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Morality versus Law
Sophocles said, “It is the brave man’s part to live with glory, or with glory die.” However, in his tragic play Antigone; he proves that a woman could be braving similar to a man. The scene is laid in ancient Greece. Antigone’s two brothers kill each other in a war. The new king, Creon, proclaims, “Eteocles will be buried and receive all honors,” but “Polynices will be neither buried nor mourned by anyone” (lines 197-208). This decree makes Antigone’s heart break, so she determines to bury Polynices in secret. However, Antigone is caught, and Creon orders to execute her. Antigone believes that she did right thing, so she desires to die for defending the gods’ honors. For thousands of year, Antigone is looked at as a heroine who maintains humans’ morality and right. In the play Antigone, Sophocles uses paradox, personification, and irony to demonstrate that laws of conscience are more important than civil laws.
Sophocles uses paradox to convey Antigone’s views of law in this situation. Antigone says, “I will lie dear to him, with one dear to me, a holy outlaw” (74-75). Antigone names herself a “holy outlaw” because she believes that burying her brother is a “holy” activity even though she will be an outlaw of the kingdom. Sophocles uses “outlaw” paradoxically to emphasize Antigone’s “holy” action. Furthermore, Ismene expresses that Antigone has “a hot heart” for “chilling matter” (89). “A hot heart” and “chilling matter” are paradoxical. The “chilling matter” signifies Antigone’s dangerous activity---- to bury Polynices’s body. If she is caught, she will be punished with the full rigor of the law. As Ismene says, “—think how very
horribly we will die if we go against the king’s decree and strength outside the law” (60-63). However, Antigone has a “hot heart” to do it because she has to maintain family’s glories and the gods’ honors. A“hot heart” also means Antigone pay a lot of energy and enthusiasm to hold the secret burial. Sophocles uses “chilling matter” paradoxically to stress Antigone’s “hot heart”. Antigone knows the result of being caught to break Creon’s decree, but she thinks “logically with everlasting death rather than with fleeting and temporal life” (Susan W. Tiefenbrun, 41). Indeed, sticking to bury her brother so she is a defender of human morality. Paradox shows that the laws of conscience are more significant than civil laws.
Personification is used to show Antigone and Sophocles’ thoughts about laws of conscience and civil. Sophocles shows his view of “Justice” (460). He writes, “*Justice is the] companion of gods below”, and “establish such laws for humanity” (460-462). In Paperback Oxford English Dictionary, “Justice” is a noun that means the quality of being fair and reasonable or the administration of the law or authority in maintaining this. However, in Sophocles’ play, he vividly describes that “Justice” is a god or a person who is the companion of the gods below, and establishes such laws for humanity. Also, the first word of “Justice” is capital, and it is similar to a proper noun. In the play, Antigone defines that Justice’s laws are “unwritten” and “ever-lasting”. Creon’s laws are “being mortal” that cannot override Justice’s laws (462-465). For these reasons, Sophocles uses personification to illustrate that justice is the only norm to judge what is legally right because “Justice” establishes the unwritten lows. Consequently, Sophocles uses personification to prove that justice is above
man-made laws.
Sophocles uses irony to illustrate the importance of laws of conscience. In the play Antigone, Haemon pasquinades Creon, “You’d be a good monarch for a desert” (751). The “monarch” is a head of an organization, but the “desert” usually is desolated and uninhabited. Sophocles writes that Creon will be “a monarch for a desert.” It means if a king does not respect citizens’ opinion, he will be utterly isolated in his country. Also, Haemon says, “Do you hear how rush and young you sound?”(747). It is a rebuttal for Creon’s opinion, and it is another irony. Creon believes that Thebes should be ruled by himself, but Haemon disagree with him. Haemon pasquinades Creon rash and young because Creon thinks that at his age, he does not need young people to teach him. Writer uses irony to stress Creon’s authoritarianism and Haemon’s democratic consciousness. Moreover, Sophocles writes, “This city does not belong to one man!” (749). There is a famous old Greek proverb,” the voice of the people is the voice of God \Pocket Oxford Latin Dictionary). It refers to the idea that the king or the government ought to pay attention to the voice of the people. Therefore, citizens’ voice is the sign of laws of conscience. Kimber Cowell-Meyers says, “*Creon+ He does not open himself to the concerns of the people of Thebes and conflated issuing orders with political leadership” (348). In the father-son debate, Heamon believes that Creon’s law tramples the honors of the Gods. In Heamon’s view, irony is used to exhibit that citizens’ voice is more important than king’s order.
In conclusion, paradox, personification, and irony are used to prove laws of
conscience are more valuable than civil laws. In the play, Antigone breaks king’s decree to bury her brother’s body, but she is caught. She argues with the king, Creon, about the laws of conscience and civil lows. Then, Creon puts Antigone to death, but he is reprobated by the gods. Finally, Antigone is dead, and Creon loses all his family members. In this tragic play, Sophocles paradoxically conveys human morality is prior to civil law. Also, he uses personification expression to show the relationship between justice and law. Moreover, Sophocles ironically demonstrates the
significance of citizens’ voice – democracy. Antigone maintains laws of conscience, so she protects human morality, social justice, and democracy. She is a defender of all the positives of human society. Antigone is worth to receive such honors and respects for thousands years.
Works Cited
Source ONE
Author: Susan W. Tiefenbrun,
Article: On Civil Disobedience, Jurisprudence, Feminism and the Law in the Antigones of Sophocles and Anouilh
Published by: University of California Press Page 35--42
Link: http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/27670201.pdf?acceptTC=true
Source TWO
Author: Kimberly Cowell-Meyers
Article: Teaching Politics Using Antigone
Published by: American Political Science Association Page 347—349
Link: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20451745?origin=JSTOR-pdf
Source THREE
Author: Oxford Dictionaries
Book: Paperback Oxford English Dictionary [Paperback] tenth edition 2005 Published by: the Oxford University Press
Source FOUR
Author: James Morwood
Book: Pocket Oxford Latin Dictionary [Paperback] revised edition 2005 Published by: the Oxford University Press