Miguel A. Esquivel Esquivel 1
Ms. Wood
English II PAP
2 December 2014
Devotion to One's Core Beliefs
Sophocles' play "Antigone" examines the age-old conflict between civil and divine law, including the ominous life or death consequences of putting one system above the other. In this piece of literature we can read to what extremes someone can enforce both of these kinds of laws while also comparing and contrasting Creon and Antigones’ views on the subject.
Antigone for example believes that divine law is the only true law and that any man-made law is miniscule compared to the laws of god. “But all your strength is weakness itself against the immortal unrecorded laws of God." (Sophocles, 708) With this in mind, when she deems the civil laws of the city of Thebes unjust she completely goes against them, even knowing that what she is doing is punishable with death. Even amidst the questioning in the courtroom she is completely unrepentant stating “I deny nothing” when she was asked if she understands that her actions are a “criminal” offense. (Sophocles, 708). No matter how harsh the consequences of her decision are, she will stay true to her beliefs.
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"My voice is the one voice giving orders in this city" (Sophocles, 719). As we can see, his arrogance and feeling of superiority lead him to believe that he is above any other law and he will do anything in his power to enforce his law. This goes to the point where even his son Hameon is not spared from his ego. When Creon tells Hameon "Let him do, or dream to do, more than a man can. He shall not save these girls from death." (Sophocles, 720) we can see how far his stubborn ego can go to protect his law. Creon goes as far as threatening a prophet of the gods to protect his sacred civil
Sophocles play titled Antigone, embellishes the opposing conflicts between Antigone who stands for the values of family, and Creon who stands for the values of state. Sophocles explores the depths of Antigone’s morality and the duty based on consequence throughout the play, as well as the practical consequences of Creon who is passionate and close-minded. Although Antigone’s moral decisions appear to be more logical and favorable than Creon’s, a personal argument would be that both characters’ decisions in society can be equally justified.
Obedience to civil law is necessary to uphold order and peace. In the play, Antigone, by Jean Anouilh, Creon, the king of Thebes, states that anarchy is the greatest of evils and that good lives are made through discipline and lawfulness (Anouilh 42-47). Creon’s judgment and emphatic support of civil law makes him an inadequate leader because his actions in various situations lead to the untruthful messages to his people and the loss of his family members.
Creon's character possesses an infinite number of glitches in his personality, but his excessive pride was the root of his problems. His pride leads him to make accusations, before he considers the wise advice of others. Creon's pride also fills him not just as a king superior to the Gods, but also a man superior to women. The issue of Antigone being condemned to die becomes more than just a person who disobeys Creon; instead, the punishment is given even more eagerly, because it is a woman who disobeys a man. Creon's intelligent son warns Creon the people of Thebes sympathize with Antigone, but Creon accuses Haemon of being a "woman's slave" (line 756). Even though he is suppose to be loyal to the state and her citizens, he defensively questions if "the town [is] to tell [him] how [he] ought to rule?"(Line 734)The Theban king is too prideful to obey even the wisest of prophets, blind Teresias, insisting that "the whole crew of seers are money-mad" (line 1055). Creon finally puts his pride aside and listens to the Chorus' wise advice. It is difficult even then, and he obeys only because he fears the punishment that he might receive. "To yield [for Creon] is terrible" (line 1095) meaning to swallow his pride and admit that he is wrong is a very difficult thing for him to do. When Creon loses his wife and son, Creon's pride disappears, and he admits that he made a terrible mistake by not listening to anyone's advice.
Sophocles' Antigone is, at its simplest, a tragedy of conflict and misunderstandings. In the play, the laws of the gods are set up against the laws of man, and the two appear irreconcilable as the values are upheld by equally opposing characters, Creon and Antigone respectively. Indeed, Wilkins and Macleod decide that in Antigone `not only is there conflict, there is also a refusal even to recognise the other's point of view' (23). Thus Chorus significantly warn against the pursuit of extremes and sing about the need for men to reconcile human and divine law:
In Sophocles’ Antigone, the most prominent theme is the concept of divine law versus human law. The play opens with the debate between the sisters Antigone and Ismene concerning which law comes first- the devout obligations of citizens, or civic duty. Antigone requests for Ismene to assist her in burying their brother Polyneices, though the new king Creon, has prohibited burial on pain of death. It can be argued that Creon’s edict, which deprived Polyneices of his funeral rites, is understandable. The young man had been killed perpetrating the most atrocious crime of which a citizen could be guilty, and Creon, as the responsible head of state, naturally supposed that exemplary punishment was the culprit’s right...
Creon also defied the laws of the gods. This is what is expressed in the line, "No wisdom but submission to the gods." In Antigone, the edicts and decisions that Creon made demonstrated that his law was more important than the gods laws. His defiance of the laws eventually made him believe, by talking to Teirisias, that something bad would happen to him, so he gave in to his decision. When he gave into the gods, he gained wisdom and learned that his actions would be punished.
One of Creon’s many failures as a statesman is his prideful attitude. For example, Creon believes that gods chose him to lead the kingdom: “But see, the king comes here, /Creon, the son of Menoeceus, /Whom the gods have appointed for us/In our recent change of fortune.” (Par. 122—125).This quote explains how authoritative Creon was when he first became king. Also, Sophocles explains how Creon’s divine rights made him feel superior to everyone else, which made him more insolent. In addition, Creon believes that he is the sole leader of the kingdom: “We’ll have no woman’s law here, while I live.” (Sc 2.444). Sophocles illustrates the dangers of pride in kingship. He emphasizes more on how kings should be reasonable to the citiz...
The gods cause Creon's destruction, acting in a just and logical way to the blasphemous deeds he committed. His destruction is very much in his own hands, despite the many warnings he receives from advisors such as Tiresias ("you have no business with the dead"), Haemon ("I see my father offending justice - wrong") and the Chorus ("could this possibly the work of the gods?" "good advice, Creon, take it now, you must"). He drives head long into it, ignoring those who counsel him. His inability to listen to others is very critical to his downfall, as we see in his rebukes to the Sentry for example ("Still talking? You talk too much!"). This is a fundamental weakness within his character. His stubbornness, as Tiresias, "brands you for stupidity". What appears in Creon's own eyes to be stern control ove...
It is Antigone's morals, which drive her to betray the laws of man, in order to honor the laws of God. Knowing and comprehending the consequences of defying Creon's ruling do not restrain the intensity of Antigone's self will, yet it feeds her hunger to achieve her principles. Losing sight of her future, Antigone allows her stubbornness to consume her life, taking with it, the prospect of marriage, motherhood and friendship. As the story continues, we find that Antigone focuses more on the need to establish her human ethics in spite of Creon, rather than proving the incorrectness of man defying god's laws.
Creon does not learn a lesson from Oedipus' accusatory behavior. Instead he adapts this bad personality trait. Throughout Antigone, he accuses everyone who tries to give him advice of betraying him. Whereas, in Oedipus, he is falsely accused by Oedipus of trying to take over the throne. This paper will compare and contrast his behavior and evaluate if he learned anything from one play to the next.
But this all raises another question, does the law of the Gods really matter? Will the Gods truly beseech you and seek to bring you harm for not following in their ways? One who is not so religious would say no, it is not the Gods who hold the sword at your throat but a man, who at that moment cares nothing for the Gods. But in the case of Antigone, the Gods do act out their revenge. Tireseas spake:...
After burying her brother, Antigone is caught, and is seems that the state is more powerful than the gods for a time. “And yet you dared defy the law.” (208) Creon thinks that his law is all-powerful and ...
In the story, Creon refuses to believe in the prophecy of Teiresias and as such declares “Whatever you say, you will not change my will.”(Text, Antigone) Creon continues to show excessive Hubris because he is remains stubborn and arrogant even in the face of the seer and his assumptions about Antigone. Creon also boldly states that “The State is King!”(Text, Antigone). This also angers the gods because Creon is placing himself “higher” then them which is considered blaspheme.
“People, who start forbidding what God allows, will soon allow what God forbids”(Sophocles, 1355). This quote by Machin is a prime example of the quarrel between the understanding of God’s law versus human law, and how man can be corrupted by attempting altering God’s law. In Antigone by Sophocles, Antigone defies her uncle’s austere orders and buries Polyneices based on her perception that God’s law overpowers man’s law in all circumstances. The overall moral conflicts in the play are between Antigone and her religious beliefs about God’s law, and between Creon and Thebes’ justice system about human law.
Natural law can be considered the ‘morally correct’ approach to authority and justice. It is the idea that one should make decisions based upon what they deem morally appropriate within themselves. Antigone’s support of this approach is apparent in her refusal of Kreon’s order when she buries Polyneices anyway. She loves Polyneices and believes in her heart that there is no other alternative. She is aware that by burying him she would be breaking the law and risking her own life for it. “I will bury him myself. If I die for doing that, good: I will stay with him, my brother; and my crime will be devotion” (87-90). To her this is the only morally acceptable solution. Her support of Natural law resolves her to perform what she believes in her heart to be right, casting aside any social and political upholding that prove to be opposition.