Antigone-Greek play (moral responsibility)

Essay by johnrileyCollege, UndergraduateA+, September 2004

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The story of Antigone deals with two main principle issues. First issue is to do what is morally right and the second issue is to do what is right by the law. After Antigone's brothers die in battle with each other one of her brothers is given an honorable burial and the other was not buried and King Kreon threatened to execute anyone who tried to bury him. Antigone meets with her sister Ismene to break the news to her about their brothers' deaths. She then mentions to Ismene that Polyneices is unburied and needs a proper burial and also that King Kreon has forbidden anyone to bury the body. Antigone suggests to Ismene that they go and give their brother Polyneices a proper burial and Ismene wanted no part in it because it is illegal and it will break the law. Antigone sneaks off in the night and buries her brother Polyneices while the guards watching his body were sleeping by herself without the help of her sister Ismene, because morally it was the right thing to do.

Antigone was ultimately punished and banned to live in a cave for breaking the law and disobeying the King for doing she thought was the right thing to do. Then after Antigone was banned to her cave King Kreon realized that he had done wrong by punishing Antigone because even the gods sided with Antigone and believed Polyneices deserved a proper burial. By the time King Kreon orders Antigone be released from her cave it was too late she had committed suicide. I believe that Antigone did what she did because she felt it was the right thing to do and she didn't care if it was legal or what consequences she would face just that it was morally the...