There is a lot of controversy around the play Antigone. Where do the faults truly lie? Did fate or free will bring her to her untimely death? Was Antigone truly guilty of all that she is accused? Should she be blamed for everything that has happened? The decree of King Creon is ludicrous, absolutely ludicrous! Antigone is innocent and can’t be blamed!
During this time period in ancient Greece, Family loyalty was extremely important. Family loyalty, especially of the female, plays an important role in ancient Greek funerals. “Ancient literary sources emphasize the necessity of a proper burial and refer to the omission of burial rites as an insult to human dignity” (metmuseum.org). In ancient Greece, they believed that the soul would leave the …show more content…
Of course some people chose to be skeptical, but the majority looked to the gods. In this case, Antigone accepted the gods. She feels that the law of the gods overrides the law of the land. In this time period, many ancient Greeks believed this. It was not out of the ordinary. If you felt in your heart that a greater force was guiding you, you would not resist. Everyone was well aware of the wrath of the gods. “You have no right to trample on God's right” (Haimon 21). So many people are siding with Antigone, there is no way she can be labeled a traitor. Creon’s decree is truly despicable.
Another reason to support that Antigone is innocent is that she is so young. There really can’t be that much traitorous activities going on in the mind of a girl no older than fifteen years old. Sure she may seem defiant and undisciplined at times, but this is not anything unusual for a girl her age. “Oh tell it! Tell everyone” (Antigone 4). She should also not be viewed as a traitor for these instances. How could a human being be so cruel and give his own Niece the death penalty? She is already going through so much! With the loss of her father and two brothers, puberty, and living with her strange family history, she should be given a gold medal for making it so far. You have to admire her …show more content…
She knew exactly what she was doing. She was going to do the right thing, even if it meant death. She can’t be guilty because her fate was inevitable. Some scientists are starting to be able to back this up.
Is there ever really a choice? “Recent work in neuroscience is forcing a reconsideration of free will, to the point of questioning our freedom to choose” (Gleiser). There are a lot of philosophers and Neuroscientists that believe that free will is an illusion. If it is an illusion, then it all comes down to fate. There are forces driving Antigone that she can’t control or deny and therefore she is innocent.
According to the book Free Will by Sam Harris, our brains decide a course of action before we know it. Experiments with neurons in the brain have shown that the motor region; which is responsible for making a motion in response to a question, is activated before the subject is aware of it. So our choice to do something is predetermined. “The choices we think we are making, expressions of our freedom, are being made subconsciously, without our explicit control” (Gleiser). If things are being done without Antigone’s explicit control, how can you blame her? You
During this time period in ancient Greece, Family loyalty was extremely important. Family loyalty, especially of the female, plays an important role in ancient Greek funerals. “Ancient literary sources emphasize the necessity of a proper burial and refer to the omission of burial rites as an insult to human dignity” (metmuseum.org). In ancient Greece, they believed that the soul would leave the …show more content…
Of course some people chose to be skeptical, but the majority looked to the gods. In this case, Antigone accepted the gods. She feels that the law of the gods overrides the law of the land. In this time period, many ancient Greeks believed this. It was not out of the ordinary. If you felt in your heart that a greater force was guiding you, you would not resist. Everyone was well aware of the wrath of the gods. “You have no right to trample on God's right” (Haimon 21). So many people are siding with Antigone, there is no way she can be labeled a traitor. Creon’s decree is truly despicable.
Another reason to support that Antigone is innocent is that she is so young. There really can’t be that much traitorous activities going on in the mind of a girl no older than fifteen years old. Sure she may seem defiant and undisciplined at times, but this is not anything unusual for a girl her age. “Oh tell it! Tell everyone” (Antigone 4). She should also not be viewed as a traitor for these instances. How could a human being be so cruel and give his own Niece the death penalty? She is already going through so much! With the loss of her father and two brothers, puberty, and living with her strange family history, she should be given a gold medal for making it so far. You have to admire her …show more content…
She knew exactly what she was doing. She was going to do the right thing, even if it meant death. She can’t be guilty because her fate was inevitable. Some scientists are starting to be able to back this up.
Is there ever really a choice? “Recent work in neuroscience is forcing a reconsideration of free will, to the point of questioning our freedom to choose” (Gleiser). There are a lot of philosophers and Neuroscientists that believe that free will is an illusion. If it is an illusion, then it all comes down to fate. There are forces driving Antigone that she can’t control or deny and therefore she is innocent.
According to the book Free Will by Sam Harris, our brains decide a course of action before we know it. Experiments with neurons in the brain have shown that the motor region; which is responsible for making a motion in response to a question, is activated before the subject is aware of it. So our choice to do something is predetermined. “The choices we think we are making, expressions of our freedom, are being made subconsciously, without our explicit control” (Gleiser). If things are being done without Antigone’s explicit control, how can you blame her? You