Justice is perhaps one of the most relative aspects that humans portray and consequently practice. Regardless of the situation, it is almost a surety that there will be differences in how people will perceive what action will be the most just. However, despite its relativity and subjectivity justice is present everywhere, every time and by almost everyone. Examples can vary from anything such as what pay should an individual get to what punishment an individual should get for murder and so on. All in all, even in ancient civilizations people had their own perceived notions of justice. Two texts, The Republic and Antigone , despite their numerous differences each, implicate different perceptions of justice to their audiences. Ultimately, the goal of this paper is to evaluate the similarities and differences between The Republic and Antigone with regards to justice.
It is imperative to begin by succinctly deducing the main themes of the two texts to bring about comprehension. The Republic originally written by Plato is a dialogue in which the author evaluates and comments on justice in both the society and the individual. Plato argues that society is subjectively divided into three categories i.e. producers, warriors, and rulers. Despite the different inclinations that motivate individuals in the three categories Plato articulates that justice is achieved when all the three groups cooperate (Bloom & Kirsch, 2016). Similarly, the mind is categorized into a rational, spiritual and appetitive part; an individual is said to be just if all the three cooperate in accordance with the rational part of the mind. On the contrary, Antigone is a play which is based on romance, revenge, and virtues whereby justice is not presented directly to the audience. Hence, it will be interesting to link how a play and a dialogue could either share or differ when it comes to notions of justice.
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In Antigone, the main iteration of justice comes in the form of the burial of Polynices. In brief, Polynices and Eteocles who were brothers fought and killed each other in the pursuit of becoming ruler of Thebes. Following their deaths Creon the new ruler believes that Polynices was in the wrong as he attempted to overthrow his brother and thereby he should not be buried and left to rot. Creon states, “and as for the man who sets private friendship above the public welfare, ––I have no use for him, either”. This particular statement aligns well with Plato’s perceived notion of justice i.e. one who does not work for the benefit of society is deemed to be unjust. However, Plato argues that the conception of a higher state is realized when “kings are philosophers’and ’philosophers are kings” (Bloom & Kirsch, 2016). With that said Antigone and The Republic differ and concur at the same time. Whereas both the two texts implicate that leadership is just or at least should be Antigone showcases that leadership can be challenged whereas The Republic idolizes leadership where those in power have to be great thinkers.
Antigone on the other hand secretly conspires with her sister Ismene to bury their fallen brother. With that little part of the play, there are already different perceptions of justice among two main characters. Whereas one views the rejection of a burial right as enough punishment the other views such an action unjust. In The Republic , Plato implicates that the rulers are perhaps the most just individuals as they have experienced all the other groups’ inclinations (Bloom & Kirsch, 2016). Thereby, it follows suit that since Creon was the ruler that his decision regardless of other individuals’ reasoning was the most just. However, on an individual level, a huge difference can be reasoned out.
Plato articulates that while the rational part of the mind appeals to reason and truth, the spiritual part appeals to feelings and emotions and lastly the appetitive part resonates with lust and desires. For an individual to be just all the parts must resonate with the rational part of the mind. Creon and Antigone are primarily very different; while Creon finds solace in power and the law Antigone is bounded by family honor and the will to do what she perceives as right. In Antigone, both Creon and Antigone can be seen to be consumed by the spiritual part as they both make decisions with regards to emotions. Creon is consumed by anger and wants to dishonor Polynices while Antigone also appeals to her feelings of loyalty and honor thereby they both can be said to be unjust on an individual basis (Griffith, 1999).
In Antigone , there are a lot of characters who make significant decisions to the plot. Thereby, it will be quite difficult to assess the justification of each character’s decision and subsequent actions. However, it is imperative to note that Creon is at the heart of every decision that takes place in that part of the play. Creon is heavily privileged by being the ruler of Thebes; nonetheless, he is also tasked with making perhaps the most difficult decisions in the entire region (Wilmer & Zukauskaite, 2010). According to Plato, a just society is one in which the three groups of individuals cooperate in accordance with the rulers’ decisions and judgments (Bloom & Kirsch, 2016). In Antigone , however, the converse is true as there seems to be all sorts of disunity within the king’s court. As such it is in my perspective that Antigone is an epitome of an unjust society according to The Republic.
Additionally, in Antigone justice is very subjective and no character can be wholly be declared as either just or unjust. For example, Antigone is both just in that she is willing to risk her life to honor her brother yet her unwillingness to respect authority portrays an unjust character. On the contrary, Socrates in The Republic argues, “justice, like the art of war or any other art, must be of opposites” that is to implicate that for there to be a just society and/or individual there has to be an example of injustice (Bloom & Kirsch, 2016).
On the whole, however, Antigone¸ has a more direct sense of justice. Throughout the play, different individuals can be seen making subjectively wrong decisions and consequently immoral actions. For instance, Creon lets his hatred against Polynices family consume him, Antigone fails to appeal to authority and even Haemon can be suggested to have disrespected his father. Throughout the story, suffering can be seen as the constant way of repaying one’s wrong actions. Creon loses his entire family, Haemon loses his betrothed (she was likely to die either way) and Antigone suffers greatly before taking her own life. This is evidenced by Choragos’ words, “No wisdom but in submission to the gods. Big words are always punished” (Griffith, 1999). Thus with that regard, I believe that Antigone articulates that justice is found in retribution albeit the means through which this justice can be achieved is variable (Wilmer & Zukauskaite, 2010). As such the major difference in these two texts comes in the form that whereas The Republic attempts to define justice as a cooperation of different parts of society and/or the mind Antigone showcases that justice is in its purest form retribution.
All in all, the two texts are very good reads despite their differences when it comes to ideologies. While The Republic is a dialogue that dictates the author’s perceived comprehension of justice to the reader Antigone is a play which indirectly illustrates the course and cause of justice. In retrospect, a lot of points in both the two texts remain relevant today. In today’s society, a good or thriving society is often judged by the relationship between citizens and the government/authority. What’s more, offenses are often met with consequences in accordance with the law? However, despite the laws put in place that seemingly dictate the course of justice to be taken, it is everybody’s ethical responsibility to consistently evaluate what is right and whats not.
References
Bloom, A., & Kirsch, A. (2016). The Republic of Plato . Basic Books.
Griffith, M. (Ed.). (1999). Sophocles: Antigone . Cambridge Greek and Latin classics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Wilmer, S., & Zukauskaite, A.(Eds.). (2010). Interrogating Antigone in Postmodern Philosophy and Criticism. : Oxford University Press. Retrieved 9 Oct. 2017, from http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199559213.001.0001/acprof-9780199559213.
