Preview

Antigone: Beliefs, Opinions, and Moral Views. This essay is about the moral dilemmas between Antigone and Creon.

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
864 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Antigone: Beliefs, Opinions, and Moral Views. This essay is about the moral dilemmas between Antigone and Creon.
Antigone and Creon, from "Antigone" by Sophocles, encounter a philosophical war based on their moral views. A conflict arose when the principles that backed up their actions disagreed with each other. Antigone's side of the conflict held a gods' law is the way approach, as opposed to the "I am king" approach Creon chose to follow. The variation in the beliefs, opinions, and moral views of Antigone and Creon were constantly disputed through out the play.

Antigone felt that Creon was disregarding the laws of gods through his law. After she was captured and brought to Creon, she told him, "Your edict, King was strong, but all your strength is weakness itself against the immortal unrecorded laws of God. They are not merely now: they were, and shall be, operative for ever, beyond man utterly." Antigone's opinion is one that supports the Gods and the laws of heaven. Her view is set by her belief that if someone is not given a proper burial, then that person would not be accepted into heaven. Antigone was a very religious person, and acceptance of her brother by the Gods was very important to her. She felt that "...I will bury him; and if I must die, 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."

Creon's order was personal to Antigone, as she saw his law as invading her family life as well as offensive to the Gods. In Antigone's eyes, Creon betrayed the laws of the Gods by not allowing her to properly bury her brother, Polynices. She believed that the burial was a sacred ritual, and Creon did not have the authority to refuse Polynices his entitlement. Antigone's strong belief towards the burial of her brother is what led her to her death by the hands of Creon. Since Creon was ruler, whatever he said was the law, and since Antigone broke his law, Creon was in a sense to blame, because if that law wasn't put into effect then Antigone wouldn't have hung herself.

Nevertheless, she did not stop defending

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Creon, as the ruler of the land, is obligated to carry out social order. He has ordered that the body of Polynices should be left to rot because he was a traitor to the city. Antigone has disobeyed Creon’s orders by digging up her brother’s grave after his proper burial rites were forbidden. She has already buried her parents and brother Eteocles, who died fighting Polynices, and feels obligated to honor her brother’s life. Antigone is also determined to obey the gods, because it is against morality to leave any corpse unburied. She informs Creon that “Death longs for the same rites for all”.…

    • 814 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of Antigone's flaws is her loyalty to the gods and, on the other hand, her disloyalty to the state. Antigone seems to value religion more than the law. At the beginning, Creon orderes that Polynices, Antigone's brother, must be kept unburied because Creon thinks that he was a traitor. This is offensive to Antigone, and she is willing to do anything to honor the gods and bury her brother, even if it means getting killed for defying Creon's laws.…

    • 80 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Creon's Laws In Antigone

    • 581 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Throughout history, there have been countless kings and rulers that have shaped government systems and history as a whole. The bad kings and rulers are often remembered as tyrants and unfair dictators. It is a fair assumption that throughout the play Antigone, Creon ruled with an “iron fist,” but undoubtedly over-exercised his powers when dealing with his punishment for Antigone for burying Polyneices’ body. He continually insisted that his law was in accordance with what the gods wanted. His stubbornness kept him from listening to Haemon, even though his son tried to persuade Creon from executing Antigone. Sophocles intentionally has Creon lose everything towards the end of the play to show the consequences of confusing his own law with what the gods would want. In his play Antigone, Sophocles shows the danger in being too stubborn and self-reliant a ruler, as well as mixing human law with divine law by presenting a proud, overbearing ruler in Creon.…

    • 581 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Inner Turmoil in Antigone

    • 693 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Antigone proves herself to be a very loyal family member when she states, “That must be your excuse, I suppose. But as for me, I will bury the brother I love” (Pro. 64-65). She cares not of the law set forth by Creon when it conflicts with her beliefs concerning loyalty to loved ones. She chose the law of the gods above all other decrees, disregarding that the cost is her life. Even after the body’s guards brush off the thin layer of dust to negate the effect of the prompt burial given by Antigone, the heroine risks life and limb to see that Polynieces receives a proper burial, and she is arrested in the process. Her retort to Creon’s accusations was, “I do. I deny nothing.” Antigone is confident in her choice at this point. She even stands up for Ismene’s fraud confession, and she will “not have [Ismene] help” because Antigone’s loyalty to her family is too great (1. 132).…

    • 693 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The concept of justice is a tricky one and thus it comes as no surprise that the differing views on what is morally right between Antigone and Creon result in the tragedies of Antigone. In Antigone, Antigone and her sister Ismene return to Thebes after they discover that their brothers were waging war against one another to determine who would rule Thebes after the death of their father, Oedipus. When Antigone returns, she discovers that her brothers, Polyneices and Eteocles, already killed each other. These deaths result in Creon becoming the king of Thebes. Upon his rise to the throne, Creon declares a law which holds that those who oppose the state cannot receive a proper burial with formal rites. King Creon specifically notes the importance of keeping the city honorable and thus enforcing this new law, “Such are the rulers by which I will guard this city’s greatness; and in keeping with them is the edict I have published touching the sons of Oedipus.…

    • 1685 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Antigone says the gods want her to bury Polynices, which she does. While burying her beloved brother, she is caught by the guard, taken to the palace where she awaits her fate. When she's is being questioned by Creon for her crime she announces to Creon “take me and kill me-what more do you want?” (Line 266). She accomplished what she needed and buried her brother. She does this bringing out Creon’s determination to kill anyone who buries Polynices, Even if it’s his son's fiancee. So determined to stick to his morals he responded “Me? Nothing. With that I have everything.” (Line 267). When she announced what she did to Creon it brought out his determination to kill anyone who buries Polynices, and nothing would stand in the way of his punishment, even if it meant deeply saddening his son with his Fiance’s…

    • 860 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Antigone declares to all that she and she alone perform the burial rites for her brother, Polynices. A debate between civil law and natural law ensues between Creon and Antigone and with both sides unable to reach an agreement. Antigone in disbelief of his disposition in his principals will ask, how can Creon not think the gods do not find his law to be “uncorrupted or pure?” Creon acting as if an authoritative deity supplied him with the power to decide the fate of the dead will respond: “Never. Once an enemy, never a friend, not even after death.” The overall consensus: Antigone continues to uphold the law of the gods and Creon continues to defend his own law. However, Creon the arbitrator of Thebes orders the execution of…

    • 636 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    First of all, Antigone says to Creon “But if I’d allowed my own mother’s dead son to just lie there, an unburied corpse,then I’d feel distress.” (227-229). This quote shows how Antigone is doing the right thing by burying her brother and what Creon is doing to her brother Polyneices an act of injustice. This also shows how Antigone and Creon are different because she is being driven by the love she has towards Polyneices and Creon is being driven by the hate he has towards him. Second, Antigone says to Creon “But where could I gain greater glory than setting my own brother in his grave?” (570-571). This quote shows how Antigone is willing to disobey the law to give her brother a proper burial because of how much she loves him. This quote also shows how Antigone is determine to do what she thinks is right which is bury her brother Polyneices even though she would be disobeying orders. He doesn’t think women are the same as men because they disobey men’s…

    • 830 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Piety In Antigone

    • 1162 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Even the chorus was telling Creon to listen to his son. Creon refused to listen to anyone. He proclaimed his law is just because he is a man although his rule is supposed to be Divinity. He continuously ridiculed his son for being swayed by a woman.”You’re a woman’s toy!” Creon completely ignored his filial obligations to his son, and daughter-in-law, and remained solidified in his rule to have Antigone put to death for disobeying his non-divine law. The Greeks believed under Divine Law the deceased should be buried in a certain manner and returned to the Gods. Creon’s edict clearly is in conflict with this ideal as he strictly forbids the burial of Polyneices. The king was someone who ruled through the Gods, not an actual God himself. His only defense was he was a man, a ruler who is more intelligent than he? Antigone has Creon’s son, and the Gods, speaking to Creon about his unjust judgment, but still Creon insist his judgment was…

    • 1162 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Antigone Vs Creon Essay

    • 514 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Creon becomes more agitated when Antigone seemingly mocks him when captured for her crime. “She laughs at what she’s done . Well, in this case, if she gets her way and goes unpunished, then she’s the man here, not me.” (lines 548-550) Creon’s sexism and overwhelming need for subordination allows him to see no other way for Antigone, except for her punishment, death.…

    • 514 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When she was questioned by her uncle why she broke the law she the law was wrong and stated “nor did I think your edict had such a force that you , a mere mortal, could override the gods, the great unwritten, unshakable traditions”( Sophocles ,1117,505). Antigone is saying that burying the dead is an important religious duty that needs to be done to respect but the gods. Creon also is aware of this because earlier in the play when one of his guards suggested that the gods buried the body he questioned why the gods would care about “a corpse” (Sophocles, 1112, 320). The main conflict in this play is the religious duty versus the law of the land. This forces Antigone to either be true to the law or true to her ethical or religious beliefs. Antigone chose standby her religious beliefs and to rebel against the unjust rules of her uncle. This ethical conflict put the whole plays plot into…

    • 320 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Antigone loyally sticks by the laws of the gods and proclaims that Creon’s laws of kingship is insignificant compared to the gods’. Creon, insulted by Antigone’s proclamation of his feeble power, sentences her to a barbaric death. She accepts her fate of execution and dedicates her death to the gods.…

    • 1006 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    She tries her hand at manipulation but is not as successful as Medea. Antigone tries, with no purpose, to persuade her sister, Ismene, to help her give their brother Polyneices a proper burial. This decision, to bury her brother, was very heroic in that even though she knew death was at stake, she knew where her loyalties lied. (560-575 Antigone)Antigone stands up to her uncle and tells him to his face that he has disobeyed the Gods decrees. "I did not intend to pay, before the gods, /for breaking these laws/because of my fear of one man and his principles." (562-4 Antigone)She accuses Creon of overstepping the laws of the gods, by relying on his own thinking. As is brought out later, Creon never listened to other people 's advice until it was too late. Antigone boldly faces up to the most powerful man, the King, knowing he could kill her in an instance, but still she tells him he is wrong. Antigone is unselfish, respectful, and virtuous; therefore, she makes the finest decision in the play. Also Antigone 's decision is wise because it shows her unselfishness through her action. Although her deed is wrong in the eyes of the law, it is true in her heart. When she says, "But I will bury him; and if I must die…I shall lie down with him in death, and I shall be as dear to him as him to Me." (Antigone 168). she shows that she is prepared to sacrifice herself for her brother, which is very unselfish. Antigone tells Creon that it is up to the gods to judge her actions. Creon is made aware by his son Harmon that "there is no city possessed by one man only ' (Antigone 189). Creon then asks "is not the city thought to be the ruler 's?" (Antigone 189) Just because he is the ruler, he thinks he can control everything and the thoughts to the…

    • 1112 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Creon Antigone Analysis

    • 1113 Words
    • 5 Pages

    He asks her more than one if she broke the law, and if she knew that she was breaking the law by doing so (138). Each time Antigone says that she is guilty and that she knew it was against the law. Creon gave her a chance to lie and say that it was not her but she does not deny her actions. This means that Creon must punish her for her actions. Instead of the original punishment, which was death, Creon order Antigone to be placed in a cave. He says, “Leave her alone at liberty to die, or, if she choose, to live in solitude, the tomb her dwelling” (152). This is extremely merciful for Creon to do. Instead of automatically giving her the death penalty, he has given her an opportunity to continue living. If Creon was the cold, heartless, antagonist that many people try to label him as then he would have hung Antigone on a cross rather than isolating her from the rest of the people. He had to punish her somehow, because she was guilty; therefore, he punished her as lovingly as he…

    • 1113 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    If she had been pliant and had conformed to the laws of Creon she would not have died. Antigone had a separate opinion on the matter and “she has never learned to yield” (II, 86). She was completely shameless in burying her brother and denied nothing. Actually, when her sister Ismene offered to keep Antigone’s actions a secret, Antigone thundered, “Oh tell it! Tell everyone” (Pro 76)! She “dared” to defy Creon, and did not fear the consequences of her actions (II, 65). She even put her pride above Creon as she said, “Creon is not strong enough to stand in my way” (Pro,…

    • 626 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics