Moral Morality In Antigone

“Do what is right, not what is easy nor is popular” is a quote by Roy T. Bennett describing a moral compass people should follow. He means that the easy thing to do is not always the right thing to do. This idea is applicable to an infinite number of situations, but it best fits that of the play Antigone by Sophocles. Sophocles was a legendary Greek playwright from ancient times as well as a political figure. He was a prolific writer, producing over one hundred plays in his ninety years. Antigone, the story of a young girl defying the law for her family, is one of the few that remains. Over the course of the play, the reader is introduced to Antigone’s uncle, Creon, the new king of Thebes. He is a powerful ruler and does not like to be disobeyed.

From the very beginning of the play, it is abundantly clear that Antigone would do anything for her family, even risk her life for them. In a line to her sister, Ismene, she says “I will bury him. I will have a noble death and lie with him, a dear sister with a dear brother.” (71-73). The noble death she refers to is the death penalty that Creon promises to anyone caught disobeying his decree that, “No one in Thebes may bury him or mourn for him” (204-205). Antigone is a strong believer in the fact that family is more important than anything which explains why she is so comfortable with blatantly disobeying Creon’s orders. At this point in her life, Antigone is left with very little to lose and therefore holds on tightly to last bit that remains. She loses her father/brother when he dies following his exile and then proceeds to tragically lose both of her brothers on the same day; “Our father died in hatred and disgrace after gouging out his own two eyes for sins he’d seen in his own self. Next, his mother and wife - she was both - destroyed herself in knotted rope. And, third, our two brothers on one day” (50-56). After suffering this much emotional pain and misery, Antigone cannot help but hold on the shards that once were her family, even if it is against the law, relating back to the idea of doing what is right versus what is easy. In

This idea is the underlying theme of the play Antigone. Antigone must juggle this idea with the fact that laws are made and put in place to be followed. Creon, as well as Sophocles, must juggle this idea too. All three of them have very differing opinions on the subject as they all have different backgrounds that contribute to their understanding of the statement. Antigone, as a result of her loyalty to her family and her view of the gods, is a strong opponent of the idea. Creon, due to his position as a king would mostly support it and Sophocles, on the grounds that he is a firm believer in the powers of democracy would mostly be against the idea. Laws are a tricky topic to deal with, especially when they are unfair and wrong. Nonetheless, Sophocles perfectly captures the battle between right and wrong in the tragedy of