Divine and Human Law in the Play Antigone by Sophocles - Report Example

Divine and human law

The play “Antigone” by Sophocles is developed based on different themes. The theme of law involving natural, divine and human law is widely portrayed in the play. The play portrays the conflict that presents itself between divine and human law. This theme depicts itself clearly in the play. Various characters enter into conflict, and the issue of divine and human law portrays itself in such situations. Other legal issues such as the breaking of the law and its consequences are presented in the play. This interpretive essay is aimed at addressing the form of laws and legal structures that exist in the play. Divine and human law is a broad theme, and the essay intends to divide it into several parts for easy discussion. The essay will analyze the level of abidance of the people to the laws and the dominance of the different forms of laws.

After Eteocles and Polyneices die in the Thebes’ civil war, the new ruler decides that Eteocles will be honored while his brother will be publicly shamed. The new ruler named Creon decides to punish Polyneices since he terms him as a rebel and a traitor. Polyneices died fighting his brother who was the ruler of Thebes at that time. He had a desire of taking the throne from him, and this fact resulted in the Thebes civil war. The new ruler’s punishment on Polyneices is based on the laws of Thebes that offer strict punishment on rebellious individuals. Creon decides that the rebel brother will not be buried and his dead body will be left lying on the battlefield. Polyneices by fighting his brother who was the king of Thebes has committed treason. The new king considers the rebel brother to have disrespected the throne by engaging his brother in a challenge for the throne.

Creon views the rebel brother the same as the other attackers who fought the military of Thebes. He does not consider Polyneices to be a citizen of Thebes since he colluded with outsiders to overthrow his brother from the throne. By fighting against Thebes, the citizenship of Polyneices is revoked, and he is considered to be a stranger or foreigner to the territory (Rosenfield 8). A loyal citizen of Thebes should not fight against the territory since this will mean that he is not loyal to the kingdom and its rulers. Creon considers citizenship to be patriotism and loyalty and not rebellion. Treason is a major reason that can result to the revoking of an individual’s citizenship in Thebes (8). The issue of the revoking of Polyneices’ citizenship brings about the conflict between citizenship by law and citizenship by birth. He was born in Thebes, and by birth, he is supposed to be a citizen of Thebes naturally. Creon states that by breaking the law of the land, the citizenship of an individual can be revoked. The revoking of citizenship based on the breaking of the law portrays the application of citizenship by law in the kingdom of Thebes.

The king even though he is the most powerful person in Thebes, has to seek permission from the Chorus of the elders of Thebes. The king cannot subject the rebel brother to the punishment without the consultation of the elders. The Theban elders agree with the king’s decision to leave the body of Polyneices unburied. The leader of the elders permits the king to perform the honoring of Eteocles and the public shaming of the brother. The rebel brother is to be left on the battleground unburied to be eaten by animals.

The sister to Polyneices named Antigone wants to bury his brother in secrecy in defiance to the new ruler’s orders. The other sister, Ismene refuses to cooperate with her since she is afraid of the king and the law of Thebes on authority defiance. Burying Polyneices in secret will result in severe punishment of the sisters according to the Thebes law regarding disobedience of authority. The sisters will have disrespected the king’s orders by burying their brother without his permission. Antigone decides to carry on with the plan of burying his brother secretly even though this might be impossible since the body is highly guarded.

Antigone is faced with conflict of deciding whether to follow the law of the gods or the law of Thebes. She decides to forsake the law of the land by deciding to bury her brother secretly against the will of the king. Antigone believes that the law of the gods dominates over the law of the land. The king is chosen by the gods, and therefore he should respect the gods just like any other citizen of Thebes regardless of his power. The king should not only follow the gods when calling him to the official position, but he should follow and respect them in other matters too.

According to the Greek culture, a dead person who is left unburied before sunset on the same day he has died cannot find spiritual peace. The spirit of the dead person is believed to roam the earth because it does not find eternal peace. Antigone knows the Greek belief, and she does not want his brother’s spirit to face endless confusion and disturbance. She decides to follow the law of the gods and secretly buries his brother so that he can find eternal spiritual peace.

The punishment for disrespecting the king is the death penalty. An individual who disobeys the orders of the king is subject to a very painful death according to the laws of Thebes (Rosenfield 10). The king is notified of the secret burial by a Sentry while he is still in the meeting with the elders of Thebes (11). The king becomes furious since his order of not burying the body has been disregarded. The king orders for the capture of the culprit and the guards catch Antigone performing burial rites for his brother.

The king sentences Antigone to death but pardons her sister, Ismene since he does not believe her confession of working together with Antigone. The two sisters are imprisoned, but Ismene has released afterward. Creon is somehow afraid of the gods since he decides to bury Antigone alive instead of executing her believing that the gods will not be very angry. The king does not want the gods to be very much angry with him for executing Antigone. She is buried in a tomb even after she pleads for forgiveness for her deeds. The king does not believe in the forgiveness of a guilty culprit in any possible circumstance.

Tiresias, a prophet in Thebes warns the king about the consequences of not burying Polyneices. The king decides that the rebel brother should be buried. The prophet warns the king on the punishment from the gods because of burying Antigone alive. The prophet claims that the gods will not accept the sacrifices from the people of Thebes due to their wrong deeds. The gods are likely to be unhappy with the authority and people of the kingdom due to the disregard of their laws by the people. The gods cannot accept sacrifices and bless the land of Thebes if they are unhappy. The Chorus of the elders of Thebes are afraid of the punishment of the gods due disrespecting their laws, and they offer sacrifices to the god of wine and theater. They offer the sacrifices so that they can please the god and beg mercy from him.

Antigone commits suicide while in the tomb and the king is punished heavily for this by the gods even though he allowed for the burial of Polyneices. The gods punish Creon for disregarding their laws and performing the negative deeds. Haemon, the king’s son stabs himself after unsuccessfully trying to stab his father. The king’s wife commits suicide after learning of the death of her son. The king feels that he is the cause of the misfortunes since he disobeyed the gods. Creon loses his family as a punishment from the gods for disobeying them. Probably, if Creon would have heeded to the laws of the gods by burying Polyneices in time and not burying Antigone alive, the misfortunes would not have befallen him.