Theme Of Honor In Antigone

Truth be told, almost everyone who has lived in the time of our world have craved high respect and recognition for their actions. Everyone secretly wants admiration and great honor for their deeds, however it truly does not come that simple. Honor is not given but earned to a person that has shown great determination and wisdom by sticking to their morals. This definition of honor is seen throughout Sophocles’ greek tragedy of Antigone as Creon, the new ruler of Thebes, is being put to the test as both a ruler and a human. Because of Creon’s establishment of his first law that decrees no one is to bury the body of the traitor, his own nephew Polyneices, conflict occurs as his niece Antigone opposes to Creon’s law and buries her brother. It …show more content…
The first evidence of Sophocles’ message of honor is found in the chrous’s second appearance in the play as they speak of man’s growing skills and dominance over the world and nature. Specifically through the rhetorical device of foreshadow Sophocles writes on page 21, “His skill’s resourcefulness exceeds all hope, though it is as often leads to evil ends as otherwise. A city prospers or it dies, when laws and sacred oaths are king.” (page 21, lines 365-367) In this quote the mood becomes very cautious for it explains that men’s growing skills can become evil to nature if their power gets to their head. If the man’s new laws interfere with the laws of nature, it will not be a great outcome for a city.This quote is very significant because this example of foreshadow is a warning that there will be an unlikely ending to the city of Thebes. Since Antigone’s action of tradition and sticking to family loyalty have caused problems between the divine law and the governing law of Creon, it is now up to Creon as a leader to either uphold the sacred law in order to gain honor from the gods or strengthen his authority by staying to his rules. This foreshadow begins to take place as Creon becomes a selfish tyrant towards his …show more content…
By the end of this greek tragedy, it becomes clear that all the deaths could have been prevented if Creon had a sooner change in heart. It is because of Creon’s decisions of establishing a law of not burying the body of Polyneices along with as locking up his niece Antigone to her death, does he test and anger the powerful, sacred law of the gods. At the end, even though he was given the honor to rule over Thebes, Creon did not earn honor for he didn’t follow his morals and placed himself above anything else, even above the sacred laws of the gods. On the other hand, Antigone gained honor from the people and gods as she followed her gut and morals in making the bold move against the governing law. In conclusion, Sophocles writes this tragedy to show to his audiences that placing your morals and following what you believe in is worth fighting for, even if it is against the governing law. By following your gut and doing what you believe is right, a reward of honor will come to you in the