalties. Creon puts enforcing the rules of the state over everything else including his family. When Antigone disobeys Creon, unlike the townspeople, Creon does not take into account her reasoning and he sends her to exile. This theme presents the question of whether enforcing to follow the rules of the state, like Creon, or doing what you believe is the right thing for yourself and others, like Antigone, is more important.
In the play, Creon has a strict definition of citizenship that calls for the state to come first, he says, "…whoever places a friend above the good of his country, he is nothing I have no use for him." From Creon's perspective, Polyneices has given up the right to a proper burial as a citizen of Thebes because he fought against the city. In attacking Thebes, he has shown his disloyalty to the state and has lost his right to be a citizen. In fact, Creon is more devoted to his laws than he is to his own family's happiness. Refusing to pardon Antigone for burying Polyneices even though she is Haemon, his son’s, fiancée.
Antigone, on the other hand, places traditions and loyalty to her family above obedience to the city or to its ruler. Antigone knowingly goes against Creon's orders to have Polyneices rot out in the field, and she gives him a burial. In doing so, she makes the case that there are loyalties to both the gods and one's own family that outweigh one's loyalty to a city.
Creon can be shown as the King and Antigone as a criminal for simply not obeying his laws, but Antigone can be shown as a heroine and Creon a tyrant for disobeying the overall laws and Antigone following them. The theme in Antigone of either doing what