Socrates, in Plato’s The Apology of Socrates, claims that fear is the great moral compromiser, arguing that any choice or action made in the name of fear is morally delinquent, where morality is defined by pervasive cultural and societal norms. Although fear may compromise morality, it appears that even moral decisions can be made on the basis of fear. Fear of dishonor, fear of domination, and fear of the gods are generally considered positive character traits in their euphemized form: righteousness, resolution, and godliness. Through the characters of Antigone and Creon in Sophocles’ Antigone, it can be shown that oftentimes, fear motivates those actions deemed moral.
In Antigone, characters Creon and Antigone make many of their decisions …show more content…
Having only just emerged from civil war, Creon believes the best thing for Thebes is a strong, unwavering leader. Antigone’s near immediate disobedience following the war threatens him, provoking his fear of domination, especially of domination by those he considers inferior to him in either gender, age, or status. When confronted with the unpopularity of his decision to put Antigone to death, Creon reasons, “If she’s not punished for taking the upper hand, then I am not a man! She would be a man!” (Sophocles and Woodruff, p20) Though motivated by the fear of domination, Creon’s resolution in upholding his mandates is commendable, and he ends up protecting the integrity of his city’s laws by enforcing them. Furthermore, his determination to be the leader needed by his state, whether motivated by fear or not, is a decidedly moral goal. Later in the play, when news of Antigone’s fate has spread, Creon faces the disapproval of the public, and yet never wavers, asking Haemon incredulously, “So you think the people should tell me what orders to give?” (Sophocles and Woodruff, p32) The stakes are clearly higher here, when he is challenged not by one woman, but by the people he administers to and by his son. Already a tested leader, Creon expresses his belief when it comes to leadership, “I believe that if anyone tries to run a …show more content…
Recognizing her responsibility to obey the gods, Antigone goes to her sister to enlist her help, so that they could protect their place in the Underworld together. Immediately upon Ismene’s refusal to help her, Antigone states that she will bury Polynices, but stops to tell Ismene, “Go on insulting what the gods hold dear.” (Sophocles and Woodruff, p4) She remarks to Ismene that because she will live longer in the Underworld than among men, she’d do better to obey the laws of the gods rather than the mandate of Creon. Her decision to give Polynices his last rites, though driven by the fear of the gods’ anger, portrayed Antigone as a god-fearing young woman with a keen sense of moral responsibility, especially in matters of religion. She further shows contempt for Creon and states, “no man could frighten me into taking on the gods’ penalty for breaking such a law.” (Sophocles and Woodruff, p19) Having recognized her fate to be death, Antigone prods further, arguing that she never thought power could give “a mere human being—power to trample the gods’ unfailing, unwritten laws.” (Sophocles and Woodruff, p19) Antigone implies here that her fear of the timeless laws of the gods gives her the audacity to challenge human laws, and make the moral decision to bury
In Antigone, characters Creon and Antigone make many of their decisions …show more content…
Having only just emerged from civil war, Creon believes the best thing for Thebes is a strong, unwavering leader. Antigone’s near immediate disobedience following the war threatens him, provoking his fear of domination, especially of domination by those he considers inferior to him in either gender, age, or status. When confronted with the unpopularity of his decision to put Antigone to death, Creon reasons, “If she’s not punished for taking the upper hand, then I am not a man! She would be a man!” (Sophocles and Woodruff, p20) Though motivated by the fear of domination, Creon’s resolution in upholding his mandates is commendable, and he ends up protecting the integrity of his city’s laws by enforcing them. Furthermore, his determination to be the leader needed by his state, whether motivated by fear or not, is a decidedly moral goal. Later in the play, when news of Antigone’s fate has spread, Creon faces the disapproval of the public, and yet never wavers, asking Haemon incredulously, “So you think the people should tell me what orders to give?” (Sophocles and Woodruff, p32) The stakes are clearly higher here, when he is challenged not by one woman, but by the people he administers to and by his son. Already a tested leader, Creon expresses his belief when it comes to leadership, “I believe that if anyone tries to run a …show more content…
Recognizing her responsibility to obey the gods, Antigone goes to her sister to enlist her help, so that they could protect their place in the Underworld together. Immediately upon Ismene’s refusal to help her, Antigone states that she will bury Polynices, but stops to tell Ismene, “Go on insulting what the gods hold dear.” (Sophocles and Woodruff, p4) She remarks to Ismene that because she will live longer in the Underworld than among men, she’d do better to obey the laws of the gods rather than the mandate of Creon. Her decision to give Polynices his last rites, though driven by the fear of the gods’ anger, portrayed Antigone as a god-fearing young woman with a keen sense of moral responsibility, especially in matters of religion. She further shows contempt for Creon and states, “no man could frighten me into taking on the gods’ penalty for breaking such a law.” (Sophocles and Woodruff, p19) Having recognized her fate to be death, Antigone prods further, arguing that she never thought power could give “a mere human being—power to trample the gods’ unfailing, unwritten laws.” (Sophocles and Woodruff, p19) Antigone implies here that her fear of the timeless laws of the gods gives her the audacity to challenge human laws, and make the moral decision to bury