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Thuc Nguyen
Dadabhoy
4 November 2011
The Wrongdoings of Antigone
In Antigone, the last of the Oedipus trilogy but first to be written, Socrates tells of the
aftermath of the conflict between Eteocles and Polyneices and the other characters reactions.
Eteocles and Polyneices, sons of Oedipus, kill each other in battle for the the thone; Creon then
becomes the king and orders that Polyneices be refused proper burial for his treachery. Antigone,
one of Oedipus daughters, strongly disagrees with Creon and proceeds to break the law, and
ends up getting punished and thrown into a cave. Although Creon is wrong in disrespecting the
dead and not considering the will of the gods, Antigone is also wrong in disobeying the king and
acting rashly. Her actions can serve as a bad influence to other members of society and make
them think that not following the rules is okay. Antigones recklessness also ends up negatively
impacting those close to her while her confidence and infatuation with the gods clouds her
judgment.
Despite Ismene, Antigones sister. urging her to rethink her actions, Antigone is irrational
and can only see one side of the argument: You may do as you like,/ Since apparently the laws
of the gods mean/ nothing to you (2.60-62). Antigone is right in believing that Creons law does
not go above the gods; however, she is wrong in assuming that Ismene doesnt care about the
gods. Ismene tries to calm her sister down and consider the consequences of her actions, but
Antigone refuses to do so. Antigone is wrong because she only looks at Polyneices death and
her eventual punishment, not how it will affect Ismene or Haimon, her fiance. This inconsiderate
way of viewing the situation makes Antigone at fault, because her death ends up being the cause
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of others in the end. Antigone is blinded with the prospect of honor that she does not care for
Ismenes opinions: I shall be hating you soon, and the dead/ will too... It will not be the worst of
deaths - death/ without honor (2.75-82). She pushes away one of the few people who support her,
and in turn creates a discrepancy in their relationship. Her obsession with honor and bravery
clouds her judgment. One can argue that her perseverance is a good trait, but it ends up
damaging her friendship with Ismene. Antigones persistence and determination makes her
unwilling to accept others opinions. Antigone is wrong for not accepting nor appreciating
Ismenes input, and her strong will ends up negatively affecting those closest to her.
When being interrogated by Creon, Antigone daringly admits to defying the kings law;
by not feeling remorse for it, she behaves as if she deems mortal laws invalid: It was not Gods
proclamation (2.56). Antigone seems heroic for explicitly telling the king of his tyranny, but she
is wrong for thinking that the gods laws are the only laws. Logically speaking, if there were no
mortal codes of conduct, then there would be no order. Antigone does not consider the fact that
the Kings laws keep the citizens in check and are the definitions of an organized society.
Antigone does not think about the disadvantages of obeying the laws of the divine above
everything else. Antigone believes Creon to be a fool, but he brings up a valid point in saying,
Who is the man here,/ She or I, if this crime goes unpunished? Once a law has been
established, all situations concerning it should be treated equally. One might think that Creon
should let Antigone go unpunished because of their family ties, but by doing so, Creon will make
the public distrust his future verdicts. Antigone is wrong in boasting of her wrongdoings and
looking down at Creon, not understanding the reality of the situation. She only thinks about
death and how her punishment will be an honor, but does not consider Creons reasoning. Even
though Polyneices is her brother, a traitor is still a traitor, and Creon must treat Polyneices as
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such. Antigone thinks that Polyneices should have a proper burial, but she does not think about
how it will affect Thebes as a whole. Looking at Creons reasoning, Polyneices should not be
treated above any other traitor, and Antigone is wrong in thinking so.
Antigone already knows before committing the crime of the punishment, but still laments
on her misfortune that she caused herself: And my reward is death before my time! (3.65).
While what Antigone did for Polyneices is respectful, she is wrong in complaining about her
early death. The only reason why she is being punished is because she disobeys the law, and
Antigone seems to overlook that fact. Once again, her virtuous nature blinds her sense of
judgment; she only looks at the honor in her death and not the wrongness of her actions.
Antigone is also ignorant in believing that she is only getting punished for obeying the gods: You
will/ remember/ What things I suffer, and at what mens/ hands,/ Because I would not transgress
the laws of/ heaven (3.79-84). Her infatuation with the gods shows up many times in this
tragedy, and shows how narrow-minded Antigone can be. Instead of looking at both the laws of
mankind and the gods, she only sees the gods, and in doing so causes her own misfortune.
Antigone should not be complaining about a situation that she forced upon herself as well; her
words and thoughts shows her ignorance. Her punishment is unfortunate, and her situation is
pitiable, but they do not make up for her actions.
The tragedy Antigone centers around Antigones honorable actions and punishment and
Creons gradual realization of his wrongdoings, but brings up the problems with Antigone as
well. She may be right in honoring her brother, but her actions are still wrong in that they
negatively influence her society, the people around her, while her personality prevents her from
viewing her situation from on an objective scale.