Antigone vs Kreon Essay - 915 Words

Antigone vs. Kreon- Nomos vs. Written Laws Antigone is a play written in 442 B.C. (hypothetical) by the noted Greek playwright Sophocles. In the play Sophocles deals with issues such as the relationship between males and females and the state as well as the position of women in society. He uses Antigone to represent obligation to family and the gods while Kreon represents obligation of the written laws of the state. I think that if the context of the play is taken into consideration then Antigones actions were justified as she was only fulfilling her duty while Kreon was just trying to assert his dominance early in his rule. The city Thebes has just recovered from a civil war during which two brothers Eteokles and Polyneces†¦show more content†¦That fact that Antigone breaks those natural laws that are defined for each gender actually weakens her position on the burial of her brother. Firstly insults her to be father in law Kreon by opposing him and on top of that she calls him a fool (Sophocles, Antigone, p. 39). Wh en burying her brother she says that she is only obeying natural laws but then she herself breaks the natural laws by not understanding the position of and respecting men. She is placed in a precarious position where the same actions earn her the respect of her family and the gods while oppose her to the state. Kreon on the other hand on the other hand personalizes power when he looks at his state as a ship. He believes that as a leader he cannot show any weakness and has to uphold the laws that were written down by earlier generations. He says that, I recognise that this ship keeps us safe, and only when we sail upright can we make friends for ourselves (Sophocles, Antigone, p. 28). In following these lines he declares that he would not honour Polyneces with a proper burial as he had betrayed the city and the state. If Kreon did in fact give both brothers a decent burial he could have been under pressure from his subjects considering that one of them was a traitor to the state. On the other hand by honouring only one brother and deciding to prosecute Antigone he lost the respect of his son. It can be said that in order to assert hisShow MoreRelatedThe Tragedy Of Antigone By William Shakespeare1001 Words   |  5 Pagesand white manner; good vs. bad. However, there is often a gray area that goes unexplored. Antigone manages to venture into this gray area through a complicated conflict of values. Kreon, the ruler of Thebes, has declared the leader of a rebellion against the state must not be buried. This conflicts with the leaders’ sister, Antigone, as she feels compelled to bury him. This conflict of values was expressed by German philosopher Hegel when he said â€Å"At the center of Antigone we find not a tragic heroRead MoreAnalysis Of Shakespeare s Hamlet 1799 Words   |  8 PagesAntigone vs. Hamlet Hamlet is a play that has been interpreted in many different ways over the years. There have been many different movies, and even movies that take the plot of Hamlet. Hamlet is a very unique character, and throughout the play, the reader is able to see how unstable he actually is. The same thing can be said about Antigone. She is so dead bent on giving her brother the proper burial rights he deserves. Hamlet was furious by the fact that his uncle killed his father, and AntigoneRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr.s Letter From A Birmingham Jail And Antigone1004 Words   |  5 PagesThe â€Å"Letter from a Birmingham Jail† by Martin Luther King and the play of â€Å"Antigone†, both demonstrate ways in which civil disobedience is used to challenge unfair laws. Although Martin Luther King and Antigone both go against the unjust law, however, they go about it in different ways. For instance, Antigone acts in civil disobedience in order to accomplish a family obligation, meanwhi le, Martin Luther King Jr. visions civil disobedience as a method to obtain equality for the sake of his community