Antigone and Oedipus

Antigone, from the play Antigone, is like her father Oedipus, from the play Oedipus Rex, through the two classical values, justice and courage. Antigone showed justice by doing what she believed was right. Her brothers body, he was killed in war, was cast from the city with no rights and without a proper burial, and no one was allowed to bury it. Antigone, seeing this as an injustice decided to make it right by burying her brother anyway at the expense of herself. This shows justice because to do what is just is to do what is fair, and it was only fair for Antigone’s brother to have a proper burial. At the beginning of Oedipus Rex, Oedipus seeks justice by trying to avenge Laius’ death. He says after his speech announcing that he is trying to find the killer, “may Justice, our ally, and all the gods attend on us with kindness always”(Sophocles, line 320) This statement shows that Oedipus believed in justice which links Oedipus and Antigone together because they both believed in justice, making them resemble each other. The second way Antigone is like her father, Oedipus is through the classical value of courage. Antigone showed courage, like mentioned before, risking her life to properly bury her brother. This is a good example of courage because Antigone was brave enough to put her life on the line to do something that didn’t benefit her in any way. Oedipus showed courage by finally accepting his fate. Oedipus, after he found out that he killed his father, cast himself out of the city. This was a courageous act because he faced this difficulty without fear, and lack of fear which is one aspect that can make a person courageous. In conclusion, Antigone and Oedipus are like each other because they both use the two classical values, justice and