Antigone Essay, Research Paper

Antigone did the right thing by defileing

Creon’s strict orders on burying Polynices because the unalterable laws

of the gods and our morals are higher than the blasphemous laws of man.

Creon gave strict orders not to bury Polynices because he lead a rebellion,

which turned to rout, in Thebes against Creon, their omnipotent king. Antigone

could not bare to watch her brother become consumed by vultures’ talons

and dogs. Creon finds out that somebody buried Polynices’ body and sent

people out to get the person who preformed the burial. Antigone is guilty

and although she is to be wed to Creon’s son, Haemon. He sentences her

to be put in a cave with food and water and let the gods decide what to

do with her. He was warned by a blind profit not to do this, but he chooses

to anyway, leaving him with a dead son, a dead wife, and self-imposed exile.

Antigone had good reasons for her actions.

She did obey the rules of her gods, which were that any dead body must

be given a proper burial, with libatations. This would prevent the soul

from being lost between worlds forever, along with wine as an offering

to the gods (page 518- side note). Nor could Antigone let Creon’s edicts

go against her morals (lines 392-394). She chooses to share her love, not

her hate (line 443). She couldn’t bare to see one family member be chosen

over the other because of what a king had decided was right, which she

contravened. Why condemn somebody who stood up for what they believed in

and is now dead for it anyway? Bringing homage to the family was very important

to Antigone (line 422-423).

The gods’ laws come before mortal laws

in Antigone’s point-of-view, which is how I believe also. In death, you

will answer to your god and no man will have control of your fate in the

world that lies hereafter. Therefore by obeying the gods, hopefully, will

result in a happy afterlife, which are what most people strive for in ancient

times and now. If man does not honor you for noble efforts, your gods’

will. Antigone’s act was honorable. She stood up to the highest of powers

so she could honor her brother, knowing the consequence would be death.

Most likely she figured there is only a certain amount man can do to you,

so she might as well stand up for not only her family and beliefs, but

her gods as well (lines 377-389).Creon could have easily changed his mind,

and there were fair amounts of warning. But his decisions lead him into

an empty life that could have been adverted if only he would have put his

pride aside for a while. Simply because he was too egotistical and too

tempermental, his son died (line 986) along with his wife (lines 1080-1081),

which left him hapless and with a deep sense of deplorable sorrow leading

to self-imposed exile (lines 1119-1126).

Antigone, Heamon, and Creon’s wife all

could have been saved if only one man could have put aside his pride. It

is clear that Antigone is not the one who did the wrong in this story,

but Creon.