Antigone: How Her Dilemma Compares in Today’S Society

James Fife
Dr. Malloy
Hon Humanities I
Antigone: How her dilemma compares in today’s society
The protagonist in Antigone is a princess in the city of Thebes. Antigone goes against the
king's authority to do what she believes is right. Antigone is a bold and stubborn character who
had to choose between what she felt was right and what the law of the state said was
right. A law that was made by the king stated that if any person was to attack against the city he
or she would not have a proper burial but would be left whereever he or she was killed.
Antigone's brothers killed each other in a fight for the throne. One received a proper burial
because he was the current king and the other was left in the middle of the city to rot and to be
eaten by the birds. Antigone wanted to bury her brother. According her beliefs this would be the
right thing to do. Antigone was motivated by her personal beliefs. Antigone had a dilemma, had
motivation to do what she believed was right, and similar sacrifices are still being made by
people today.
Antigone's dilemma was deciding whether to break the law and bury her brother or abide
by the law set by the king, Creon. Creon believed the gods would not honor a bad person, so the
people should not either. He ordered that no one pray for, weep for, or bury those who attack the
city. Antigone's belief was that all men deserve a proper burial whether good or bad. She was
even more troubled because her brother was the man involved. Antigone had a difficult dilemma
to deal with but she chose to give her brother a proper burial, even though this choice could
cause her to be stoned to death. Her motivation was strong enough that she was willing to risk
her life.

Antigone's motivation was clear. She chose to make a sacrifice to uphold her personal
beliefs. Her belief was that all men deserved to be buried. She did not care about breaking a law
to give her brother what she felt he deserved. She...