Antigone What Is Right Analysis

What is Right Who doesn’t know the difference between right and wrong? In today’s society right and wrong comes from what we as people see as the normal way of doing things. This essential knowledge comes from ones upbringing, parental teachings, and religious or legal instructions in ones society. The knowledge can turn out to have quite a different origin. In Antigone by Sophocles, there is a different code of moral origin between two different relatives. One being the king who sets laws, the other being a woman who breaks such set laws for her own moral beliefs. So this concludes to ask, who is right? Are we as people of being, able to signify what is right and wrong? Also, how does one judge what is right or wrong if we ourselves are
Kreon as a king sets guidelines and rules for the people of Thebes to obey. As a king and person in charge of order he is able and has the right to make laws. He has the right to make the law he set out for Antigone’s brother, Polyneices, body to be left untouched (improper burial) and left to rot because of his rebellion against the city. Kreons morals are all wrong in making this law. As a newly crowned king, as of any in power wants to make known that they are not a push over. So it seems in being a new king, Kreon had to set a law and carry it out in order for people to respect and fear him. Kreon is not wrong for making the improper burial a law, but his moral value here does not fit the tradition or what is made out what the god’s want. Kreon believes he is right because he has total power. He never let anyone change his mind throughout the play. Haimon, Kreons son and Antigone’s Fiancé, tells his father that he respects, but feels that he is wrong. (685-720) Haimon begs his father to take his advice and not kill her. Kreon gets furious and makes things worse. Kreon was too proud to take advice from someone younger. He shows this by saying “Are men of my age to be taught to have good sense by someone who has only grown to this man’s age.”