Through multiple problems of which Creon has no control, one feels sympathy and fear for him. Creon rules Thebes as a strong king who lays down the law and sticks to it. Creon sends out a harsh, but unbiased edict. He declares that Eteocles’s body will be honored with a burial, but Polynices will be left to rot. Creon prevents the people in Thebes to bury Polynices by saying that anyone who tries to bury him will be sentenced to death.
She gives her brother a proper funeral. Her sister Ismene warns that Creon will punish any who defy the law of the city. Antigone believes that the law of the gods supersedes a king's decree. Creon doesn't see things that way. He is very angry and sentences Antigone to death.
" " " " " " Opposing Laws: A Study of Sophocles’ Antigone " In Sophocles’ play, Antigone, we see a struggle between two brothers deaths. According to Antigone, because human beings are forced to make difficult decisions between opposing laws; divine law becomes the most valuable. Yet the issue of the play goes beyond that conflict and touches the universal conditions of suffering, religion, and loyalty to family." " " In the early stages of the Prologue (1-84), Antigone shows devotion to her family through the burial of her brother. According to Antigone’s own speech:" " " …Creon buried our brother Eteocles with military honors, gave him a " " soldier’s funeral, and it was right that should: but Polyneices,
Ismene’s argument was that “we must remember that by birth we’re women, and, as such, we shouldn’t fight with men.” (Antigone 77-78) Antigone with such a passion of honoring her brother states that no matter what, she will follow through with her mission. She expresses her passion when she states with conviction “I’ll still bury him. It would be fine to die while doing that. I’ll lie there with him, with a man I love, pure and innocent, for all my crime. My honours for the dead must last much longer than for those up here.
Antigone was very heroic and brave at first, Creon now punishes her, and she does not fight back, but she simply badmouths her father. “O Oedipus, father and brother your marriage strikes from the grave to murder mine (7.40-41) says a coward Antigone. Creon, on the other hand who is supposed to be the strong king of the land, does not manage to control his anger, and fights his own son in an argument. This can be considered a sense of pride, since Creon did not want to change his opinion. Part of being a tragic hero is having a destruction.
Antigone's downfall is the result of her own doing. She refuses to listen to Creon because she is Polynesis' brother and wants him to be buried and suffers the consequences of disobeying the king. Antigone's death is not deserved for the crime she did. Creon sentenced her to death because he was threatened for his thrown. The readers are saddened because Antigone should not have died and she should be the queen of the kingdom instead of Creon.
Creon does not like her explanation, and explains that “I don’t care if she is my sister’s daughter. / I don’t care if she’s closer to me than all / My family. She and her sister won’t get off. / I’ll execute them” (Sophocles 13). Now because of his stubbornness he wants to kill her and her sister that is not even involved.
In addition to excessive pride, both fate and love play a role in the causes of the deaths of loved ones. These deaths were a result of contrasting beliefs; Antigone stood for what she believed in, and died for what she felt was right, whilst Creon, the powerful King of Thebes, established a law prohibiting the burial of Polyneices. This conflicted with Antigone’s beliefs, therefore challenging her uncle Creon, and showing disregard for his ruling of Polyneices denial of burial rites. This in turn, consequently resulted in the death of Creon’s son, Haemon, and his wife Eurydice. Throughout the play, conflict of dissimilarity develops between the two protagonists, Antigone and Creon.
The first thing we experience as an audience is the burial controversy. Although the proper burial of her brothers body was forbidden, Antigone’s moral standards would not allow or such a thing. Her sister, Ismene warned her it is not her responsibility as a woman to “aim too high, too far.” Antigone admitted to her guilt with honesty which might just have been her tragic flaw. And she did not allow her sister to take blame neither, sparing one life. Perhaps, because she saved one life, the rest would have to fall.
The theme that I am going to analyze is the conflict of divine law vs. state law. The reason for this is because this theme seems to control the whole play. It is an issue of which law is the "right" law, and if Creon's and Antigone's acts were justifiable.The play Antigone can be summarized by the following: King Creon lets it be known that Polyneices the traitor is not to be buried, but his sister Antigone defies the order because of the values she holds. She is caught, and sentenced by Creon to be buried alive - even though she is to be married to his son Haemon. After the blind prophet Tiresias proves that the gods are on Antigone's side, Creon changes his mind - but too late.