Right and Wrong in Antigone

             The distinction between right and wrong is rarely as simple as it seems; there are often differing values of what constitutes right and wrong among individuals, and therefore it becomes a matter of finding who is more right than the other is. In the play "Antigone" by Sophocles, Creon and Antigone have distinctly conflicting values. They both base their actions on their personal beliefs of right and wrong, but unfortunately, the ideals that back up their actions clash with each other creating an opposition of morals and making it difficult to conclude who is more right out of the two.
             Creon has a very strong allegiance to the laws of the city, while Antigone answers to a higher power. Creon feels that all people under his rule must abide by the laws set forth by him and not follow any others, regardless of a person's own moral or religious convictions. Antigone, on the other hand, feels that the laws of the gods and the devotion to family should come before any human-made laws. This conflict of ideals comes to pass when Creon orders that Polyneices, Antigone's brother, is not to be buried because of dishonorable conduct toward the city of Thebes, and anyone caught trying to bury him will be executed.
             Antigone feels that Creon's edict disregards the laws of the gods and she does not want her brother's body to remain without a proper burial; therefore, she disobeys Creon's orders and buries Polyneices. In burying her brother, Antigone is breaking the laws of the king, while simultaneously fulfilling the laws of the gods and showing love and respect for her family as well. According to Charles Segal, Antigone "introduces the distinction between the man-made and the natural, the artificial and the eternally existent" (Segal 140). Antigone's reasoning is backed by her religious belief that without proper burial one cannot be accepted into heaven by the gods. Therefore, because of her devotion to her family and to the gods Creon's or...

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Right and Wrong in Antigone. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 02:24, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/14040.html