In Sophocles play Antigone, Antigones life is taken from her becauseof her choice to follow the moral law by burying her brother and disobeying thecivil law, which forbid this. According to the gods everyone is entitled to theproper burial. Everyone has a right to be put to peace upon his or her death. Creon enforced an edict (the civil law) that Polyneices is not entitled to aproper burial because he is considered a traitor of Thebes.
p. 199 Creon feltthat if a person acted against the state he or she loses the right to be buried,and put to rest in peace. Antigone made the decision to bury her brotherPolyneices, even though it was against Creons edict. She had chosen to dowhat is right according to the gods, and bury her brother. The laws of the godswere more important to her then obey the law of the humans. Because she made themoral choice of siding with the gods, Creon, the king, sentenced her to death.
She knew of this punishment before making her decision, but she felt overwhelmedthat burying her brother was the moral, and righteous thing to do. She waswilling to die for her brother. p. 209 When Antigone and Creon have theconfrontation, Antigone tells Creon that heavens laws are more powerful thanCreons laws. Antigone reminds Creon that it is not the place of a mortal toquestion or amend the divine law under no circumstances.
Antigone tells Creonthat she has no sorrow for what she done nor will she back down. Creon views thelaws of the state as the highest laws in existence. He is ignoring the divinelaws, which are higher than any law that is created by man. Creon commits thesin of blasphemy, by claiming that the gods do not give a damn about Polyneicesbody. p. 203 Creon believes that he is just in sentencing Antigone to deathbecause she did not follow the civil law; however, she was following the morepowerful law divine law.
Due to the fact that Antigone had a stronger desire forfollowing the moral law, Creon who enforced the civil law sentenced her todeath.Mythology
