Sophocles And Thoreau Civil Disobedience

1771 Words8 Pages
Sophocles and Thoreau
Civil Disobedience

Since the very conception of the idea of an organized government, the response by some members of the society being governed has naturally been to oppose the laws or decisions made by their leaders. Most commonly seen as an active form of nonviolent resistance, such movements are now known as acts of civil disobedience and have been prominently displayed in various cultures and as a function have appeared in numerous written texts as well. With many famous historical figures being associated with the movement of civil disobedience such as Henry David Thoreau and Mahatma K. Gandhi, it sometimes comes as a surprise to learn of lesser known figures, such as the famous Greek dramatist Sophocles, whose works have also proven to be essential texts on this movement. Two specific texts of significant importance are Thoreau’s “Resistance to Civil Government” also widely known as “Civil Disobedience,” and Sophocles’ play “Antigone.” With “Antigone” existing as one of the earliest depictions of civil disobedience, and Thoreau’s text serving as one of the most prominent publications on the movement in today’s age, the similarities in their underlying message prove that the ideals of civil disobedience have remained seemingly unchanged since the birth of the movement. This common message, not only between the two works in discussion but in many others, is that of the duty of the people themselves to disobey unjust laws and demands of the government in question. In most forms of civil disobedience, the main driving force is that of the participating individual’s disagreement with the common law of the government, sometimes referred to as human law, and their personal moral beliefs which are sometimes referred to as divine or natural law. Sophocles’ “Antigone” provides a clear example of such a conflict in beliefs where in the

More about Sophocles And Thoreau Civil Disobedience

Open Document