Antigone Essays

If you were told not so do something, even if you thought it was ethically right, would you continue to do so? This question lingers and weaves its way through all the character’s in Sophocles’ Antigone. This great Greek tragedy expresses many different and difficult emotions that are often suppressed in daily life. Throughout this specific Greek tragedy, the audience experiences a catharsis, meaning a release or cleanse from emotions. Our emotional response to the fate of the characters becomes a way for the audience to come to terms with the power and limits of their own actions. Clearly shown in the play, as well as in the real world, tragedy can lead people to become the person that they were meant to be, just as Antigone did; she demanded true justice and eventually conquered it. Between Antigone and Kreon, I can empathize with the choice of Antigone’s death, because she was following her personal moral law and showed family loyalty, however, this moral law fell short as her flaws can be seen as hypocritical as she abandoned family bonds and broke some of her own personal ethics.

Throughout the actions of Antigone, we see that she is a strong headed woman who follows her personal moral law until the end. Antigone faces many conflicts, especially the fundamental conflict of value. She decides that it is more significant to stick to what she believes is right, rather than obey by the king’s horrible rule to not bury her own brother, Polyneices. Antigone knew the consequences she would face while on her pursuit of following her moral laws. While arguing with Ismene, her sister, she proclaimed “to me it’s fine to die performing such a deed. I’ll lie there, dear to him, with my dear friend, when I’ve performed this crime of piety,” (Sophocles 72). As suicidal as Antigone’s actions were, I dearly respect her passionate determination to risk her life for the sake of doing what she is following her ethical instincts. Another reason I emotionally respond more to Antigone’s fate is because she was devoted to her family loyalty. Knowing what the outcomes were going to be of defying the king’s law, Antigone dedicated her life to mourn her brother properly. “I shall go heap up earth into a tomb to bury him, my dearest brother,” (Sophocles 80), Antigone cries to Ismene. Even after death, Antigone will never desert her brother. Thus, I deeply admire Antigone’s will to not compromise her moral and ethical laws and bend to the king’s rule if it means breaking the law of the gods.

On the other hand, Antigone’s actions had some flaws in it. During Antigone’s path to find righteousness for her brother, her moral law of family loyalty could be seen as falling short. In demand of true justice, she had to disobey the king, meaning challenging her uncle and she abandoned her sister for the sake of her dead brother. We see this in the scene where Antigone finds out about the decree and blatantly defies Kreon. She states to Ismene “yes, bury my own brother- and yours too- if you’re not willing. I will not be caught in treachery,” (Sophocles 45). Not only was she going against the king, Antigone left her sister on her quest for justice. Nothing was getting in Antigone’s way to do what she thought was right. Whether Antigone was breaking the laws or leaving behind her family, she felt the need to break the laws to honor her already dishonored family. However, Antigone proudly respected her fate as it was known from the start and she pursued what she needed to do to in order to fulfill her good life.

Moreover, the audience also gets to see the progression of Kreon’s rule. Kreon’s fate is unemotional, nor reasonable as he sentenced Antigone to her death. He is a complete tyrant as he is a leader who shows off the power and pride of the state entirely with himself. Kreon embedded his own rights and rules throughout Thebes by his own will, rather than for the good of his people. While arguing with his son, Haimon, Kreon explained that he believed that whoever is chosen to govern Thebes should and needs to be obeyed, no matter what. Kreon’s argument rests on his idea that the king should always be obeyed, whether they are right or wrong. In his head, nothing is higher than the law of the city, and since the king’s word is the law, his demand is that Antigone, even if it is his own niece, must be punished to the full extent. Another reason I do not sympathize for Kreon is due to his subtle sexism. Kreon has strict thoughts of believing that he is a man in power, so to his surprise not only his niece, but a woman, has defied him. Angry and annoyed, he yells “it’s clear enough that I’m no man, she’s the man, if she can get away with holding power like this. No, whether she’s my sister’s child… she won’t escape from the most evil doom,” (Sophocles 484-488). At this point, the audience can see that Kreon fears being challenged, but fears it even more that a woman, in his own family, has done the deed. One could try to argue that, like Antigone, Kreon was following his own moral law. However, blinded to his own stubbornness, Kreon attacks and punishes Antigone for denying his authority and for her unwillingness to submit to his will.