Moral and Gener in Antigone
As the course Athens to New York begins, four questions are drilled into our heads as the foundations of the course. These questions might as well be Greek to us, for many college freshmen have never been asked these questions before, not to mention required to take a course that is focused mainly on these questions. The questions force us to look deep within ourselves, to investigate what our beliefs and morals consist of and how they originated. The questions in relation to the readings also force us to compare our beliefs and morals to those of other civilizations. Two of these questions have a strong meaning in the book 'Antigone' by Sophocles. These questions are how do individuals and communities respond to differences in race, class, gender and ethnicity and what does it mean to be moral, ethical or just. Not only do these questions pertain strongly to the book, but today's society can strongly relate to these questions and the impact they have in the book as well. In ancient Greece, women were inferior to men, for they were expected to stay home all the time and keep the house. In fact, the only women who were ever outside of their house were usually courtesans or hereartas. The families of ancient Greece were
Creon and Ismene believed women were inferior to men, and still many people including both males and females feel the same way. One of the questions for the course Athens to New York is how do individuals and communities respond to differences in race, class, gender, and ethnicity. What Antigone feels is moral, ethical and just is the burying of her brother for it is the following of the divine law that the gods sent down. Antigone didn't believe she was inferior to any man, for she states she isn't a "hapless maiden", while on the other hand Creon didn't want a woman to embarrass him in front of his country, which contributed to his death sentence upon Antigone. The same conflicts exist in today's society as they did in Ancient Greece, and for the same reasons as well. But in the end Creon was the one humiliated, and his attempt to win over his people failed because all along he was being immoral and unjust. Do as you like, dishonor the laws the gods hold in honor" (lines 88-92). Also Creon shows his prejudice towards women when he is talking to his son Haemon. When speaking to her sister Ismene about burying the body she says, "I have longer to please the deal than please the living here: in the kingdom down below I'll lie forever. Creon's prejudice towards women is shown many times throughout the play. Although religion is decreasing in today's society, many people still feel they should honor the divine laws above the laws that the government sets, just like Antigone did. An underlying cause of the conflict, according to Creon, is the fact that Antigone is a woman family member committing a crime against the country. It is very apparent how the characters in "Antigone" respond to the differences in gender. But if these men are wrong, let them suffer nothing worse than they mete out to me - these masters of injustice!" (lines 1017-1022) She leaves the decision up to the gods, but she refuses to leave that decision up to Creon. The individual of this time period begins to stand up against the tyranny and demands rights, and Antigone is a model of these actions.
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