Creon And Antisane In Sophocless Antigone - 871 Words

In the play Antigone, written by Sophocles, king Creon created a law that denied proper burial rites to anyone who invaded or betrayed the city of Thebes. Antigone defied this law by burying her brother, Polynices, after he was harshly accused of being a traitor. Both Creon and Antigone showed an unbending passion toward their perception of justice, unwilling to accept that honoring the law and honoring the individual conscience were both justified in different ways. The stubbornness that they shared lead them both to meet their downfalls, which conveyed the idea that being too proud to accept guidance from others ultimately leads to dire consequences. The moral compasses of Creon and Antigone pointed in opposing directions, which†¦show more content†¦Antigone’s argument with her sister about her plans to defy the king is the scene that opens the play. From the start, she appears certain that burying Polynices will restore justice when she says, â€Å"even if I die in the act, that death will be a glory† (Sophocles 86). She is so sure of the immorality of Creon’s law that she is willing to go to any means necessary to keep him from using her brother as a cautionary tale. In the philosophical statement made by Martin Luther King Jr., he says that, â€Å"An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law.† Antigone stood alone in defending her brothers honor, and did not waver from her beliefs at any p oint. She was willing to go to great lengths in order to show the injustice within Creon’s law, and the risk of punishment had no effect on these intentions. Antigone took willful stance on the conflict, which dramatized the story by creating an intense conflict between two characters with strikingly similar characteristics. Creon emanates great pride throughout the play. He believes that since he is the king, whether his laws are unjust or not, Thebans