There are two types of people in the world; those who live by their own beliefs and those who simply follow in other’s stead. The greek tragedy Antigone, a sequel to Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, touches upon this idea. The play tells the story of Antigone, one of Oedipus’ daughters who goes against King Creon’s edict in order to stand up for her beliefs. After the death of her two brothers, one brother is properly buried while the other is left out to rot for being a “traitor” to the kingdom. Antigone believes that both her brothers should be buried properly, thus causing her to go against Creon’s laws, which ultimately causes her demise. Some may think that Antigone should have simply just followed and obeyed King Creon’s edict, but she was right
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To begin, the first reason why Antigone was right to defy Creon’s edict is the fact that every individual has the right to stay true to their personal convictions and does not have to conform to those of others. When discovered to be the one guilty of burying Polyneices’ body, Antigone states “...this was not a law decreed by Zeus, nor by Zeus’ daughter, Justice, who rules with the gods of the Underworld. Nor do I believe that your decrees have the power to override those unwritten and immutable laws decreed by the gods...How could I be afraid to disobey laws decreed by any man when I know that I’d have to answer to the gods below if I had disobeyed the laws written by the gods, after I died?” This piece of evidence is a great piece of information which showcases who Antigone is and demonstrates her character. Her words not only show her individualism, but also her immense courage. Instead of simply following the law Creon put into place, which she was completely against and viewed as unfair, she stood her ground. Why should someone go on following …show more content…
This is supported by Creon in Antigone where he states “If I nurture rebels within my household there’ll be many more rebels outside it...Whereas he who violates the laws of the gods and his city, or wants to command its leaders, will never gain my respect. We must obey those whom the city has ordained to be its leaders. We should obey them, unquestioningly, in all things, minor or great, those we agree with and those we oppose. I believe such a man would govern well and he’d also be an obedient servant; and he’d stay at his post even in the hurricane of war, honourably, bravely defending his country.” Despite being portrayed as the antagonist of the play, Creon did have somewhat of a good reason behind his actions and words. Creon was indeed the ruler of Thebes and like all rulers, must think for what’s best for the people. He did not bury Polyneices’ body simply because he had a vendetta against him, but he did so because Polyneices was a traitor to Thebes. Creon, being a ruler of a kingdom, not only has immense power but does also have immense responsibilities which he must follow. The rebellion of Polyneices and later Antigone did pose a threat to the kingdom, so Creon did what he thought he had to in order to protect the kingdom and its people. Creon believed that he must be a strict ruler for the people, otherwise they would not listen and
To begin, the first reason why Antigone was right to defy Creon’s edict is the fact that every individual has the right to stay true to their personal convictions and does not have to conform to those of others. When discovered to be the one guilty of burying Polyneices’ body, Antigone states “...this was not a law decreed by Zeus, nor by Zeus’ daughter, Justice, who rules with the gods of the Underworld. Nor do I believe that your decrees have the power to override those unwritten and immutable laws decreed by the gods...How could I be afraid to disobey laws decreed by any man when I know that I’d have to answer to the gods below if I had disobeyed the laws written by the gods, after I died?” This piece of evidence is a great piece of information which showcases who Antigone is and demonstrates her character. Her words not only show her individualism, but also her immense courage. Instead of simply following the law Creon put into place, which she was completely against and viewed as unfair, she stood her ground. Why should someone go on following …show more content…
This is supported by Creon in Antigone where he states “If I nurture rebels within my household there’ll be many more rebels outside it...Whereas he who violates the laws of the gods and his city, or wants to command its leaders, will never gain my respect. We must obey those whom the city has ordained to be its leaders. We should obey them, unquestioningly, in all things, minor or great, those we agree with and those we oppose. I believe such a man would govern well and he’d also be an obedient servant; and he’d stay at his post even in the hurricane of war, honourably, bravely defending his country.” Despite being portrayed as the antagonist of the play, Creon did have somewhat of a good reason behind his actions and words. Creon was indeed the ruler of Thebes and like all rulers, must think for what’s best for the people. He did not bury Polyneices’ body simply because he had a vendetta against him, but he did so because Polyneices was a traitor to Thebes. Creon, being a ruler of a kingdom, not only has immense power but does also have immense responsibilities which he must follow. The rebellion of Polyneices and later Antigone did pose a threat to the kingdom, so Creon did what he thought he had to in order to protect the kingdom and its people. Creon believed that he must be a strict ruler for the people, otherwise they would not listen and