Antigone Vs Creon Essay

Is one right to disobey civil law when one’s conscience dictates? Is it ok to break the law to make yourself feel right, and to take a heavy law off your shoulders? In the play Antigone by Sophocles, Antigone disobeyed civil law when her conscience dictated and buries her brother, when she knows it is against the rules since he has been a traitor to their city. She does this because she knows that if she had not it would have made her feel guilty. It is right to disobey civil law to clear your conscience and do something right.

In the play Antigone by Sophocles, Antigone vs self supports the theme because antigone says “Creon buried our brother Eteocles with military honors, gave him a soldier's funeral, and it was right, and polyneices fought just as bravely and died just as miserably.” (line 17, page 751) This shows

that she would feel guilty if Polyneices wasn’t buried and honored as Eteocles because he fought in battle just as hard and he deserves to be buried and honored just as Eteocles has been. Also in the play Antigone by Sophocles, creon and haemon supports theme because haemon says “She covered her brothers body. Is this indecent? She kept him from all the dogs and vultures. Is this a crime?” (line 68, page 773) this shows that haemon is on antigone's side even though he should be on his dad's side since Creon is king and Haemon is the heir to the throne. These both show that in antigone multiple characters went above the law to clear their conscience.
In the play Antigone by Sophocles, Ismene and antigone vs creon supports the theme because Creon says “Snake in my ordered house, sucking my blood stealthily- and all the time u never knew.” (line 141, page 764)) This shows that Ismene and Antigone both have conflict with Creon because creon is blaming them both, when in fact only Antigone has done anything wrong.

Also in the play Antigone by Sophocles, antigone and ismene shows the theme because when creon tries to get ismene in trouble because he thinks ismene helped antigone ismene says “Yes, if she will let me say so. I am guilty” (line 147, page 765). This shows that ismene feels bad for not helping antigone and feels she should get punished too. Although ismene is trying to be punished, antigone says “no, ismene. You have no right to say so. You would not help me, and i will not have you help me” (line 148 page 765) this shows that antigone feels that she shouldn't let ismene get in trouble because it would make her feel guilty since ismene is innocent. Man vs man conflict shows the theme because in these examples the characters don't want to make themselves feel guilty by affecting

others.
In the play Antigone by Sophocles the author’s purpose supports the theme because in the play antigone buries her brother and that even though it was against the law she decided that she couldn’t live with that guilt. Another example of the author supporting the theme is when teiresias states that creon will lose one of his kids and even though he knows it is not right to threaten the king he does because he knows he can save antigone from a lot of pain. These all show that the author supports the theme because the author clearly is showing that sometimes morality is worth breaking the law.
In conclusion the theme that it is right to break the law when one's conscience dictates is seen throughout the play in various examples, and in conflicts such as man vs man and man vs self. Some of the characters such as ismene and antigone have a strong moral because they would go through harm to do what is right to them. The author supports the theme because the author clearly shows that the people that are going with their moral are considered the “good guys” in the story. Finally, the answer to the question Is one right to disobey civil law when one’s conscience dictates? Is that it is right to break the law when one's conscience dictates because it is sometimes fine to break the law when you know you will feel guilty if you don't go against the law.