What he’s saying to Creon is he is depriving the dead of another soul by leaving Polynices’ body without burial. Creon has also contained Antigone in her stone tomb and left her there to die, therefore taking someone living and making her potentially wait for death. The Leader explains to Creon, “For mortal men/ there is no escape from the doom we must endure” (1457-1458). The Leader is saying that Creon needs to fight through the pain and suffering because he can’t change fate. How he lives on or dies now is up to the
A follower of Natural Law would object to euthanasia, chiefly for this reason. A follower of Natural Law would argue that the sanctity of life is important, building up on what St. Thomas Aquinas asserted- that all life is sacred. Euthanasia denies a person’s natural course of life and this takes away sacredness of life. Euthanasia, although it could be used to end a person’s suffering is not taking into account that God set people’s lives out to be a certain way and only he can take and give life. A doctor does not have the right to do this because he or she is not God and should not ‘play God’.
He is the antagonist, it is he who sent Antigone to her death and brought trouble to the kingdom. Creon finally admits, “Woe is me! To none else can they lay it, This guilt, but to me! I, I was the slayer, I say it, Unhappy, of thee! O bear me, haste ye, spare not, To the ends of earth, More nothing than they who were not In the hour of birth!” (50-51) Creon now blames himself, he realizes his mistake in not consulting the senators, and for condemning Antigone so hastily despite her just reasoning.
Appearing to be very angry that a woman dared to defy his wishes, Creon boldly declares that “When I am alive no woman shall rule.” The issue of Antigone being condemned to die becomes more than just a person who disobeys Creon; instead, the punishment is given even more eagerly because it is a woman who disobeys a man. Creon does not respect Antigone because she is a woman. Haimon, Creon’s last son hated his father for killing his future bride. After failing to convince his father to forgive Antigone, Haimon visited the cell where she was poisoned. Since Haimon could not stand dealing with his lover’s death he “drew his sword” and killed himself.
Antigone, because she didn’t want to wait for death. Haimon, because he didn’t want to live without Antigone. Eurydice poisoned herself because her son died. You sentenced Antigone to die, therefore, it is your fault. Creon: Why is everyone blaming me?
Before Antigone is taken away to die, Antigone says that Ismene shouldn’t feel guilty and shouldn’t want to die with Antigone because she was in no was part of the plan to bury Polyneices. Ismene responds by saying “But now I know what you meant; and I am here to join you, to take my share of punishment” (Scene 2, line 133). Ismene has changed her mind from being completely against Antigone’s idea to wanting to die with her sister. She finally realizes that no matter what the situation, the divine laws always come before Creon’s. Not only did Ismene change her opinion on the situation of burying Polyneices, but many other characters did,
‘Is what is pious loved by the gods because it is pious, or is it pious because it is loved?’ In Plato’s Euthyphro dilemma, Plato is asking ‘is x good because God loves it or does God love x because x is good?’ An example of this is murder; is murder wrong because God says it is or is murder wrong because it is wrong morally? If ‘x’ was already good before God commanded it then there would be no purpose to God whereas if God commanded ‘x’ because it’s good, then God would have a purpose as he would have to guide us with what is moral and what isn’t. The view that moral rules are true are good because they were commanded by God is called the divine command theory. ‘The Good consists in always doing what God wills at any particular moment.’ If moral actions are good or bad because they are commanded or forbidden by God, certain things follow such as; if they had not been commanded or forbidden by God then they wouldn’t have been good or bad. Furthermore, if God had said the opposite to what He did say then the things that would have been good is now bad.
Examine the important concepts of two critiques of the link between religion and morality. For some religious followers there is a link between religion and morality due to the guidelines set by religion for morality, for example the Ten Commandments. However it is important to discuss whether or not there is a clear link between the two, as otherwise perceptions on what is moral may differ, causing conflict within society. The Euthyphro Dilemma is a classic discussion of this argument which was started by Plato. He based his argument on the statement “Does God will something because it is good or is something good because it is willed by God?” There are two ‘horns’ to this argument which stem from the statement; these both critiques of the link between religion and morality.
Socrates uses a rather elaborate argument to show this definition is also insufficient. If the gods approve of something because it is holy, their approval cannot be what makes it holy, he says. If an act is holy because the gods approve of it, we still do not know what makes it holy or why the gods approve. It seems that any attempt to define holiness by the will or approval of the gods is bound to fail. Even in contemporary society, we tend to associate morality with some kind of divine will, but through the Euthyphro, Socrates seems to suggesting we think along another line altogether.
The king’s rule was unjust in the eyes of Antigone. Antigone tries to bury her brother, who asked Antigone, in Oedipus at Colonus, to give him a proper burial if he was killed in battle. Antigone was fulfilling a promise she gave her brother and a creditable one. Event thought it was against the will of Creon, the king, Antigone was right to defy this law. There is a distinction between the laws of man and the laws of god.