a message necessary to the fruition of the story. Although the aims of the three works can be considerably different, opinions on the same questions are immediately apparent in the texts. In Antigone, a tragedy adapted by the fifth-century BPE poet Sophocles, the struggle lies between the will of the state and the supposed demands of the gods. An edict, decreed by the new king of Thebes, demands that the body of his nephew and once friend of the city-state, go unburied, regardless of the ties that the person the corpse belonged to had with many in the city-state. Antigone, the ill-fated sister of the person the body belonged to, renounces the decree on the grounds that her duty to the gods and to her brother goes beyond the will of the state. Understandably, this is a blatant challenge to the pride of the king, and one that she will pay for with her life (Braun 4-6).
             Euthyphro and The Apology, two dialogues composed by the late fifth, early fourth century BPE philosopher Plato, outline the trial of Plato's master, Socrates. In Euthyphro, Socrates (written, of course, by Plato) has been notified of a suit (which will ultimately lead him to his death) brought against him by a fellow Athenian. In this dialogue he discusses, among other things, the meaning of piety, concluding nothing but forming an intelligent conversation around it. The Apology supposedly recreates the in-court defense of Socrates, presented before the court of Athens. In this narration, Plato's understandings of justice are shared through the experience of Socrates, notably his beliefs. Crito, the final leg of Socrates march to death, even further highlights Plato's understanding of justice, and the role of loyalty in the relationship between the state and the individual. (These three narratives, although separate and distinct, will from here on be referred to as the trial and death of Socrates; specific texts will be highlighted for clarification purposes....