In the two plays Antigone and Trifles we see the characters in each approach laws and justice quite differently. Both plays center on a death, and in each there are two sides seeking justice after the death. I feel the plays present one group of characters who seek lawful justice and an opposing set of characters that want justice based on their opinion. In the first play, Trifles, a man has been murdered by strangulation and the primary suspect is his wife. The person who found and reported the crime is on the scene with the sheriff and county attorney going over the fact and trying to find evidence and a motive. The wives of the sheriff and the witness are there as well to pick up a few item to take back to the wife who was being held in
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Antigone has asked her sister if she is going to help her bury their brother. Ismene does not want to help as it would be breaking the edict of the king. Antigone responds to her by saying, “At least he is my brother—and yours, too, though you deny him. I will not prove false to him.” (Sophocles 1193) Here Antigone is basically telling her sister, while I may be breaking the king’s law, I am doing what is just by our god’s law and our responsibility to our family. Creon has set this law of not allowing Antigone’s brother to be buried out of hate for the brother. He makes a law out of personal hate, this laws towards one man. Just laws should be fair to all and applied to all. He decrees, “I here proclaim to the city that this man shall no one honor with a grave and none shall mourn. You shall leave him without burial; you shall watch him chewed up by birds and dogs and violated.” (Sophocles 1197) AS King and supreme ruler, Creon had the authority to make laws as he wanted. However, this law was unjust.
As Americans living in a country based on laws, we would hope that the laws are made to be just and fair for all. However, when left to individuals, justice does not necessarily mean the lawful process was carried out. Some individuals want vengeance when the lawful process did not return the verdict they
Antigone has asked her sister if she is going to help her bury their brother. Ismene does not want to help as it would be breaking the edict of the king. Antigone responds to her by saying, “At least he is my brother—and yours, too, though you deny him. I will not prove false to him.” (Sophocles 1193) Here Antigone is basically telling her sister, while I may be breaking the king’s law, I am doing what is just by our god’s law and our responsibility to our family. Creon has set this law of not allowing Antigone’s brother to be buried out of hate for the brother. He makes a law out of personal hate, this laws towards one man. Just laws should be fair to all and applied to all. He decrees, “I here proclaim to the city that this man shall no one honor with a grave and none shall mourn. You shall leave him without burial; you shall watch him chewed up by birds and dogs and violated.” (Sophocles 1197) AS King and supreme ruler, Creon had the authority to make laws as he wanted. However, this law was unjust.
As Americans living in a country based on laws, we would hope that the laws are made to be just and fair for all. However, when left to individuals, justice does not necessarily mean the lawful process was carried out. Some individuals want vengeance when the lawful process did not return the verdict they