Antigone Essay Research Paper Antigone in

Antigone Essay, Research Paper Antigone, in Greek legend, was the daughter of Oedipus. When her brothers Eteocles and Polynices killed one another, Creon, king of Thebes, forbade the rebel Polynices burial. Antigone disobeyed him, performed the rites, and was condemned to death for what she had done. Now the question arises, “Did Antigone take proper action?”. Was it just to go against her Uncle Creon s wishes and go ahead and bury the brother that was to be left out for the vultures? Would it be better to leave the situation how they are? Could she go on about life trying not to think of how she left her own blood out in the open? Could Antigone act as if she did not care? Afterlife to the Greeks back then was far more important and sacred than living life itself.

Everything they did while they were alive was to please the many gods they worshipped. They built temples for their Gods, made statues to symbolize their Gods, and had a different God to explain things that we now say are an act of mother nature. It may seem rather foolish to us when we study their beliefs and compare them to modern day beliefs. I am sure the Greeks would have considered us to be heathens and put us to death for our ways and beliefs. I think Antigone thought her act was courageous and valid. I myself would not have risked my life to ensure a proper burial for anyone, whether it was in modern times or back then. To go against authority and break the laws given by the monarch was a plain senseless act. When someone is dead we now know there is nothing else anyone

or anything can do for them at that point. It is too bad the Greeks did not believe that. As I stated before, afterlife to the Greeks was more important than living life itself. The Greeks seemed to spend most if not all of their lives preparing in some way for their afterlives. The lives they led back then were consecutive to please the Gods. I feel that she deserved her punishment because of the fact that she knew what fate was to come of her actions. Just because Antigone thought she was doing the right thing does not mean it was right. Many criminals believe they are doing the right thing at the time of their actions, some do even after they are facing the punishment. The fact of the matter is the law has to be obeyed or consequences will be faced. I do understand her point

of view and her values from careful reading of her character. Afterlife was so important to the Greeks back then that she was willing to give up anything to ensure her brother s happiness and “future” after his death. It shows support in the play by the way she is so outspoken about what she had done after she is caught and while she is being questioned. “Why should I be ashamed of my loyalty to my brother?”, Antigone states. Creon didn t like her speaking in the manner such as this because it shows him that she has no remorse for disobeying his orders. Antigone states, when talking with Creon, that the gods would be unhappy about her brother being left there to die. I do not think that even if there were many gods that they would reject someone s soul because of the way

they were or were not buried. Creon states that the gods would be unhappy if a traitor to their country and land were to be buried. Someone that was a traitor to the Gods land would not be admired and even the gods would agree that the person should be punished. Creon should have been taken as the one that is right on this argument because kings were the lawgivers and thought to be god-like. Kings were just human beings regardless of what they thought they were and they too made mistakes on judgment calls but still the people have to obey, respect, and stand by their kings because they are the almighty lawgivers of the land whether the people like it or not. The same type of thing goes on in today s government with our president. If we are not fond of him , which many are not,