“Make these excuses, I will heap/ The earth over my brother’s body” (63).
Although no one would help her, Antigone took a stand against injustice and honored her brother by burying him, even though Creon said this act would be punishable by death if anyone committed this act of insubordination. Especially in the age that Antigone lived in, it was considered foolish to simply go against a man’s orders, let alone the Kings. Not to mention that Antigone was related to the King, making the situation even worse. She committed a supremely precarious action, especially for a woman. Not only does she bravely follow her morals, but she does a great job of justifying them in her arguments. Antigone was a civil disobedient by disobeying Creon’s orders and accepting the consequences, but she did a great job of justifying them through her arguments throughout Antigone.
One of the reasons that Antigone is able to have the best argument is because of her great use of pathos. In the begging of the play, she starts using pathos with Ismene when she tries to convince her to help bury Polyneices. She says that if she does not bury her brother’s body, the dogs and birds will pick away at his body. Also, she says that she will not dishonor him and that it is actually her “duty” to bury her brother. Antigone refuses to “betray” him and will defend his honor by doing what is right and burying his body. Antigone then challenges Ismene by asking her if she is willing to defile the gods by dishonoring their laws. Another example of Antigone’s use of pathos is when she is defending her actions. She does not make people pity her, but rather honor her actions because of how she is willing to die defending her brother’s honor. The way that she explains her cause makes everyone but Creon admire her for disobeying the law and doing the right thing that no one else had the courage to do. The last example of Antigone’s pathos is her last statement before she dies. This statement is the best use of pathos in the entire play. It is here that Antigone really grips your emotions and latches on to everything that she can to make you pity her and want to slay Creon instead. By the way that she appeals to how she will never be able to have a family, enjoy marriage, or happily end her life. She then throws in the question of what law she broke and asks what she did that was so wrong to deserve death. These last statements really impact Antigone’s pathos and make the reader sympathize with her stance as the right one if they had not already been convinced.
The Essay on Antigone Ismene Sister Brother Law
Antigone & Ismene The Theban play Antigone, written by Sophocles, is about a girl named Antigone who wants to bury her deceased brother, yet the king forbade anyone to bury him. This issue raises a conflict between Antigone and her sister, Ismene. These two sisters are comparable to many sisters, for most sisters tend to disagree on certain issues, and they also often have conflicting ...
Antigone’s great claims and support also make her argument the best. The first argument that she gets into is with Ismene about why she is disobeying Creon’s orders by burying Polyneices body and how she would be disgracing him if she did not. Ismene’s defense does nothing to sway Antigone, as she is set in her ways to do good, and Antigone does a great job of explaining her case as to why she believes it is her duty to bury her brother. She does such a great job, in fact, that Ismene really has nothing else to counter her with other than she thinks she is being foolish and, although she cannot disobey the law, she still loves her and will not say anything. After talking with Ismene, she soon carries out her plan and is caught burying her brother when the soldiers set up a trap. The soldiers then take her to Creon, where he is shocked to learn that Antigone is the one who defiled his orders. Her justification for breaking the law is that it was not Zeus’s law and because he is simply a human, his orders really hold no authority over her. She then says, “But to leave my brother unburied, / I couldn’t have bourne it…” (71).
The Essay on Antigone Ismene Creon Decision
A Family Contrast If you were told not to do something, even if you knew it was the right thing to do, would you go ahead and do it anyway? The Play Antigone was written by the Greek author and playwright, Sophocles. The Story of Antigone takes place in Ancient Greece, about a young woman who has lost her both of her brothers, and is told by her King to not give her brother, Polyneices a proper ...
Creon, however, does not think that this is justifiable evidence and will not take outright disobeyal of his laws, so he sentences her to death.
Antigone has the best argument because she has excellent claims and is able to follow them with excellent support. Every argument that she had, whether it be with Ismene or Creon, she made her opposition speechless. When she was arguing with Ismene, she did not convince her to help Antigone bury their brother, but she did make Ismene realize that this was the proper thing to do for their brother. Although Ismene could not defy the law, she would not do anything to stop Antigone. After Antigone was brought to Creon and stated that she buried her brother against Creon’s will, Creon had a mad rage that she would disobey and disgrace him in that way. Antigone rationally talked to him and states why it is wrong to leave her brother unburied, while he continues to become more and more enraged. Creon’s defense is based more on how his image, rather than on justice. Because of this, Antigone is still sent to death.
