Wrestling With Civil Disobedience In Sophocles 'Antigone'
Wrestling With Civil Disobedience
Introduction
It is prevalent that citizens around the world feel the need to follow their moral compass rather than the laws their state administers. When faced with a certain dilemma that causes any citizen to choose between following his moral conscience or following the rules mandated by the state, he is prone to following the law out of fear of the consequences if he chooses not to comply. However, there are those who prove to be an exception to this assumption, those who rebel against the state due to the moral and ethical considerations man has. Greek philosopher Sophocles conveys this trait of rebellion due to morality in Antigone through the protagonist Antigone and Plato discusses the same trait by referring to Plato, both whom serve as the primary example of wrestling with civil disobedience.
The Fear of Force Sophocles suggests that a basis for political authority does not exist. Although Creon is the king of the city, his citizens don’t obey him solely because he is the king, Creon’s subjects obey him because they fear the consequences of disobedience. Refusing to follow Creon’s mandates is punishable by death; naturally, no …show more content…
She states that these laws were not made in heaven thus she has no reason to obey any laws Creon institutes; particularly, ones that are obviously immoral (Sophocles, 18). She acts as she pleases because she has no reverence for human authority and is unafraid of death if she chooses to defy it. Antigone elevates religious law over the law of the state while her sister concerns herself more with the laws of the state (Sophocles, 4). Since Antigone conserves her ethical beliefs over any of Creon’s edicts she does not feel the need to deliberate between following her beliefs or the laws, she promptly chooses to adhere to her
Introduction
It is prevalent that citizens around the world feel the need to follow their moral compass rather than the laws their state administers. When faced with a certain dilemma that causes any citizen to choose between following his moral conscience or following the rules mandated by the state, he is prone to following the law out of fear of the consequences if he chooses not to comply. However, there are those who prove to be an exception to this assumption, those who rebel against the state due to the moral and ethical considerations man has. Greek philosopher Sophocles conveys this trait of rebellion due to morality in Antigone through the protagonist Antigone and Plato discusses the same trait by referring to Plato, both whom serve as the primary example of wrestling with civil disobedience.
The Fear of Force Sophocles suggests that a basis for political authority does not exist. Although Creon is the king of the city, his citizens don’t obey him solely because he is the king, Creon’s subjects obey him because they fear the consequences of disobedience. Refusing to follow Creon’s mandates is punishable by death; naturally, no …show more content…
She states that these laws were not made in heaven thus she has no reason to obey any laws Creon institutes; particularly, ones that are obviously immoral (Sophocles, 18). She acts as she pleases because she has no reverence for human authority and is unafraid of death if she chooses to defy it. Antigone elevates religious law over the law of the state while her sister concerns herself more with the laws of the state (Sophocles, 4). Since Antigone conserves her ethical beliefs over any of Creon’s edicts she does not feel the need to deliberate between following her beliefs or the laws, she promptly chooses to adhere to her