Conflict between Natural Law and Man Made Law - Assignment Example

Antigone SOPHOCLE’S ANTIGONE Conflict between Natural Law and Man Made Law Order No: 249968 No. of pages: 6 Premium 6530 Antigone…..2 Abstract Sophocles, the great Greek dramatist, lived during the golden age of Greece, when art, literature and the humanities flourished. The plays of Sophocles are full of optimism and imbued with the spirit of classical Athens. His plays celebrate the superiority of humans, who are the crowning glory of God’s creation, and the master of their environment. But his plays seek to show that temperance of spirit in humans is must, and cautions against irrationality and wild emotions. His plays unequivocally re-assert the power of the divine, which subjugates humanity, and the adverse consequences of flouting the power and laws of the Gods. Antigone is the third play in the trilogy of Theban plays, where Antigone the daughter of Oedipus, takes on the heavy mantle of the tragic hero on her delicate feminine shoulders and proves to the world that a woman can also stand up against injustice. She is one of the most recognized heroines of classical Greek drama and her strong will, which sometimes turns into pride and arrogance, prove to be her “hubris”. It is this unbending and unyielding stance of hers, which cause her tragic death. In this play, Sophocles has "...probed with majestic dignity the fundamental relationships of humanity and its gods, the problem of injustice in a righteous universe, and the terrible consequences of overweening pride (Hollister, Warren. C) Antigone, the daughter of the blinded Oedipus, along with her sister Ismene had gone to live in the caves outside Thebes, after Oedipus’ exile. Thebes was to be ruled by his two sons Eteocles and Polynices, who would take yearly turns to rule the land. Eteocles, who rules first, refuses to give up the throne and Polynices is exiled. But he refuses to give up his claim and instead attacks Eteocles in the “Seven against Thebes” campaign. The war results in the death of both the brothers, and after their death, the task of ruling Thebes, falls upon Creon, their maternal uncle. Trouble starts when Creon refuses to give Polynices a decent burial, since he had rebelled against the kingdom, while Eteocles is buried with the honor befitting a king. Antigone is livid at this flouting of the law of nature which enjoins that a proper burial guarantees a human being passage into Hades. Creon’s refusal brings out strongly her familial feelings and she too refuses to back down from her stance of ensuring a proper burial for her brother. Antigone’s adamant stand can be appreciated in the context of the beliefs of the Hellenic people. When a corpse was left out in the open to be eaten up by animals and birds, it was an insult to the Gods who would then show their anger in some terrible way. It was also an insult to the family of the deceased, since, this made it clear that the dead had erred in some way and disregarded temporal or social law and custom. Thus Antigone’s proclamation of - “Isn’t a man’s right to burial decreed by divine justice? I don’t consider your pronouncements….. can just overrule the unwritten laws of heaven” rings true to most Thebans. Antigone defies Creon’s edict, and at night, goes and covers Polynices dead body with mud, in a gesture comparable to that of a burial. This is a defiance of Creon’s edict, which forbids anyone to mourn for Polynices and conduct a burial, even though the customs of the time allowed even enemies, who died in battle, the right to be honoured by their friends and relatives. Antigone’s defiance in this instance should not be treated as an act of treason against the state. It is in fact an upholding of divine laws, which take precedence over the laws formulated by humans. The question which Sophocles raises in the play is the supremacy of divine law versus man-made laws. Antigone represents the supremacy of divine laws, while Creon is the embodiment of man made laws, and the resulting conflict between the two opposites, creates a chasm not easily bridged. Antigone is also an embodiment of family attachments, since her love for her dead brother causes her the ultimate tragedy of her death. Antigone’s fear of the Gods is evident when she stresses that the laws of the Gods will always take precedence over the laws of men. In reply to Creon’s query, as to why she wants to defy his law, her firm belief in natural laws is evident. She tells him "because it was not Zeus who ordered it, nor justice dweller with the nether Gods". Creon on the other hand, in spite of being Antigone’s maternal uncle shows no remorse while pronouncing the verdict of death for her. He gives more importance to his role as the temporal head and even Haemon, his son and Antigone’s fiancé’s pleas refuse to move him. Tiresias, the seer warns Creon of the consequences of his actions, prophesizing that placing importance on his laws could so displease the Gods that they may even take away his own flesh and blood. Upon hearing this castigation from the seer, the struggle intensifies in Creon’s mind as to whether he should heed the natural laws or his own edict but even this is in vain, for Creon has already made up his mind. Antigone on the other hand is well aware that if she buries her brother, even by defying the edict of Creon, it would bring her glory. “What greater glory could I win than give my own brother decent burial? Sophocles’ Antigone is a deep insight into human conflict and human tragedy as well as an exposition of the role of divine powers that shape our destinies. The hubris or the fatal flaw, an important element of Greek tragedy may be said to creep in at this moment, when Antigone’s refusal to back down takes on the form of pride in her actions. While her reasons for the defiance of Creon’s edict are entirely selfless, the manner of fulfilling them is less than justified. She believes her stand to be right, but, in effect she is rebelling against the edict issued by the ruler, who too is an embodiment of the divine on earth. Antigone lays the sin of pride on Creon, while, it is her unrelenting posture that causes the tragedies to follow. Antigone is firm in her belief that the laws of state should complement the laws of the divine. In the play, Sophocles has shown that the King’s power was absolute and it may have been the dramatist’s own way of warning the Athenians of the dangers of absolute monarchy. The Hellenes, especially the Thebans abhorred the idea of tyranny. They knew full well that there was a fine line between a strong leader and a tyrant. While Creon is not necessarily a tyrant in the true sense of the word, his use and abuse of power is threatened subtly. As Howenstein explains, that according to Creon, ruling is grounded in the incontestable power of the sovereign and the absolute subservience of his people. "He is a man torn between his duties as a king and his loyalty to his family. Like Antigone, his intentions are noble but the way he executes them are questionable. At the very outset, he declares that he will do what is best for Thebes. In this he gets the support of his son Haemon and the Chorus of Elders. He does indeed do whatever he feels lawful but fails to follow the law in spirit. Thus, in spite of Tiresias’ dire predictions, he sentences Antigone to death, although he later retracts it. Creon blindly follows the traditional law, or rather his blinkered vision of the law and sacrifices the spirit of law at the altar of conformity. Conclusion Antigone like all Greek tragedies delves into the relationship between mortals and their Gods. Human behavior works on certain ethos, which have their limitations. While there are some who conduct themselves wisely, others are trapped by their unwise choices and decisions. It is these unwise decisions that bring about retribution from the gods, in the form of misfortunes and bad luck. This misfortune may be passed on from generation to generation as the Chorus itself says "For once a family is cursed by God, disasters come like earthquake tremors, worse with each succeeding generation." This play deals not only with conflict, but also the results of conflicts. Antigone firmly believes in conventions and the laws of the Gods, but Creon has a diverging view. Creon’s laws have a nationalistic fervor. For Antigone, loyalty to family and friends holds more import but for Creon an enemy of the state is his enemy , though it be his own niece or nephew-‘Until we breathe our last breath we should keep the established law’. Sophocles’ Antigone makes us aware of our strengths and limitations as human beings who are condemned to follow divine laws blindly, while at the same time we are asked to interpret these laws in the realm of the time and occurrence. While Antigone is the follower, Creon is the interpreter, whose tragedy lies in his literal interpretation. This tragedy gives us an insight into the valorous and morally rich life of the Greeks and their individualistic way of thinking about that which enriched their lives and have also stood the test of time. REFERENCES Term papers on SOPHOCLES ANTIGONE, SOPHOCLES ANTIGONE research ... http://www.academon.com/lib/paper/103396.html Free Essay Greek Tragedy, Sophocles Antigone Summary and Research http://www.echeat.com/essay.php?t=26669 Sophocles Antigone: A true tragic hero? - by Zane Wyrick - Helium http://www.helium.com/items/604500-sophocles-antigone-a-true-tragic-hero?page=2 Translations Antigone (Sophocles) - Facts, Encyclopedia article, and Discussion ... http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/John_Cage Grade Saver: Antigone - Study Guide http://www.gradesaver.com/classicnotes/titles/antigone/essays.html Novel Guide: Antigone http://www.novelguide.com/antigone/themeanalysis.html SOPHOCLES http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/4979/antigone.html Read More