Essay about The Poor Decision of Antigone to Bury Polynices

It takes a lot of courage to stand up and defend an action or idea that is forbidden by society. This is what Antigone does in Sophocles story Antigone. She clearly disobeys King Creons order that no person should bury Antigones brother, Polynices, which is punishable by penalty of death. In this case, is Antigones decision the correct one? Her actions affect many of her other countrymen negatively because they cause problems within the royal family, disagreement among the people and directly relate to the death of three people including her own. By burying her brother, Antigone knowingly and willingly went against royal orders and in doing so chooses her own death. She knows as well as anyone in the town that death would come†¦show more content†¦It must seem inconceivable to Creon that the gods would ever want a traitor like Polynices buried, let alone with the same ceremony as his brother Eteocles. Creon believes in the gods of the country and he is sure that he is acting in the best interest of Thebes. If he had decided to bury Polynices it would show him and his country as being weak. It would send a message that Thebes is a country that honors its traitors. This could put the country in jeopardy of another attack. Antigones decision to bury her brother caused harm to many people. First, she tried to convince her sister Ismene to help her. She did this by trying to make Ismene feel guilty if she did not; stating it was Ismenes brother too. She says after Ismene tells her she is on a hopeless quest If you say so, you will make me hate you and the hatred of the dead, by all rights, will haunt you day and night.(Act I: Scene I: Line 57) This threat brings Antigone farther apart from the only living family member that she has left. She has her mind set so much on burying her brother that she will stop at nothing, not even threatening her opposing sister to do it. 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