The Divine Sacrifice Although it is believed that ancient Greeks did not practice human sacrifice, the concept itself occupied a large space of Greek drama, which raises questions about its meaning(s), function(s), and how it has contributed to the human-deity relationship in Greek Drama. Human sacrifice, as a thematic frame, is common within the works of the three Greek tragedians, who employ it as a mean to create a dilemma in their plays, add a layer of meaningful depth to the human death, and/or to stage a tragedy that invokes pity and provokes conclusions. As Wilkins noted, human sacrifice, in the works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, is, more often than not, related to the gods within Greek mythology—it is a call that comes
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Historically, in Ancient Greece, rituals of burying the dead held a sacred place, particularly in classic Athens--a loose term that is used to include various ancient Greek cities and regions. The funeral rites must be performed and carried by “[the dead’s] relatives” (Hame 526). Ideally, the child will bury his parents hoping that his children would do the same when his time is up (Hame 526). However, the situation in Sophocles’ Antigone is anything but …show more content…
For instance, when Antigone deems Kreon’s decree as invalid, she is right for two reasons. First, there is no divine oracle (from the gods) against burying the dead. Second, as stated earlier, the responsibility of burying her brother lies on her shoulders (along with her younger sister, Ismene). However, as James Morwood points out that the Athenian law stated “traitors should be refused burial within Attica” (37). Thus, Kreon has a legal ground, although shaken, to stand on. In addition, which is significant, Kreon can’t afford to be disobeyed in the first decree he releases. He becomes a king after a destructive war between Oedipus’ sons—and his job is to replace chaos with order in Thebes. Hence, Kreon simply can’t afford to be disobeyed in his first decree—let alone by a sister of a traitor. Nonetheless, it should be stated that Sophocles portrays Kreon as a “cliché” tyrant, who is willing to use any mean to achieve his purpose (Morwood, 40). His unjustifiable tyranny materializes vividly when he threatens, without any legal base, the Guard, who told him that someone buried Polyneike’s corpse, if he does not reveal who commit the “dirty” crime
Historically, in Ancient Greece, rituals of burying the dead held a sacred place, particularly in classic Athens--a loose term that is used to include various ancient Greek cities and regions. The funeral rites must be performed and carried by “[the dead’s] relatives” (Hame 526). Ideally, the child will bury his parents hoping that his children would do the same when his time is up (Hame 526). However, the situation in Sophocles’ Antigone is anything but …show more content…
For instance, when Antigone deems Kreon’s decree as invalid, she is right for two reasons. First, there is no divine oracle (from the gods) against burying the dead. Second, as stated earlier, the responsibility of burying her brother lies on her shoulders (along with her younger sister, Ismene). However, as James Morwood points out that the Athenian law stated “traitors should be refused burial within Attica” (37). Thus, Kreon has a legal ground, although shaken, to stand on. In addition, which is significant, Kreon can’t afford to be disobeyed in the first decree he releases. He becomes a king after a destructive war between Oedipus’ sons—and his job is to replace chaos with order in Thebes. Hence, Kreon simply can’t afford to be disobeyed in his first decree—let alone by a sister of a traitor. Nonetheless, it should be stated that Sophocles portrays Kreon as a “cliché” tyrant, who is willing to use any mean to achieve his purpose (Morwood, 40). His unjustifiable tyranny materializes vividly when he threatens, without any legal base, the Guard, who told him that someone buried Polyneike’s corpse, if he does not reveal who commit the “dirty” crime