The play Antigone involves a battle of might between King Creon and Antigone. In a society that expects women to be subject to men rule, it is awkward for Antigone to fight not just a man but rather the king. The play has demonstrated women to be courageous. It also presents a moral dilemma as to whether a person should follow the law of the state of the law of conscience. While watching the play Antigone, a person is intrigued by the way each of these characters takes contrasting stands on matters such as life and death. It is surprising to see how Antigone is willing to use whatever she has to protect what she considers right.
While history is essential in protecting the culture and reminding people where they came from, it should not be used as a hindrance to progress. The play Antigone can be regarded as a battle between philosophy (literature) and history. In this case, Antigone is fighting to protect philosophy while the king is fighting to protect history. For example, Antigone when Antigone fights to be allowed to bury his brother, she does so because, in her opinion, he deserves an honor to be buried and she should be allowed to grief. On the other hand, King Creon fights to protect history by safeguarding the traditions of the land regarding inheritance and taboos.
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If Socrates could have a conversation with Antigone or with Creon, he could tell then that the present is more important than the past and, therefore, history should not be used to kill philosophy. On the other hand, Plato would admire Antigone’s courage to protect philosophy. The play has demonstrated that the law of conscience is more compelling than the criminal law.
References
Benardete, S. (2014). Sacred Transgressions: A Reading of Sophocles' Antigone.
Goheen, R. F. (2017). Imagery of Sophocles Antigone . Princeton University Press.
