Paper
Divine Law vs. Human Law
Sophocles’ famous play, Antigone, can be perceived as a conflict between individual conscience and state policy. Yet the issue of the play goes beyond that conflict and touches the universal conditions of suffering, religion, and loyalty. Through Antigone’s character–which represents the spheres of family loyalty, divine law, and human suffering, Sophocles conveys the idea that a law of man that violates religious law is not a law at all. He expresses this idea by having Antigone dutifully bury her brother’s body although it is against King Kreon’s ruling. Antigone’s action is not only an act of family loyalty but is an act of piety demanded by the gods.
The play commences with Antigone announcing her decision to bury her dead brother, Polyneices, although Kreon, the King of Thebes, declared that Polyneices’ body will remain unburied. He said, “[...] Polyneices, the exile, [...] will have no ritual, no mourners,/will be left unburied so men may see him/ripped for food by dogs and vultures” (Sophocles 237-242). This goes against Greek religion in which if a body is not given proper burial rites, the body’s soul is condemned to torment and will wander aimlessly through space. When Antigone sprinkles dust three times over her brother’s dead body, it is equivalent to burial and Polyneices’ soul can take its place in the realm of Hades (Sophocles 522-3). Antigone defends her actions by saying that man-made laws are not dominant over the laws that the gods made: “I didn’t suppose your decree had strength enough,/or you, who are human,/to violate the lawful traditions/the gods have not written merely, but made infallible.” Antigone’s actions suggest that divine law in this context is superior over moral law. She tells Kreon that “[...] Death is a god/who wants his laws obeyed” (Sophocles 634-5). By saying this, Antigone shows that she would rather sacrifice her life to devotion to higher principles that to human law and suffering.
Suffering is a universal condition that the characters in the play must deal with. Since the day Polyneices and Eteokles died, Ismene suffers by not being capable of having emotions. She says to Antigone: “Nothing makes me happy, nothing hurts me anymore” (Sophocles 22). The loss of loved ones can cause one to suffer but to not honor those who died can cause a vast amount of distress. Because Eteokles was honorably buried and Polyneices was not, Antigone suffered for her brother; the guilt built every second he remained unburied. She does not regret burying her brother by saying, “But if I had let my own brother stay unburied/I would have suffered all the pain I do not feel now” (Sophocles 572-3). She would rather bury her brother and go against the state than live her life in pain. She is independent in her decision because she would is willing to suffer her own death so she won’t suffer her brother’s death any longer: “I’m ready to suffer for it and to die./Let me. No suffering could be so terrible as to die for nothing” (Sophocles 120-3). She is conveying that no matter what, she will suffer. If she does nothing for her brother she will suffer and if she does, she will suffer the death penalty. It is better, she concludes, to suffer and die out of loyalty to her own family.
Although Ismene reminds Antigone of how their family’s name is tainted in lines 56-72, Antigone believes that family loyalty is principle and will be loyal to Polyneices even after his death. She says to Ismene, “I will stay with him, my brother;/and my crime will be devotion” (Sophocles 89-90). Family loyalty and state law is conflicted in this play. Antigone chooses family over law and brings honor to her brother’s soul, even if she strips honor from herself by committing a crime. By burying her brother, Antigone shows the country her loyalty and faithfulness in her family. By the gods, it is also an obligation for family members to see that a body is properly buried and Antigone sees to it that her brother is.
Sophocles may be using Antigone to convey the idea that noble deeds are often done for pride. Antigone shuns her sister, Ismene, when Ismene wants to die with her for her crime. Antigone claims that Ismene took no part in the burial and should not have the honor to die with her. When Ismene argues, Antigone says, “No, you have no right. You weren’t willing to,/and even if you had been I wouldn’t have taken you with me” (Sophocles 659-60). Antigone did not want Ismene to take part of the plan because she wanted all the glory to herself. But this is not true because Antigone only said this to Ismene to prevent her from dying with her when she still had a fresh life to live. By hurting Ismene, Antigone subconsciously saves her life because Ismene would not want to die anymore.
Antigone represents the idea that family and divine law is more important than law of the state. By burying her brother and defying Kreon’s ruling, she pleases the gods’ wishes and alleviates her suffering. Her nobility could be seen by the citizens but not by Kreon who believed that nations belonged to men with power and not to gods. It was his greed that destroyed Antigone and the aspects of divine law, family loyalty, and suffering that she represented. “All the same, time after time, greed has destroyed good men” (Sophocles 260).
Другие работы по теме:
God The Father Essay Research Paper The
God The Father Essay, Research Paper The Chain of Being Definition Basically The Chain of Being (also called The Divine Order) is an order in which people are ranked from the closest to God, all the way down to the minerals in the earth.
Vedic Philosophy Essay Research Paper Vedic philosophy
Vedic Philosophy Essay, Research Paper Vedic philosophy, based on my understanding, has two main concepts. The first is the human?s real nature is divine and the second concept is that the aim of human life is to realize this divinity.
Tapeworm2 Essay Research Paper Biological RelationshipIn nature
Tapeworm2 Essay, Research Paper Biological Relationship In nature you see many biological relationship in which two living aninamls have a relationship. One animal will benefits from the other aninaml that animal which lives off the other benefits from that animal or could suffers. A tapeworm and a human are example of a parasitism.
Aquinas On Kingship Essay Research Paper On
Aquinas, On Kingship Essay, Research Paper On Kingship Chapter 12 In this chapter, Aquinas focused on the duties and responsibilities of a king. He thinks that, nature shows us how to act with reason; and the best way to learn the duties of a king is focusing on the examples of government that can be found in nature.
Movers And Shakers Dante Essay Research Paper
Movers and Shakers: Dante Have you ever thought about what comes next? What comes after life? The great Italian poet Dante Alighieri pondered this same question, and over the course of his 56 year life, he would come to change the world, touch lives, and question faith all with the power of his words. For this reason, Dante can be considered one of the greatest poets that the human civilization may have ever seen.
Hebrew And Greek Beliefs On Gods And
The Begining Of The Human Race Essay, Research Paper Hebrew and Greek beliefs on gods and the beginning of the human race When reading the different writings of the ancient Greeks and the ancient Hebrews we see their different views on who or what created all that is living and their beliefs in gods. In this paper we will look at the beginning of the earth and the beginning of the human race in both of their views.
Religious Ideas Essay Research Paper Puritan Enlightenment
Religious Ideas Essay, Research Paper Puritan, Enlightenment and Transcendentalist Ideas As one might have discovered, things in life change every minute, day, week, month year and century. It has been this way since the beginning of time and will continue to be this way till Armageddon comes. Each time era has discovered a new way of thinking for the heart, mind, body and soul.
Human Nature Essay Research Paper My belief
Human Nature Essay, Research Paper My belief about human nature is best summarized by the thoughts of Fr. Montaigne. I think that the idea that man is a hypocritical and contradictory is
Divine Command Theory Essay Research Paper The
Divine Command Theory Essay, Research Paper The Divine Command Theory Religion and ethics are seen to be somehow inseparable in our culture. Religious leaders are usually appealed to in some capacity when
The Examination Between The Human Being Essay
, Research Paper The Hungry Soul: Eating and the Perfecting of Human Nature, by Leon Kass takes a unique view of examining the body and soul by focusing on the eating habits of human beings. He uses this in order to distinguish humans from animals and the divine element (God). In this book, Kass touches on the point of sanctified eating.
Old Testament Vs Hellenic Divine Intervention Essay
, Research Paper Old Testament vs. Hellenic Divine Intervention The Old Testament and Hellenic texts we have studied have numerous examples of divine intervention. The range and complexity in human affairs that
Divine Command Essay Research Paper Divine CommandIn
Divine Command Essay, Research Paper Divine Command In my opinion, trying to differentiate between the Divine Command and the acts of God that impinge on one’s consciousness is one in the same. Divine command to me would basically be the entire Holy Bible. An act of God to me is just waking up in the morning and being able to breathe new air and live another day.
Allegory In The Divine Comedy Essay Research
Paper Dante wrote The Divine Comedy between 1308 and 1321. The Divine Comedy was written as an allegory, Which is a narrative that takes place on both a literal and a figurative or symbolic level. Dante uses himself as the main character and uses allegory to describe himself in the epic.
Divine Command Theory Essay Research Paper Divine
Divine Command Theory Essay, Research Paper Divine Command Theory The divine command theory is the view that moral actions are those which conform to God’s will. Charity, for example, is morally proper because God endorses it, and murder is wrong because God condemns it. One way to test to see whether any action is right or wrong is first to determine if it conforms to God’s will, it is morally permissible, if it does not, then it is impermissible.
William Blake Essay Research Paper Innocence
William Blake Essay, Research Paper Innocence & Experience in Blake’s Poetry William Blake focused on biblical images in the majority of his poetry and prose. Much of his well-known work comes from the two compilations Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience. The poems in these compilations reflect Blake’s metamorphosis in thought as he grew from innocent to experienced.
Sacred Divine Essay Research Paper The Sacred
Sacred Divine Essay, Research Paper The Sacred Divine I believe the Divine sacred is something more powerful than anything on earth. Not necessarily in a physical sense but more in a spiritual. I feel that the
Dante Reaction Paper Essay Research Paper Dante
Dante Reaction Paper Essay, Research Paper Dante Reaction Paper In his lecture, Professor Mark Dantmore says that Purgatorio is “almost science fiction” to people of the time it was written. I find it very interesting that a book in the Divine Comedy, something the Catholics take as truth, might be described this way.
Human Resource Accounting Essay Research Paper Although
Human Resource Accounting Essay, Research Paper Although human resource accounting is a relatively new field, its development has passed through certain stages. The first stage of development from 1960 to 1966 was marked by interest in the HRA and HRA concepts. The initial motivating factors for the HRA came from economic theory on human capital, leadership determining skills and a concern to develop humans as good sources of capital for companies.
Divine Discontene Essay Research Paper Each and
Divine Discontene Essay, Research Paper Each and every human strives to be better.A desire, a subconscious power, known as divine discontent leads them to dedicate themselves twoard becoming better or achieving greater goals. Divine discontent leads some to happiness, and others who do not succeed to failure.
Aristotle Essay Research Paper Aristotle analyzes the
Aristotle Essay, Research Paper Aristotle analyzes the goods and the virtues that lead to human beings toward happiness in book one of Nicomachean Ethics. According to Aristotle, every activity has an end (or goal); another way of saying this is that the aim of every activity is some kind of good. Concerning this, human existence itself must have some ultimate good.
Human Papillomavirus Virus Essay Research Paper Human
Human Papillomavirus Virus Essay, Research Paper Human Papillomavirus, or HPV, is probably one of the most common STDs. HPV is the virus that causes both genital warts and/or cervical dysplasia (this means an abnormal pap smear). If you’ve just been diagnosed with HPV and are desperately seeking information, or if your boyfriend or girlfriend or best friend just got told they have it, then this is the site for you.
Jesus Essay Research Paper JesusJesus is the
Jesus Essay, Research Paper Jesus Jesus is the center of Christianity, born in Bethlehem in Judea. To believers Jesus is the son of Mary. He is the son of God. Jesus was divine but led an
Sikh Religion Essay Research Paper The Muhl
Sikh Religion Essay, Research Paper The Muhl Mantara describes as one ,infinite,undying and unborn. Jaap sahib says is substainer,liberatoe,enlightener,infinite,destroyer,creator,nameless and desireless.all these qualities are entirely beyond the human realm.
Cloning Aspects Essay Research Paper The legal
Cloning Aspects Essay, Research Paper The legal aspects of Human Cloning are quite simple and straight forward, and I will outline them for you in the next few minutes and explain to you what they
Hindu Scripture Essay Research Paper Hindu Scriptures
Hindu Scripture Essay, Research Paper Hindu Scriptures are classified into: Shruti (meaning “heard”), Smriti (meaning “remembered”), and Nyaya (meaning “logic”). These classifications are based on the origin of the Scripture. Shruti scripture is thought of as something which was heard directly from God, while Smriti scripture refers to what was written down and remembered.
Poem Human
’s Hate Essay, Research Paper When I think of a human trait. I think of human’s hate. Although it’s our nature, I think its awfully immature. Hate is something thats lated through the ages, we learn about it everyday turning through out history pages. teh color of you skin, we can’t help what shade we were born in.
Human Nature Essay Research Paper Human NatureThere
Human Nature Essay, Research Paper Human Nature There is no perfect person in the world, but the celestial and most sacred person has their faults. But my belief is that everyone was born free of sin, because of course, when you’re a baby, you don’t do anything wrong. But I believe that humans aren’t essentially good or bad, but rather, both.
Antigone Essay Research Paper AntigoneSophocles
Antigone Essay, Research Paper Antigone Sophocles’ trilogy of Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone is a powerful, tragic tale that examines the nature of human guilt, fate and punishment. Creon, Oedipus’
LAW Ceciro Plato Socrates St Thomas Essay
, Research Paper REVIEWING KEY CONCEPTS 1) Define natural and positive law. Identify the fundamental differences between the theories of natural and positive law. Give an example to illustrate each of these theories.
Natural Law Theory Essay Research Paper Natural
Natural Law Theory Essay, Research Paper Natural Law Theory The natural law theory is a theory that dates back to the time of the Greeks and great thinkers like Plato and Aristotle. Defined as the law which states
Civil Vs Moral Essay Research Paper Civil
Civil Vs Moral Essay, Research Paper ?Civil Law vs. Moral law? In Sophocles? play ?Antigone?, Antigone?s life is taken from her because of her choice to follow the moral law by burying her brother and disobeying the civil law, which forbid this.