The Burial at Thebes Essay - 1324 Words

Saleem Akbar Prof. Ryna May English 207-C101 10 May 2012 Mo[r]tal Law In Heaney’s The Burial at Thebes, the protagonist defies the law of the state to observe what she sees as higher law. In this regard, Antigone’s actions were ethical in nature for she pursued what she felt was morally righteous. When mortal laws conflict with what we feel are moral laws, we should stand up for the values we believe to be true within ourselves. Sophocles’ play builds a contrast between the ideas of duty and obedience. Duty being the idea that one should uphold truth and value; while obedience, the idea that one should do their best to uphold the laws of man. While Antigone’s methods of pursuing truth are unethical in terms of mortal law, her actions†¦show more content†¦Antigone says, â€Å"And if these men weren’t so afraid to sound unpatriotic, they would say the same. But you are the king, and because you’re king you won’t be contradicted† (Heaney, 32). She is implying that the king’s people ar e favoring the laws of man as oppose to the higher law of the gods. We begin to see Antigone as a noble character for pursuing her own moral nature. Antigone can also be seen as borrowing the philosophies of Rand and Nietzsche. Their philosophies both promote the idea of doing what is right for you and the one’s you love regardless of opposing beliefs from society. â€Å"That there is no more a despicable coward than the man who deserted the battle for his joy, fearing to assert his right to existence, lacking the courage and the loyalty to life of a bird or flower reaching for the sun† (Rand, 451). Here, Rand suggests that one who stands up for what they believe in is both courageous and loyal to their belief systems. â€Å"What is more harmful than any vice? Practical sympathy and pity for all the failures and all the weak... [bad is] all the proceeds from weakness† (Nietzsche, 134). We can relate Nietzsche’s ideas to Antigone’s views as well as those of the people of Thebes. While the people of Thebes eventually side with Antigone, they wouldn’t have done so if Antigone hadn’t followed through with her actions from the start. In this sense, the people of Thebes are seen as weak followers rather thanShow MoreRelatedThe Burial at Thebes1234 Words   |  5 Pagesapart as king. Before he took to the throne Creon took advice from the prophet Tiresias who had so often had been his spiritual and moral compass, and yet in this matter concerning Antigone he will take advice from no one, not from the elders of Thebes, or even his own son Haemon. The book also has conflict between Antigone and her sister, Ismene. In the opening chapter, Ismene becomes central to this moralistic tale as she stands for all that was expected of women in Greece in 5BC. She aloneRead MoreAnalysis of Burial at Thebes Essay845 Words   |  4 PagesAnalysis The opening events of the play quickly establish the central conflict. Creon has decreed that the traitor Polynices must not be given proper burial, and Antigone is the only one who will speak against this decree and insist on the sacredness of family. Whereas Antigone sees no validity in a law that disregards the duty family members owe one another, Creon’s point of view is exactly opposite. He has no use for anyone who places private ties above the common good, as he proclaims firmlyRead MoreSummary On King s The Burial Of Thebes 1215 Words   |  5 Pageshumans and derived from nature rather than from the rules of society, or positive law† ( Natural Law). Positive law is relatively different from natural law. It is the accepted moral principle of â€Å"God’s law† ( â€Å"Positive Law†). The play â€Å"The burial of Thebes† explores natural law by revealing a king who tries to protect his kingdom from the attacks of his nephew Polyneices. Since Polyneices went against his own people, his own family, a kingdom that has been built by his father/grandfather, he hadRead MoreEssay about Creon the Tragic Hero931 Words   |  4 Pages In the play Antigone by Sophocles,one could easily be lead to believe Antigone is the the tragic hero when in fact a strong case can be made that Creon, the king of Thebes, is actually the tragic hero. In believing that Creon is the tragic hero it would seem practical to call the play Creon rather than Antigone. 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Believing that Creon’s decree is unjust, Antigone buries her brother. When she is brought to the king, Antigone uses this speech in defense of her actions. In the speech, she uses allusion, diction, and particular sentence structure to increase the effectiveness of her argument. A key factor in the power of her speech is Antigone’s consideration for her audiences. The first of these audiences is Creon the king of Thebes. Creon is receivingRead MoreHubris Runs Deep In Sophocles’ Antigone, Thus Is The Destruction968 Words   |  4 Pagesregarding Polynieces’ proper Greek burial. After Oedipus, father of Antigone, Ismene, Eteocoles, Polyneices, and brother-in-law of Creon died, his throne was left to his two sons. Polyneices gathered an army known as the Seven Against Thebes, to fight against his brother for the throne. While both brothers ended up dying in the aftermath of the fight, Creon took the throne and became the new King of Thebes. 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