The Law of Anitgone

Essay by EssaySwap ContributorHigh School, 12th grade February 2008

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The story of Antigonê briefly describes the immaturity and complete madness, which existed on earth before any type of sanity came to exist. The main ideas in this story are those of death, pride and self-sacrifice; and how the absence of law is the downfall of humanity.

In those times there was no such thing as laws, only rules, set forth by the leaders of the kingdom. Such rules only those leaders believe to be true, and effecting only themselves, not taking into consideration the society as a whole. It was a very authoritarian way to live, and the only way to be the authority is to be lucky enough to be born the eldest male in the family.

Today, although this practice of dictatorship still occurs in parts of the world, life in America is much different. Every citizen has rights, even illegal citizens, and people imprisoned for their wrong doing, have limited rights.

The right of law abiding citizens include protection against others to secure freedom, the right to practice the religion of your choosing, and the right to a trial by jury for those acts deemed unlawful; among many, many others. The greatest thing about these fine principles is you are born with these rights, regardless of your gender, race, status, or any other differentiating characteristic. Laws form order, they make the public aware of how they can and cannot act, and they work this way, because they are set forth, and upheld, by the people.

In this drama, Sophocles describes a world of dictatorship, ran by Oedipus. Oedipus the ruler of Thebes, performed an act of incest which forced his son to conquer the city and overthrow him. Eteoclês then proclaimed himself ruler of Thebes while Polyneicês opposed that proclamation. This is the first conflict in...