“Antigone” opens up by giving a background to the tragedy that is soon to unfold. Eteokles and Polyneikes are two brothers leading opposite sides in the Theban Civil War. The two brothers ultimately kill each other in battle. Kreon, who has just been appointed King of Thebes, declares that Eteokles body will receive the proper burial rituals and shall be honored for staying loyal to Thebes, while Polyneikes’ body shall be left unburied. Kreon, in reference to Polyneikes, says that “it is now a crime for Thebans to bury him or mourn him. Dogs and birds will savage and outrage his corpse – an ugly and a visible disgrace.” (lines 236-239). Antigone, sister to Polyneikes and Eteokles, is outraged by the kings decision to honor one brother and disgrace the other. She takes it upon herself to defy the kings law and give a proper burial to her brother, despite his betrayal to Thebes.
Antigone’s action of defying Kreons law could be seen as the right thing to do because in the end, the proper burial of a human is a law of the gods. Antigone says “I deny your edicts – since you, a mere man, imposed them – have the force to trample on the gods’ unwritten and infallible laws.” (lines 490-492). Aware of her fate, Antigone is staying loyal to the gods and honoring the dead as the gods would ultimately want.
In ancient Greece, the burial of a human was a huge part of their culture and would be a sign of respect to the person. The body would be cleaned and properly prepared for burial, and sealed with a golden coin which, as the Greeks believed, would be taken with them to the underworld so they could pay the ferryman of Hades who carries the souls of the newly dead across the river Stxy which divided the world of the living from the world of the dead. Those who were left unburied would be left to wander the shores for 100 years. With this context, you could see why the burial of Polyneikes was so important to Antigone.
- Was Kreon’s declaration to leave Polyneikes’ body disgraced without burial and to become food for animals a sign of respect to Thebes, or was it a sign of him abusing his power and acting as a tyrannical ruler?
- Being that Kreon was evidently disobeying the gods law, do you think that he viewed himself on the same level as the gods?
I feel like its a sign of Kreon abusing his power. He would never do it for the animals and respect of Thebes. He states that Polyneikes is a traitor and a rebel making him not deserving of the proper burial. That is why Kreon is making it illegal to bury him and if someone does they will be executed. Kreon is a tyrant but I do not believe he thinks of himself as a God. I see his actions more to set an example for the people of Thebes. To show if you act out against the King there will be consequences. He set that example and now people know if you defy the King you will be executed.
I found it interesting that the blogger looked up background information on the culture of Athens and how the Gods work. It really helped me and provided me with information that helps me understand what I am reading. The time period is very different and it has a lot to do with how we interpret information. I believe that it is hard to connect to this story because the values between then and now are so different. I cant put myself into Antigone shoes because I will never be put into that situation of warfare.
I feel as if Kreon’s decision to leave Polyneiekes’ body unburied was a gesture of respect and loyalty towards his people of Thebes. Much responsibility comes with being a king. Kreon knew that if he were to have the city’s rebel honored by giving him a proper burial, he would not be liked by his people. It is expected of people to show respect to those that are loyal and respectful to them and their beliefs & be disrespectful/disgusted by those who break the laws and engage in actions that they don’t approve of. This is exactly what Kreon is keeping in mind here. He is the king and thus cannot go against his own people. A king is only a good king if he has loyal subjects and the only way for Kreon to maintain his subjects is if he does what is expected of him. Through this declaration, Kreon is not only trying to stay loyal but he is also trying to warn the people of the city that if they too, like Polyneiekes’, decide to rebel, they will receive such a punishment.
I find the middle part of your response the most interesting. The line drawn between a law of the king in action Vs. the god’s law. One would expect these laws to correlate, and pose anything but a dilemma for the people, which are supposed to follow them (that’s why the law were made).
On the other hand, in our case, there is actually a debate. Preventing a burial from a person isn’t an ordinary punishment, since (as we discussed in class), it is ‘preventing’ him or her from entering the second world after death. Basically, by not allowing a proper burial, you are almost killing the person again.
About the questions:
1. I tend to agree with the first comment, as if he is abusing his power. In that matter (as i mentioned above), you should be logical and try to avoid unreasonable punishments. Even when it means paying the price of re-deciding something (changing your mind as a king isn’t easy).
2. In my opinion, Kreon is not necessarily disobeying the gods. It seems as if for him it’s an exception and it might be justified in this case, even as far as the gods (in his head). The way we are led throughout the story, I believe he thinks he is doing the right thing (that includes the gods in some way).
Good points. Thanks for sharing.