Antigone's View of Thebes' Laws and the Laws of Justice

In the classic tragedy Antigone by Sophocles, the title character knowingly breaks the laws of Thebes and buries her brother’s corpse. The man buried, Polynices, was an invading warrior from Argos killed in combat by his own brother, a soldier fighting for Thebes. Burying a traitor on Theban soil was strictly forbidden in Thebes, with a price tag of death if caught. But when Antigone is caught and brought before her king, Creon, she openly and without hesitation admits to committing the crime and knowing beforehand that it was against the law. When Creon asks Antigone if she still “had the gall to break this law,” she recites a speech to Creon from line 499 to line 524 stating her feelings of his laws and why she broke them, knowing that death was sure to come as a consequence. She rests her case on her belief of the dual superiority of gods to men; how the laws and traditions of the gods must be followed above all man-made decrees and how punishment from the gods is incomparably harsher than any reprimand handed out by a mortal.

After answering that she had the courage to break the law and bury Polynices, Antigone goes on to explain the invalidity of the

One thing that Antigone omits from her argument is the fact that if she would get away with burying Polynices, it would promote criminal behavior. Other citizens of Thebes would very possibly become more inclined to commit crimes of all sorts if they see another Theban get away with a crime usually carrying a death penalty. People would rob, cheat taxes, and perhaps even kill to better themselves if they believed they could get away with it. This is the mentality that Creon wants out of Thebes, and he believes rightly that executing Antigone will cause less people to adopt it.

law itself. First of all, the law forbidding her brother’s burial was not written by Zeus or any other god on Olympus. Justice, in Antigone’s opinion, “[dwells] with the gods” and not with men. Thus, the laws of the gods are infinitely stronger than the laws of men like Creon because they are just above all else. Furthermore, a law put forth by a man which nullifies a godly law must not be obeyed, as doing so would be an assault on justice. Antigone conveys this opinion to Creon by telling him, “[I did not] think that your edict had such force that you, a mere mortal, could override the gods, the great unwritten, unshakable traditions.” Antigone closes the first part of her speech by explaining how the laws of gods have been around for an immeasurable amount of time, beyond even the knowledge of men, and will “live forever.” How, she asks Creon indirectly, can a law that was created by men be superior to a law created before mankind itself even existed?

Although imperfect, Antigone’s judgment of right and wrong is very poignant and full of valid points. The first of these points is her belief that the law forbidding the burial of traitors is unjust. Leaving the soul of a man who fought for what he believed was right and just in limbo for eternity simply because what he fought for is against the beliefs of another is an overly cruel and pitiless punishment. A soldier of Creon’s killed Polynices, and death is the highest punishment a man can bequeath. According to Ancient Greek lore, a soul (after death) is punished accordingly by the gods in the afterlife, and a man’s law should not prevent this natural process from occurring; vengeance should be limited to the taking of life. Once a man is dead, why punish him even further? Leave it to the gods.

Antigone continues explaining why she buried her brother despite the almost certain r

Some topics in this essay:
Justice Antigone’s, Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek, Ancient Greeks, Creon Thebes, Creon Antigone, Thebes Burying, Antigone Sophocles, Polynices Antigone, punishment gods, worse death, laws gods, Laws Justice, traditions justice, laws justice, gods laws, burying polynices, law created, gods afterlife, unwritten laws,