The Role Of Moral Development In Antigone And Gandhi

The idea and philosophy of moral development has been around for thousands of years, for it places expectation and rules on one’s self to follow based upon a law of conscience. A law of conscience is a set of rulers made by one’s inner voice that helps determine one’s perspective of right and wrong. That law of conscience aids a person’s actions into determining their level of moral development just as Lawrence Kohlberg did in his six-level theory of moral development. Antigone and Gandhi are stage six moral development based on their will and courage to stand up for what is right as well as their acceptance of any and all consequences that were to follow.

In the drama, Antigone, by Sophocles, the protagonist, Antigone, shows moral development

of a level six. In the opening of the play, Antigone is faced with an obstacle that involves the death of her brother, Polyneices. Antigone longs to give her fallen brother a proper burial but Creon, the king of Thebes, thinks otherwise, for he considers Polyneices a traitor and therefore does not deserve to be buried. Antigone, on the other hand, chooses to bury her brother despite Creon’s death threat. On page 774, Antigone says to Ismene, “Ismene, I am going to bury him...But I will bury; and if I must die, I say that this crime is holy.” Antigone clearly shows possession of a level-six moral development because of her belief in equality in a burial for her brother. She believes that Polyneices, her brother, should have a proper burial despite Creon thinking that Polyneices was a traitor due to his rebellion against Thebes. Antigone takes in mind universal human rights before judging a situation based on the actions of a person. Antigone also admits to her actions just as she confesses to Creon on page 783 when he asks her, “‘And you, Antigone, you with your head hanging,- do you confess this thing?’ ‘I do. I deny nothing.’”
Antigone is willing to die for a crime she committed because she felt that it was the right thing to do in honor of her brother, and because of this, she was disposed to accept any consequences for the sake of her brother; this manner of hers exposes her level-six of moral development.
On another perspective, Mahatma Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, from West India, also endowed a level-six moral development, and like Antigone, Gandhi was fighting for the right of his people through civil disobedience. Gandhi gave a speech on September 11, 1906 where he stated, “Whatever they do to us, we will attack no one, kill no one,”. His statement is a clear image of his moral values, for it demonstrates his resistence to react with violence and/or slaughter. In that same speech Gandhi also said, “I am asking you to fight! To fight against their anger, not to provoke it. We will not strike a blow, but we will receive them.” In this section of his speech, Gandhi expresses his acceptance of the consequences that are to follow his civil disobedience, which in this case, the consequence is a blow to the body.