Antigone And Exodus Character Analysis

For people of ancient times the laws of gods often prevailed over the laws of man. In both Sophocles’ Antigone and Exodus in the Bible, a character brazenly challenges the laws of a government in favor of laws from a hypothetical higher power. Antigone claims to have an instinctive understanding of what the gods have decreed, while in Exodus, God speaks directly to Moses via different miracles. Since the reader of the Bible knows exactly how Moses is receiving his instructions, Moses’ motives and actions are more plausible and relatable. Antigone, on the other hand, does not seem to have any justification except claiming that she knows what the Gods expect her to do.

Before the events in Antigone take place, the king of Thebes, Oedipus, dies

Antigone does not look for any proof to confirm the validity of her actions. She is sufficiently confident in herself to know that what she is doing is what the gods would want. On the other hand, Moses has proof that God is speaking to him via the miracles he sees performed before him, yet he still spends multiple chapters questioning his role and plan of action. This creates a fascinating dynamic between the believability of both of these characters. Antigone seems to never waver in her belief even when she is threatened with the punishment of death. She arrogantly stands up to Creon, claiming that she “knew, of course [she] knew. The word was plain” (Sophocles, 448). She demonstrates that she knows her actions directly defy Creon’s decree and that the punishment for disobeying these laws will result in her untimely death. She is almost unbelievable in her resolve, totally unmoved by the harsh consequences which she has brought down upon herself. In contrast, Moses seems like a more believable and human character because he displays doubt as opposed to Antigone’s unwavering faith. Moses hesitates to carry out God’s direct command even when it has been proven to him via a variety of miracles that this is the true will of God. His reaction it more understandable and rational because most people would think twice

Antigone does not seem to display human emotion when confronted with death, and disregarding survival instinct goes as far as saying that she would be proud to die for this cause. She tries to rationalize her decision through logic which at first appeals to human emotion but later reveals itself to be faulty and a twisted ethical standpoint which is never made clear. In Exodus, Moses has good reason for assisting his fellow Israelites. His motivation, the fact that he has been commanded by God, is both well-defined and reasonable. The reflection of normal human weaknesses in Mosses’ behavior solidifies his position as the more believable of the two characters. While Antigone is not completely unbelievable and her motivation of love for her brother that could not be equaled by anyone else is not entirely implausible, she does prove herself to be a much less believable and a less humanly relatable character than