The Role Of Justice In Sophocles Antigone

In the story of Antigone, Eteocles and Polyneices are both fighting to be the king of Thebes. They both die in the fight but Eteocles is buried while Polyneices is left to the vultures. Antigone is both Polyneices and Eteocles’ sister, With both brothers dead the throne was given to their uncle Creon, who believes Polyneices is a traitor and should not have a burial. Antigone strongly disagrees with Creon, thus sneaking out and giving him a proper burial. This action was considered punishable by death.

During this time, the belief that Antigone had was that if one was not awarded a proper burial, they are never truly laid to rest. Since she went against Creon and buried her brother, she was executed. If she hadn’t

Antigone has a dilemma. She must decide who she will side with when her uncle, Creon, chooses to disgrace her brother by enacting a law forbidding his burial. The city of Thebes faced a time of crises when two brothers fought for the ownership of the kingdom. One brother greedily breached an agreement to share the crown and instead took the power for himself; the deceived other launched a rebellion. Both brothers died in this conflict and Creon was left with the task of reconstructing the city.

Death is not a punishment to Antigone since she obeyed the gods rather than a mortal which makes her actions just in the eyes of the immortals. The family ties also making the actions of Antigone justifiable.

The article “The Tragic Hero in Greek Drama” claims that Sophocles, through the tragic heroes in Antigone and Oedipus the King, suggests, “we could do everything right, act on the best information available, and with the best of intentions, yet still commit unspeakable horrors” (“The Tragic Hero in Greek Drama”). Aristotle, a well-known ancient Greek literary critic, created a definition of a tragic hero. His definition is known as the Aristotelian tragic hero, which has many requirements that the character must possess. Creon is the character that best exemplifies Aristotle’s tragic hero because of his virtue, his hubris, and his realization of his fate; however, others may argue that Antigone is a better example of a tragic hero because of

Determination In the play, Antigone, different characters demonstrated the difference between being determined and being stubborn. For example have you ever been determined to do something for the cause of good or even been stubborn. In this story characters there are some characters that were the same way, The first person that I have to bring up is Antigone.

Pride can be one of man's strongest qualities. In Sophocles' play, Antigone, the Theme of pride becomes the cause for destruction for both Creon and Antigone in the play.. Creon's Pride blinds him to the injustice he commits against Antigone and the gods. Antigone's pride leaves her no choice but to be killed because of her beliefs. They Both automatically surrender to their own hubris and demonstrate how uncontrolled pride leads to personal downfalls and destruction in Antigone.

Thomas Jefferson once said, “It is reasonable that everyone who asks justice should do justice.” In the play Antigone by Sophocles, it contrasts many perspectives and definitions of justice. In the beginning, two brothers, Polyneices and Eteocles, fight in a civil war for who reigns Thebes, but both have been killed. Creon, the new ruler of Thebes, have honored Eteocles and disgraced Polyneices. He took the disgrace further and lawed that ever who buries polyneices will be executed.

Antigone thought it was unjust to let her brother go without a proper burial. She took the power of freedom and her free will and made the situation “just” in her eyes.

Some may say that Polyneices was a traitor well he is, that 's the reason why Creon wants Polyneices not buried. She was trying to look out for her family but, her uncle did care about this. Most people would have done the same thing. Antigone is correct for bold rebellion to bury her brother because she was loyal to the gods, what her religion was and her family means to her.

1. In the play Antigone why is Ismene’s idea of justice (justice is obeying the laws of the land made by the king) wrong? Ismene’s idea of justice is very wrong.

The search for justice is never ending. Justice may be delayed, denied, or postponed, however, the search is timeless. To be just is to argue for fair rights for all. It is to be someone that will help the people of the community. However, many times justice is not sought and not given to those who need it most.

In ancient Greece, a common saying that all citizens had in their very core, a traditional Greek principle, was this: love your friends, and hate your enemies. This rule seems pretty straightforward and would appear easy to apply in real life. However, in the timeless play Antigone, Sophocles shows his audience a situation where this maxim does not apply. Sophocles concentrates on a complex story where the values and principles of the ancient Greek culture come into conflict. Religious or moral versus secular, family versus community, and living versus dead: all of these conflicting aspects are explored in Antigone.

In Sophocles’ Antigone, Antigone and Creon both have qualities of a tragic hero according to Aristotle’s definition. Aristotle believes a tragic hero is a decent human, but falls due to a weakness in one’s character. In the plot, Antigone decides to bury her brother, which defies the laws of Creon, the dictator of Thebes. Antigone believes she must hold her family values and the gods’ beliefs with utmost respect. Antigone refuses to deny her crime, so she is sentenced to be death by Creon.

In Sophocles “Antigone”, translated by Richard Emil Braun, Haimon, the son of the Kreon, portrays elements of utilitarianism by trying to represent the best outcome for the community to his father. A sound argument towards Haimon showing utilitarianism is that Haimon only thinks about himself. Haimon states “You direct a course for me with good intentions, and I follow it” (Braun 46). This could show that Haimon is thinking for his own good intentions. However, Haimon follows his father’s commands but politely argues with Kreon about the greater good for the community instead of himself.