Civil Disobedience Antigone

Casey Ziegler

Professor Chuska

English 102

26 March 2015

Antigone and Civil Disobedience

In order to relate the actions between Antigone and Civil Disobedience the concept of civil disobedience must first be understood. In defining the term civil disobedience, history provides the definition. According to Roy Neil Graves, a professor of English at the University of Tennessee, states Henry David Thoreau was the first individual to explain in writing the meaning of civil disobedience. Thoreau argues in “Civil Disobedience” that individuals should not allow governments to take over their moral sense and the people have a duty to avoid such corrupt infringement. Thoreau lived in Massachusetts during the time the United States was fighting the

Mexican war. Slavery enraged Thoreau so he decided to refuse to pay his state poll tax and was jailed. He knew his punishment would be jail but still participated in an act to strengthen his perspective that the government was weak and any citizen could confront the government (Graves). Civil Disobedience is a refusal to follow a law because it’s believed to be unethical or immoral. For many people who disobey, they violate the law based on the beliefs they have in keeping the laws consistent. If an individual has a problem with a punishment they have a right to express their concern in a peaceful manner. Civil Disobedience allows one to express their thoughts and ideas in a passive, nonviolent way. It can be used when one believes that they are morally right, and that others will agree with them. Civil Disobedience is both a right and responsibility of a person to fight an unjust law (Brownlee).
“Antigone” is a perfect example of the concept of civil disobedience. However, civil disobedience can be justified, which is exactly what Antigone demonstrates. She plans to give her brother Polynices a decent burial which is against King Creon’s first law ever composed. Creon the king of Thebes, has recognized Polynices as a traitor. Antigone violates Creon’s law by burying her brother, which reveals her beliefs in a passive way, which is a trait of civil disobedience. Antigone behaves through the god’s laws and doesn’t really care about any repercussions that could be placed on her by Creon. She gets caught burying her brother and brought in to face Creon. She ignores Creon’s law and believes the law is below that of the gods which angers Creon to the fullest.
Antigone reveals, “your words are distasteful to me, and I am sure that mine see so to you.

And yet they should not seem so: I should have praise and honor for what I have done”. (Sophocles 1814) Antigone expresses to Creon that she wants not be remembered as a traitor but more likely as a martyr. In this quote she is also declaring that god’s laws are more important than Creon’s. Often society has laws that individuals feel are immoral. Antigone decided to bury Polynices, for she was obeying the gods, even though it was declared illegal by Creon. Antigone believed that the power of the gods was greater than the power of any king. If she had obeyed Creon, she would have disobeyed the stronger power of the gods which could have had more of a devastating result on her. She believes that punishment awaits those who break the laws of god(s). Antigone shows us, through Civil Disobedience that breaking some of society’s laws is a religious responsibility to stay loyal to god’s laws

(Ehrenberg).
Antigone believes that honoring Polyneices and the gods is far more important than Creon’s laws. For Antiogne, disobeying the law is the most effective way to honor her brother and to do what’s morally correct. Antigone participates in the burial of her brother as a mean to demonstrate the seriousness of the issue. She did not commit violence. She dove into a risky but nonviolent action to honor Polynecies. This correlates with civil disobedience because not only does Antigone take a great risk in burying Polyneices, but she also displays a willingness to accept the punishment of death. This is a key component to effective civil disobedience. She knows her punishment and also is being peaceful because she is simply burying her brother.
The first and most important justification for Antigone’s actions is her belief in civil disobedience. Civil disobedience must include that the individual disobeying the law is willing to accept the consequences for disobeying that same law. With this definition, one can apply it to Antigone to see that she is justified in her actions. Antigone will bury her brother because she believes it to be right, even though she knows the punishment is death. Antigone states “I do. I deny nothing.” (Sophocles 1813). In these words, Antigone demonstrates her willingness to except the punishment for doing what she believes to be right. Antigone believes that god’s law is above that of Creon’s. Antigone obviously believes that God’s laws are more important than the Creon’s laws because she is willing to die for god’s laws. Antigone would rather die than live with what she would consider sin.
The question of the existence of God can only be answered individually through faith. However, if Antigone believes in God(s) then God’s laws obviously would take importance over Creon’s laws. Antigone states that Creon “has no right to keep me from my own”. Antigone was justified because of her beliefs in god’s laws and she believes that to the fullest. She will not allow Creon’s law to interfere with her religious beliefs.
According to Creon, Polyneices body is to “lie in the fields, a sweet treasure for carrion birds to find as they search for food.” (Sophocles 1804).

Antigone deciding whether she should bury her brother, given the rule of Creon is thereby committing an act of civil disobedience. Antigone has so much faith that she is religiously justified to bury Polynieces. Antigone breaks the law knowing she will die which would define her as a martyr. Antigone could have struggled in a fight between her conscience and in not obeying Creon’s law’s she remained strong to her pursuit to bury her brother. In doing so, she participates in civil disobedience.

(Brownlee).
History gives plentiful examples of how civil disobedience was crucial to limit various unethical or corrupt laws. The civil rights movement that ended the Jim Crow laws. These laws restricted African American rights and others ethnicity’s who were simply not white. For instance, African Americans were segregated from white people of any place of purpose such as hospitals, schools, restaurants etc. simply because they have a different skin color. The African Americans responded in a powerful but non-violent manner such as boycotts, law suits, and disobeying white only signs (Jim Crow Laws). These methods define civil disobedience and are important because they did behave in a non-violent manner such as Antigone. Just as Martin Luther King Jr and the African American community fought against the discrimination, they faced in the South, Antigone rejected Creon’s sinful law. Although she deliberately disobeyed the law, Antigone was considered a hero for burying her brother. She committed civil disobedience and her name tops the list with Martin Luther King in her civil disobedient behavior.
After infringing on Creon’s law, Antigone does not fearfully hide from her death. She accepts it, clarifying to Creon that she would rather perish than know she hadn’t given her brother an appropriate burial. Martin Luther King Jr lectured every issue caused and clearly stated his approval for civil disobedience. Both Martin Luther King Jr. and Antigone both confront a serious issue and risk everything for a cause, which is why they both can be considered martyrs.
Sophocles demonstrates through Antigone’s actions how civil disobedience should be the motivation behind changing a morally wrong issue. She proudly admits to Creon that it was she who had given Polyneices a proper burial, just as the god’s call all to be buried. The scene that she has effectively created leaves the city of Thebes with a reminder that no one should go up against the gods. It is even possible that this was Antigone’s intent from the very beginning as she states that she is not afraid of death and this death would not be the worst of death. Through her actions, she demonstrates to the people of Thebes that while her actions may have led her to her death, ultimately they were the right decisions to make as they are the honorable and humble decisions to make, to put the will of your god and your morals before the will of a man. Though from them Antigone is the one to rise, a commoner in respect to her power in this society, and ultimately is the one to show what the course of action should have been. This shows that Sophocles’ ultimately supports the democratic system as it encourages its people to be the focal point of its rule and to challenge the unjust position.
Antigone’s action of burying her brother affects Haemon. He takes his father side and goes against Antigone at first. Later, Haemon grasp that Antigone was honorable and understands why she did it. Creon still sends to Antigone to a cave, he indirectly kills her. With that, Haemon decided to leave his father entirely and he defines that his father is single-minded and tenacious. When participating in civil disobedience the disobedient is risking their life and others close to them safety.
It takes a lot of courage to stand up and defend an action or idea that is forbidden by society. Antigone clearly disobeys King Creon's order that no person should bury Antigone's brother, Polynices, which is punishable by penalty of death. In this case, is Antigone's decision the correct one? Her actions affect many of her other countrymen negatively because they cause problems within the royal family, disagreement among the people and directly relate to the death of three people including her own. By burying her brother, Antigone knowingly and willingly went against royal orders and in doing so chooses her own death. She knows as well as anyone in the town that death would come to all that disobeyed Creon's order.
In conclusion, Antigone believes that the gods have commanded her to give her brother a proper burial and she will not be happy until Polynices has a proper burial. However, if she decides to bury Polynieces, she would be participating in civil disobedience. She also believes she has a greater loyalty to her brother in performing his burial rites than she does to the law of the city of Thebes that bans her from doing so. The wishes of the gods and her sense of duty to her brother are both examples of natural law. To Antigone, these outweigh any human laws. According to Antigone “For you choose life. And I choose death.” Her defiance and her love for her family before her king earned her a cruel death and the city of Thebes’ favor.