Sophocles Antigone: Could Equality End Disobedience?

1386 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Thomas Hobbes view on Human nature

Could equality end Disobedience? A just society is a dream that would be very hard for all humans to achieve with making everyone happy. To make the dream possible, the most important element of a just society is equality for the people. Equality means all people have the same rights and equal opportunity, education, and political rights. Out of all of the book we have read throughout the semester, Antigone, “Civil disobedience”, and “An Ideal for which I am prepared to die”, all had the same themes of equality. In these books, the characters fought for equality by displaying disobedience to get what they want. In the beginning of the semester, we read the play Antigone by Sophocles. In the play, the main character, Antigone, had two brothers that fought for the thrown but killed each other. Creon, Antigone’s uncle, became the new king and said no one must bury the trader brother, Polyneices. While the other brother, Eteocles, got a proper burial. Antigone decided that it was her right to bury her brother, but she got caught and was sent to a cave …show more content…

If everyone is not treated fairly and taken into consideration when making rules, members of society will be disobedience which would cause trouble in the town. The three works that we have read in class, Antigone, “Civil disobedience”, and “An Ideal for which I am prepared to die”, all show why equality is needed. Even though they are from three different time periods and places equality is something that all people are looking for. Antigone showed disobedience by burying her brother, Thoreau should disobedience by not paying his taxes and writing his essay that inspired other leaders and Mandela showed disobedience by helping create the African National Congress and sabotage to end apartheid. All three problems could have been solved with equality of the people. If equality was created for everyone, disobedience would not exist and a just society would

Show More
Related

  • Antigone Character Analysis Essay

    627 Words  | 2 Pages

    Antigone, a story written by Sophocles, is about a young woman, Antigone, choosing whether she will not bury her brother, Polyneices, to not break the law or disobey Creon’s law and bury him; however choosing to bury her brother does not derail her moral development.

    Read More

  • Inequality In Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron

    571 Words  | 2 Pages

    Equality appears to be the ideal factor that can perfect a society. It eliminates the need to feel envious of any human or their qualities. Nevertheless, with impartiality comes lack of diversity and ambition. Inequality is the entity that provides individuals with the passion to strive for a better life. If everyone has already reached their full potential there is no purpose for living.

    Read More

  • Comparing Letter from a Birmingham Jail and Civil Disobedience

    1558 Words  | 4 Pages

    Martin Luther King and Henry David Thoreau each write exemplary persuasive essays that depict social injustice and discuss civil disobedience, which is the refusal to comply with the law in order to prove a point. In his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” King speaks to a specific audience: the African Americans, and discusses why he feels they should bring an end to segregation. Thoreau on the other hand, in “Civil Disobedience,” speaks to a broader, non-addressed audience as he largely expresses his feelings towards what he feels is an unjust government. Both essays however, focus on the mutual topics of morality and justice and use these topics to inform and motivate their audience to, at times, defy the government in order to establish the necessary justice.

    Read More

  • Civil Disobedience And Letter From Birmingham Jail By Martin Luther King Jr.

    799 Words  | 2 Pages

    Justice is often misconceived as injustice, and thus some essential matters that require more legal attentions than the others are neglected; ergo, some individuals aim to change that. The principles of civil disobedience, which are advocated in both “Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau and “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr. to the society, is present up to this time in the U.S. for that purpose.

    Read More

  • Day Of Destruction Days Of Revolt Analysis

    1051 Words  | 3 Pages

    Equality is not something we get to have when we come into this world. It is something that is being fought for and will continue to fight for as long as people think of themselves and do not think of the consequences that may occur from their own actions. In the book “Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt” by Chris Hedges and Joe Sacco they narrowed in on what structural violence is. The different examples of injustices that were occurring around the countries. Lastly explains the ways the oppressed used there actions, words, and ideas to fight the injustices. Injustices are all around world many of which still have a lot of control to this day and take a toll on the less able. Allowing large corporations to dictate what will be said and done.

    Read More

  • charant Character Changes in Sophocles' Antigone

    1452 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Not Listening In Sophocles 'Antigone'

    1360 Words  | 3 Pages

    Not understanding or listening to the opinion of others can frequently have unfortunate consequences and even lead to tragedy. In the play, Antigone, written by Sophocles, the two main characters, Antigone and Creon, both failed to listen which led to the death of several people. It was exhibited how important it is to acknowledge the truth and this was the central theme of the play. The conflict between Antigone and Creon started because they had opposing viewpoints of whether or not Antigone’s brother, Polyneices, should have been buried after he died in battle. Antigone strongly believed that Polyneices should have because it was the law of the gods and they are eternal, while man’s laws are not. However, Creon, on the other hand,

    Read More

  • Lycurgus in Sparta and Solon in Athens

    1190 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many believe the notion of equality and justice are very much intertwined. Through the ways in which Lycurgus and Solon reform their city to resolve social inequalities, the notion of equality and justice is discerned, which is to say equality is universal whereas justice depends on the parameters of the society. Lycurgus led his reforms so that everyone equally advances as a public duty. As opposed to Lycurgus, Solon led his reforms so that every person had a fair chance at advancement and participation in government built on merit and wealth. Lycurgus and Solon both modified their city through political, social, and economic reformations to alleviate social injustice.

    Read More

  • Antigone: The Theme of Family Loyalty

    902 Words  | 2 Pages

    The notion of honor and justice is prevalent throughout all types of literature. In Greek culture, honor is essential for creating a solid foundation within a society and family. Honor will follow you until the day you perish, and beyond. The honor for men in Greece is spiritual in that loved ones show respect to the deceased by giving them a proper burial. Nevertheless, when a man acts upon betrayal of the city, that man looses the privilege to die in such honor. This is evident in the life of Antigone when her two brothers, Polyneices and Eteocles, both die at each other’s hands at war when deciding the ruler of Thebes. Polyneices cannot have a proper burial, because the new king, Antigone’s uncle, Creon created a law that decrees that anyone who tries to give Polyneices a proper burial will have a dire consequence: death. In Sophocles’ Antigone, the quest that Antigone endures to stay true to her pure intentions of honoring Polyneices by giving him a proper burial is in juxtaposition with the fact that her defiance towards Creon is not only to do with Polyneices, but also to show appeasement to the gods.

    Read More

  • Ayn Rand's True Philosophy, and the People and Events Who Show It

    1850 Words  | 4 Pages

    First, the importance of independence in a society can be represented by the U.S. Declaration of Independence and by Equality’s gained independence. Equality was treated similarly to the African-American citizens before the declaration was introduced for independence. The people of Equality’s society have their jobs assigned to them. When Equality turns fifteen, it is his turn to be given a job. He walks up to the council and they tell him he is to be a, “Street Sweeper.” (Rand 26). The African-American citizens were treated unfairly before the De...

    Read More

  • Women In Society In Sophocles Antigone And Sister Carrie

    864 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Antigone, Sophocles illustrates Antigone to rise above her gender stereotype and do what is forbidden. Antigone is expected to sit in her room and wait for a man to tell her what move to make next throughout her life. After her brothers battle to the death, one is buried and one is not. Antigone does not stand for this at all and expects both of her brothers to be buried. When she is forbidden to leave her room and bury her brother, she does not agree. Antigone sneaks out of her room during the night to bury her brother. The next morning, Creon, who is the King of Thebes,

    Read More

  • Examples Of Bravery In Antigone

    147 Words  | 1 Pages

    In Oedipus Sophocles Antigone it shows a story about a brave and confident girl standing up for what she believes in. The author seemed optimistic that Antigone would get justice for her brother. Civil disobedience is sometimes necessary if it helps people succeed in what they believe in.

    Read More

  • Harrison Bergeron Total Equality

    621 Words  | 2 Pages

    The thought of total equality amongst all humans may sound appealing at first thought. The author of the short story “Harrison Bergeron” explains how total equality is not only unappealing, but can actually be dangerous and not at all what people would imagine the “perfect life” would be. The story is set in the future, the year 2081, where the government had added amendments to the constitution in order to create equality between everyone. The characters in the story demonstrate tactics used by the government to put everyone on an equal level. In the story total equality does take place, because people have given up their appearance, behavior, and achievements for balance between everyone.

    Read More

  • Power And Self-Will In Ayn Rande's Anthem

    699 Words  | 2 Pages

    When the King of England, ruled over this land we now call America, the rebellious attitude. self will and urge for freedom, dominated the Kings tyranny over the land thus resulting in his overthrow and start of a new society. No higher power can dominate the individual, freedoms and self will of man, and mankind. In Ayn Rande Novella, Anthem she displays this individual freedom of man, self will, and thought with Equality. Living in a corrupt, dystopian society where, I is We, and individuality is not displayed. The Council of Scholars, are the, “ All Knowing” in this society. But Equality discovers electricity, something the council is ignorant to. In this society it took 20 man to discover the candle, but it took Equality, one man, to discover electricity. The Council is scared of this newfound invention in which Equality has discovered. Since Equalities discovers was not discovered by a collective group such as the way the candle was discovered, the Council do not accept his invention. Through the Novella Equalities perception of his modern Society change. He begins to express his individuality, and question the Society he lives in. Equalitie’s conflict with The Council of Scholars teaches the reader there is no higher power greater than man, because no higher power can conquer man’s individual freedom, thought , or self will.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Equal Treatment

    563 Words  | 2 Pages

    Equal treatment in society and under the law is the first step to equality in the United States, and then the rest of the world. Our country always seems to rise to the occasion when freedom and liberty are challenged, and this nation’s people pride themselves on that fact. So why shouldn’t the United States lead by shining example in the fight for equality? The equal treatment of all people is one of the largest steps society can make in the fight for equality, but that, of course, is not

    Read More

More about Sophocles Antigone: Could Equality End Disobedience?

Open Document