Discuss the role played by morality or obligation in Antigone - Essay Example

27 January, Role played by morality or obligation in Antigone: Antigon, as a considerate sister of Polyneices and a strong follower of religion went to any length to defend her stance against Creon’s immoral actions and merciless decisions. She was moved by the morality and firm obligation towards her gods. Not many people have enough courage to stand against the wrong actions of such powerful people as Creon like Antigone did. Her actions were self-sacrificial, though they had a strong ideology behind them.

Creon had passed over the instructions that forbade everybody to bury the dead body of Polyneices. Creon wanted the dead body of Polyneices to rot and get eaten up by wild animals and vultures because Polyneice had died as a traitor in an attempt to attack the city. Antigone, like many people in her time, held a belief that the souls of deceased people remain restless as long as they are not buried. Not only did Antigone take a stand against Creon’s decision of leaving Polyneices’ body unburied, she actually took practical measures that prove her sincerity.

However, it was not easy to go against the consent of the powerful ruler of the time. When Antigone had decided to bury her brother’s dead body, she knew she was going to risk her life and was most likely to be assassinated for her act. However, the fear of worldly punishment could not keep her from carrying out the orders of her gods. Not only did Antigone comply with the standards of morality on burying the dead body of Polyneice, but also, she would not let Ismene take the charge for having done the job because this would put Ismene into trouble.

This causes the reader to draw conclusions about Antigone that she was daring, courageous, bold, prudent and considerate. She offered so much importance to her moral values that she would happily embrace death to live up to them. To her, all that mattered was that her punishment of death would speak of the nobility of her beliefs, and she knew that the reward would be immortal unlike the terrestrial life. An in-depth analysis of the story tells us that morality or obligation play a fundamental role in the story of Antigone.

This can be estimated from the fact that Antigone was entitled to know worldly benefits as a result of burying the dead body of her brother, Polyneice. Why did she feel concerned about the dead body of her brother? Why in front of Creon did she make confession of her action against his orders? What made her go to any lengths to justify her action and condemn Creon’s decisions? Why did she risk her life for the sake of a person, who had already died? Certainly, “morality” is the answer to all these questions.

The whole story revolves around the actions of Antigone that are fundamentally influenced by morality or obligation. Therefore, morality or obligation assumes a central role in the story. Antigone got punished by Creon, but her gods punished Creon. Works cited: Sophocles. Antigone. USA: Prestwick House, 2005.