Antigone Essay, Research Paper

Death by Conviction

Individualists are selfish! Individualists are willing to take any and all kinds of abuse for their cause. They will stand up for what they believe in no matter what the cost. Some are called heroes; some are called psychopaths. But all of them have no doubt whatsoever about their convictions. In Antigone and Inherit the Wind Antigone and Matthew Harrison Brady share similar individualist characteristics.

In the play Antigone, one of Antigone s brothers was left unburied by decree of her uncle King Creon of Thebes. Antigone s conviction was to bury her brother no matter what the cost. She tries to bury him twice before the king s guards catch her. The King has a conviction that no one is above the law, so he tries to talk Antigone out of being executed as prescribed by the decree. She just closes her mind to all attempts to divert her from her self-imposed duty. For example, on p.228 Antigone argues with her uncle about how it is her duty to bury her brother Antigone: I must go an bury my brother, those men uncovered him. Creon: What good will it do? You know that there are others standing guard over Polynices. And even if you did cover him, he would again be removed. Antigone: I know all that, I know it. But that much, at least, I can do. And what a person can do, a person ought to do. This shows how Antigone will stand up for what she believes in. Antigone, like many individualists has no doubts about her convictions. It is shown on page. 217. Antigone is having a conversation with her sister Ismene Ismene: Oh, I know it s horrible. And I pity Polynices just as much as you do. But all the same, I sort of see what uncle Creon means. Antigone: I don t want to sort-of see anything. he will not consider any kind of reasoning that is in the least against her convictions. Antigone is to be married to Haemon the son of King Creon. But she selfishly chooses to die for what she believes in despite of her love for Haemon.