Law In Antigone – Patrick

Law in Antigone is the ways by which its subjects are to be obey, yet the characters subscribe to different overarching jurisdictions. The law of the gods that the people follow is that a family must bury their loved ones after they die so they can go on in peace to the underworld. However, the edict of Kreon forbids the burial of Polyneikes as punishment for his treason. Yet, Antigone holds the law of the gods of burial of loved ones above Kreon’s edict barring anyone from burying Polyneikes when she tries to bury Polyneikes. Kreon has the final say as which law will prevail with Polyneikes’ burial and Antigone’s fate.

The law of family ties is strong for Antigone in burying her brother, and is strong when Kreon offers Antigone leniency in exchange for not telling anyone what happened, and for abstaining from trying to bury Polyneikes again. But, Antigone holds the law of the gods and of her family to her brother over Kreon’s offering of the law of family ties to her. Ultimately, Kreon’s law prevails in holding Antigone responsible for disobeying his edict, after Kreon’s failed attempt at extending leniency to Antigone.

Kreon’s law barring anyone from mourning or burying Polyneikes contradicts the gods’ law of burial of loved ones, making it a tyrannical edict. However, it is important for Kreon to make an example of Polyneikes and demonstrate that treason will be punished brutally. Part of the purpose of law is to establish order and uphold the institutions of a society, so although Kreon’s edict is tyrannical to the law of the gods, it is a just law. However, Kreon’s family tie to Antigone shows that he was biased to her. It is doubtful that Kreon would have offered the leniency that he offered to Antigone to anyone else who would have been caught disobeying his edict prohibiting burial of Polyneikes.