9/08 Antigone #2A

Moral Conflict
Hegel is right when he states that in Antigone, both sides, Antigone and Creon, are both equally right. Though both Creon and Antigone have opposing views that can both be equally right and supported, Sophocles favors Antigone in the end. To Antigone and the the gods she honors most, all are equal and all family, no matter what crimes they committed in life, should be treated with respect in death. She makes her position very clear to her sister at the beginning of the play. In line 87 she states that she would "rather please the dead that please the living here," because she would never "dishonor the laws the gods hold in honor." Creon, on the other hand, holds loyalty to the state more important than other things. In Creon's opening speech, he, as well, makes his position clear. That "never [...] will the traitor be honored above the patriot." He takes burying Polynices as direct insubordination to his rule and disloyalty to all of Thebes. He even says later that the king "must be obeyed, large and small, right and wrong." Both views could be considered right, because both are and were very important, especially to ancient Athenians. They held state position and power as very important, not to be gone against. But the also valued the laws of the gods that said that the dead must be properly honored. To disobey the state or to dishonor the dead would be to disobey the gods. Sophocles shows his support of Antigone, by in the end, revealing that she was right and that Creon was wrong, and he was punished severely for it.

To Regret or Not to Regret
Wrong doing and punishment are an important theme in Antigone. For Greeks, honoring the temperamental gods and working to the betterment of the state were a big part of their lives. For Creon and Antigone, they both reacted differently in the face of their punishments. In Antigone's case, her actions brought on a punishment that inflicted on her from outside force other than herself, Creon. For burying her brother and trying to revere the gods, she was sent to be locked away for life. In Creon's eyes, she disobeyed the highest order-the government in which the gods had put in place-and for that needed to die. This reflect how strongly the Greeks felt about loyalty and serving their city-states, many members of the audience at the time must have agreed with Creon's decision. However, as Antigone was being lead to her prison, she was mourning her fate. While she did not regret her actions, she did feel sorry that she was being punished so. Creon, on the other hand, strongly regrets his actions by the end of the play and insists himself that he be lead away, never to be seen again (as what happened to Antigone). He feels responsible for the death of his son and wife, caused by him being to stubborn and monarchical in his rule. While he does regret his action, like Antigone, he wallows in his sorrow as he is lead away.