In Antigone, I believe that Antigone had a right to bury her brother because he was her blood and Antigone did not care whether or not that Creon wanted her to bury him, all that Antigone cared about was honoring her family and doing what she believed in, even if it meant that she had to face death in consequence. Antigone knew that the god’s laws were more important to her in the afterlife than any laws that a mortal, or in particular, Creon had set for Antigone. Antigone wanted to ensure her brother Polyneices, and herself a good afterlife.
In addition to that, I believe that Antigone had a right to bury her brother because it was her morals to do so. For example, when someone in our family dies, we make sure to give them an honorable death
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or make a funeral for them because even if they were good or bad people when they were living, they still get a funeral from their loved ones. I believe that in Antigone’s mind, her afterlife seemed more important because life only lasts for years but in death, it lasts forever in eternity. In death, to me it seems like we will be there forever whether it is in spirit or even if we turn to nothing. Either way, death is everlasting and while I strongly believe it is, Antigone may have the same belief. Before Antigone died, she knew that she was going to have some kind of consequence so when she knew that she did, she decided to act the way she wanted to and say the things that she believed in because she knew that was bound to happen eventually. In a movie I saw once, called “The Last Holiday” a woman was told that she was going to die because of an illness and only had a couple of weeks to live, so when she found out, she did whatever she wanted because she was spending her last times trying to enjoy herself. Although she didn’t end up dying in the movie, it still relates to Antigone because she just wanted to do whatever she felt like doing. Creon was of no importance when it came to Antigone burying her brother. A family member will always be family and if someone told you that you couldn’t bury them, you’d rebel against it as well. In my opinion, I would be afraid of what the afterlife has to offer and my own beliefs is whether or not there is an afterlife, and if there is, what does it have to offer? I would think that the afterlife is important because it is supposed to be a place that your soul will last forever and ever in eternity. When you die, you stay dead and if that means living your life as you pleased, then it was worthwhile. Life is so short, just a snippet of what was to come eventually, the afterlife. Doing good things in life was something that Antigone wanted to do, so by burying her brother, it made her happy since she thought it was a good thing for her to do. Family is always going to be your family, even if they passed away or not. Although Polyneices betrayed the city of Thebes, he may have lost the respect of the citizens and Creon, he didn’t lose the love and respect that Antigone had for him because she cared about her brother. Also, while some people are scared of dying, such as myself, Antigone was brave and wasn’t scared to die.
Even if Creon decided to have Antigone die, she knew she was going to be dying for herself and for what she felt was right to do. In lines 81-85 of Antigone, she says “I myself will bury him. It will be good to die, so doing. I shall lie by his side, loving him as he loved me. I shall be a criminal, but a religious one.” So when she says that, she knows that there will be consequences for her, but she claims she is a religious criminal because of the fact that she has followed her own religious beliefs and while doing so, she knows in the mortal life that she will be considered a criminal but because she followed the gods. In Creon’s perspective, it seems unjust to bury Polyneices because he is the king to the city of Thebes while when Polyneices was alive, he attacked the city so in that aspect I can understand why it seems bad to bury someone who did bad things…but also, he is someone of obvious importance to Antigone so it didn’t matter about how the city or Creon felt. Antigone told her sister Ismene to tell everyone about what she had done. In lines 98-100, Antigone says ““Oh, oh, no! Shout it out. I will hate you still worse for silence, should you not proclaim it to everyone.” Antigone wasn’t going to keep burying her brother silent, she demanded that Ismene told all of Thebes because maybe she wanted people to know that they have their own voice and they can do whatever they felt was right just as Antigone did. Antigone wanted to become someone remembered if she died for her rights. Another famous person that didn’t care about if he died or not was the infamous, Socrates. In Plato’s “Apology”, Socrates lived doing what he believed in and did not care about what others had to say about him or what his thoughts were. Socrates just wanted to do what he thought was right and wanted a change within society. Everyone in Athens believed that Socrates was
corrupting the youth and he was sentenced to death in the end because it did not please the people of Athens, but it did not have any importance to Socrates, since all that he cared about was how he was going to have a good afterlife in the end with the gods because he knew that by coming to death, his name would live on after he died and no one would forget him because he stood up for what he believed was right and stuck to his morals. I believe that both Antigone and Socrates were similar in the same aspect that both died for what they believed in: Antigone died for her beliefs while burying her brother and Socrates died because he was trying to promote a change within the people of Athens and both still were sentenced to their death. Another supporting detail is that Antigone ended her own life even if Creon tried to have her dead, she felt that there was no point in living in the world so why bother suffering when she can just end her own life on her own? In lines 506-508, Antigone says, “If I shall die before my time, I count that a profit. How can such as I, that live among such troubles, not find a profit in death.” Although Antigone was burying her brother for his honor, she may have not been thinking thoroughly about the consequences to come. When Antigone was alone in the cave, she realized that because of her death, there will be no more of her family left because her family’s generation would end. By Antigone dying, to her dismay, she wouldn’t have children of her own or end up getting married. Even though in the play it doesn’t seem to show the relationship between Haemon and Antigone, it came to my realization that Haemon and Antigone did actually love each other. I always thought it was an arranged marriage because in the old times, women were married very young usually around fourteen years old and would have their life picked out for them. In this case, when Haemon killed himself when he found out that Antigone died, I finally saw that he cared about her and also felt no need to live on because he lost his love and obviously if he didn’t love her, he wouldn’t have killed himself. In lines 974-978, Antigone says “…Unbedded, without bridal, without share in marriage and in nurturing of children; as lonely as you see me, without friends, with fate against me I go to the vault of death while still alive.” I think that when she was finally in solitude, she knew that she really didn’t have anyone left. No one was actually there for her and in reality, she was alone. It didn’t seem to help that while she was dying, she was depressed so it worsened the way she felt and just did not want to carry on living life that way. I believe that it must have been very difficult for Antigone to feel that she had nobody to help her, she probably felt alone in the situation especially considering the fact that her and Ismene were not the closest as sisters. In my own personal example, I feel that when I am in an argument, I would like to have backup from one of my family members to help me prove my point, and when I do not get that same answer, it can be quite upsetting to know that I stand alone with my opinion, so in that aspect I can relate to Antigone. To me, it seemed that Antigone and her brother Polyneices were much closer in relationship than Ismene was with her. In the end, all Antigone wanted was friends and family but I believe it must’ve been hard for her because she came to open her eyes about all of this too late. Another person that came to realization was Creon. In the end of the play, Creon finally pays his price because of what he caused, his son Haemon and his wife die. His own wife cursed him just as Antigone did. I think that it was karma because I believe that Creon should stay alive because he can learn from his mistakes and to know not to do it again if he ever had another family. So Creon and Antigone share that same mistake because of what they did, they both paid an unfortunate price. Finally, Antigone decided to bury her brother Polyneices in his honor, whether it was right or wrong to Creon or the city of Thebes. Even though she died at a young age and didn’t live life the way she could have, she did what she believed was right. Antigone just wanted to honor her brother in hopes that she would be reunited with him and her family soon.
Antigone is the niece of a king and goes against her uncle’s command when he says that Polyneices isn’t allowed to have a soldier’s burial and his body must be left in the desert to rot. Antigone decides to bury him anyway because she values god’s law of burial over her uncle’s rule. Antigone tells her sister “Ismene, I am going to bury him. Will you come?... He is my brother. And he is your brother, too… Creon is not strong enough to stand in my way” (Sophocles 694). Antigone values her brother over her uncle & she believes in god’s law over Creon’s decision. King values equality and common law. He dictates “It is unfortunate that demonstrations are taking place in Birmingham, but it is even more unfortunate that the city’s white power structure left the
Gods laws. Antigone’s strong loyalty to the Gods and compassion led her to bury her brother.
In Sophocles' Greek tragedy, Antigone, two characters undergo character changes. During the play the audience sees these two characters' attitudes change from close-minded to open-minded. It is their close-minded, stubborn attitudes, which lead to their decline in the play, and ultimately to a series of deaths. In the beginning Antigone is a close minded character who later becomes open minded. After the death of her brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices, Creon becomes the ruler of Thebes. He decides that Eteocles will receive a funeral with military honors because he fought for his country. However, Polyneices, who broke his exile to " spill the blood of his father and sell his own people into slavery", will have no burial. Antigone disagrees with Creon's unjust actions and says, " Creon is not strong enough to stand in my way." She vows to bury her brother so that his soul may gain the peace of the underworld. Antigone is torn between the law placed against burying her brother and her own thoughts of doing what she feels should be done for her family. Her intent is simply to give her brother, Polyneices, a proper burial so that she will follow "the laws of the gods." Antigone knows that she is in danger of being killed for her actions and she says, "I say that this crime is holy: I shall lie down with him in death, and I shall be as dear to him as he to me." Her own laws, or morals, drive her to break Creon's law placed against Polyneices burial. Even after she realizes that she will have to bury Polyneices without the help of her sister, Ismene, she says: Go away, Ismene: I shall be hating you soon, and the dead will too, For your words are hateful. Leave me my foolish plan: I am not afraid of the danger; if it means death, It will not be the worst of deaths-death without honor. Here Ismene is trying to reason with Antigone by saying that she cannot disobey the law because of the consequences. Antigone is close-minded when she immediately tells her to go away and refuses to listen to her. Later in the play, Antigone is sorrowful for her actions and the consequences yet she is not regretful for her crime. She says her crime is just, yet she does regret being forced to commit it.
In the play, Antigone, two brothers are killed in battle. One of them, Polyneices, is considered to be a rebel by the new ruler of Thebes, Creon. The corrupt and prideful king, Creon, created an edict that states that nobody could bury Polynices’s body because he was a traitor to Thebes and his family and denies the sanctification and burial of Polyneices's body because of his rebellion and intends to leave him to become the meal of wild animals. Polyneices's sister, Antigone, defies Creon by giving her brother a proper burial, no matter the consequences. Both King and Antigone sought to do what they thought was the right thing to do, even if it was against the law. Though King and Antigone are two completely different people from two completely different times, they were actually quite similar in that they both were minorities at a disadvantage, and lacking power and credibility among those in control. King and Antigone both fought for injustice and what they believed in, however, not necessarily in the same
At the start of Antigone, the new king Creon has declared the law that while Antigone’s brother Eteocles will be buried with honor for his defense of Thebes, however the other brother, Polynices will be left to rot in the field of battle for helping lead the siege of the city. Antigone discusses with her sister Ismene that she shall go and pay respects to her now dead brother, and give him the burial that she feels that he deserves. Her sister tries to persuade her otherwise, but Antigone claims she is going to follow her determined fate, not the law of ...
Antigone had good reasons for her actions. She did obey the rules of her gods, which were that any dead body must be given a proper burial, with libatations. This would prevent the soul from being lost between worlds forever, along with wine as an offering to the gods (page 518- side note). Nor could Antigone let Creon's edicts go against her morals (lines 392-394). She chooses to share her love, not her hate (line 443). She couldn't bare to see one family member be chosen over the other because of what a king had decided was right, which she contravened. Why condemn somebody who stood up for what they believed in and is now dead for it anyway? Bringing homage to the family was very important to Antigone (line 422-423).
From the Greek point of view, both Creon's and Antigone's positions are flawed, because both oversimplify ethical life by recognizing only one kind of good or duty. By oversimplifying, each ignores the fact that a conflict exists at all, or that deliberation is necessary. Moreover, both Creon and Antigone display the dangerous flaw of pride in the way they justify and carry out their decisions. Antigone admits right from the beginning that she wants to carry out the burial because the action is glorious. Antigone has a savage spirit; she has spent most of her life burying her family members.
Antigone is determined to bury her brother because of her loyalty to her family and to the gods. She believes that no mortal, such as Creon, has the right to keep her from her own. Even if Antigone must die during the burial, she will not disgrace the laws of the gods. She believes that she has to please the dead much longer than she has to please the living.
What Antigone did goes against Creon and this is where his difficult decision comes in. “Creon represents the regal point of view, while Antigone is just the opposite. The primary conflict arises when Creon declares that no one be allowed to bury the body of Polynices, one of Antigone's brothers who was slain in battle. Antigone, who cares for her brother very much, wants to see him properly laid to rest, so that his spirit can find peace. Unf...
The Antigone is widely thought of as the tragic heroine of the play bearing her name. She would seem to fit the part in light of the fact that she dies doing what is right. Antigone buries her brother Polynices, but Creon does not like her doing that one bit. Creon says to Antigone, "Why did you try to bury your brother? I had forbidden it. You heard my edict. It was proclaimed throughout Thebes. You read my edict. It was posted up on the city walls." (Pg. 44) Antigone buries her brother without worrying about what might happen to her. By doing this, she takes into consideration death and other consequences for burying her brother. Antigone follows what she thinks is right according to the gods. She is the supporter of her actions in the burial of Polynices.
In the play Creon goes against the Gods by making it illegal to bury Polyneices, Antigone’s brother because he is deemed a traitor. The burying of a dead body is seen as a necessity by all of Greece as it is an unspoken law of the Gods. Antigone goes to bury her brother so his afterlife will be better. She does it in spite of the law that Creon has made. “It is the dead, not the living, who make the longest demands” (192) She tries to explain to her sister, Ismene, that they must bury Polyneices, but even that close relationship has trouble because of the law. Ismene is unwilling to suffer the consequences of the law, to save her brother’s soul “Forgive me but I am helpless: I must yield to those in authority” (192) Even the two sisters who have just lost both of their brothers have different views on the matter. One will not stray from the law and what is deemed right by their king, while the other will accept any punishment, even death just to do what she believes is right.
Antigone firmly believed that Divine law was far more superior to Civil Law in all respects. To her, the gods determined her fate completely. Obeying the gods was more crucial to obeying the government. "I know I am pleasing those I should please most." (Line 103) She chose to bury her brother Polynieces, though she knew that in doing so she would face her own certain death because King Creon forbid it. According to the Divine law, the dead need to have a proper burial in order to make the journey to the underworld. Antigone would not let her brother go without it. Antigone said of Creon, "It is not for him to keep me from my own." (Line 54) Antigone is proud of her acti...
Antigone welcomed death at the time of burying her brother; she was not concerned with the consequences. She saw her actions as being true to the gods and religion. “I myself will bury him. It will be good to die, so doing. I shall lie by his side, loving him as he loved me; I shall be a criminal but – a religious one.” (Antigone, lines 81-85) To Antigone, the honor of her brother, and her family was all that was important. She may be going against Creon, but if her actions were true in her heart then the gods would see her in a good light.
At the beginning of the play, Antigone is upset about a decree Creon, the king, made (190). The decree states that her brother, Polyneices, was not allowed to be buried, because Creon believes that Polyneices was a “traitor who made war on his country” (211). Antigone has a very strong love for her brother and the gods, therefore she believes Polyneices deserves a proper burial according to the laws of the gods (192). Antigone says to Ismene that she [Antigone] will go against Creon’s decree-which states that if anyone buries Polyneices they will be killed (190). Antigone is extremely angry with Creon for creating the decree, to the point where she decides to make a big deal about the burial, instead of lying low and doing it in secret (192). Antigone even tells Ismene to “Tell everyone!” that she [Antigone] buried Polyneices when everyone finds out, and not keep it a secret-although Ismene doesn’t listen (193). Antigone’s decision not to do the bur...
In Antigone, her brother Polynices, turned against his own city by attacking his own brother just so he could become king. On this day, both brothers died. One, Eteocles, was given funeral honors, but the other, Polynices, was not. This decision was made by Creon, Antigone’s uncle and the current King of Thebes. Creon said “He is to have no grave, no burial, no mourning from anyone; it is forbidden.'; (Pg. 432; l. 165) He also announced that anyone who should attempt to bury him would be put to death. After hearing this decision, Antigone said that Creon couldn’t do that and that the Gods would want Polynices to have a proper burial, therefore Antigone promised to her sister Ismene that she would be the one to defy Creon and bury her brother; and she didn’t care if the whole city knew of her plans. After being caught in the act, she was taken to the palace and when asked by Creon why she did it. Knowing the punishment that would come from it, she replied by saying that she didn’t think Creon had the power to overrule the u...