Antigone Defense Trial

Aaron Fernandez

Ms. Peifer 10 IB English

25 November 2008

Antigone Guilty or Innocent?

People of the court I plead with you to realize that Princess Antigone, is not guilty under any circumstance.  She was merely trying to honor her brother and show a sing of respect toward him by giving him a proper burial.  Any other man or woman would do the same and give a family member the right of a proper funeral.  Creon made this law to try and suppress any rebellion, but does it seem just? Or does it seem unfair that Antigone should get punished for such a noble and loving deed.  Shouldn't she be honored for being so brave and kind?

Eteocles and Polyneices are both brothers of Antigone, she should receive the right to give them both a proper burial.  As she states to Creon, "His own brother, traitor or not, and equal in blood"( Fitzgerald, 824).  She brings a point that both brothers are equal.  They were both prince's and that they should both be honored not just one of them.  Antigone is their sister and she was there for the mourning and the burial of Eteocles, she should also be allowed to be there for the burial of Polyneices.  Ismene being the sister who was afraid of Creon and his law has now seen the truth.  She has come to realize that her sister was right, and that she too wants to take part in her sister's "crime."  Ismene says, "But now I know what you meant; and I am here To join you, to take my share of punishment"(Fitzgerald, 824).  Ismene nor Antigone should be punished because this is a glorious deed.

Creon has made this law to protect his own power.  He wants to reign over everything and believes in no mercy.  "An enemy is an enemy, even dead"(824).  He holds on to old grudges and is now taking it out on Antigone because she committed this act.  He wants to show people his power and his strength.  Creon is afraid of losing his power which concludes in him taking away the right that families have to bury their dead.  Everyone wants to be able to send their loved ones to a better place, and Antigone is just trying to do the best she can.  All of her family has died and she should have the right to bury whoever she wants.

Antigone isn't guilty, who are we to judge who we should bury and who we shouldn't?  Why can't we let her decide if she wants to honor her family.  Do not send this girl to her death because she did something that she believed is right, and that we in our hearts know is right.  The Gods are the ones who decide if we should go to the underworld or not, what we should let everyone do is let them bury their family and friends, and send them to a better place.  Antigone is being accused of burying her brother, and that is just unethical, and it should be honored and not looked down upon.

Works Cited

Sophocles. "Antigone." The Internet Classics Archive.  Trans. R. C. Jebb.  04 Oct. 2000.

Classics.mit.edu. 25 October 2008.

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Antigone LRJ #2

1- An important image in the tale of Antigone is the act of being stubborn, or not open to other thoughts or ideas.  An example, Creon always feels like if he is right no matter what. he feels that because he is the king that he will always be the superior intellectual.  He encases himself in his own ideas, and goes by his own instinct.  In the quote, "Everything else, my son, to your father's will"(Fitzgerald, 829).  Haimon being Creon's son is agreeing with his father, and Creon believes that he is right,  Haimon is trying to tell his father that he is wrong and that his idea or outlook is not correct but Creon doesn't listen.  Another important image is pride.  Creon doesn't want to look weak in front of his people, and he wants to show others that he is tough and a good leader, he expresses this thought when he says, "Do you want me to show myself weak before the people?"(Fitzgerald, 829).  Creon is stating that he is not going to look weak, and soft, but a strong and smart man.

2- "My own blind heart has brought me from darkness to final darkness"(Fitzgerald, 840).  Creon here realizes that he was to stubborn to see the truth.  That he brought the death of his family upon himself, and that he was the cause of all this sadness.  Others tried to tell him, but he wouldn't listen.  Ismene in this story also realizes he wrong doing by denying he brother a proper burial.  She says, "But now I Know what you meant: and I am here To join you, to take my share of punishment"(Fitzgerald, 825).  Ismene realizes that she was wrong for not mourning for both of her brothers, and that her life meant nothing if she did not realize that and take the blame with her sister Antigone.

3- Creon has his Anagorisis when he hears that his family are all dead.  That his wife has killed herself which was led by the death of their son Haimon.  He exclaims, "I alone am guilty"(841).  Creon realizes that all along he was wrong, and that by his own hand he has killed what was dearest to his heart.  

4- Creon goes through a lot at the end of the story.  Antigone hangs herself, which leads to Haimon killing himself, then his wife blaming Creon and also killing herself.  Creon doesn't change his way of thinking until the end when all he cares for have died by his own hand.  

5- I believe the audience has a Catharasis at the end of the story when Creon's family dies because he thought he was almighty, but in reality he was always wrong.  The pity comes from the fact that his loved ones have died and he is left alone to live through his own wrong doing.  

6- Creon tells Haimon, "No marriage means more to me than your continuing wisdom"(Fitzgerald, 829).  This means that women were seen of as lesser value, or something to be owned, that love was not as important then that of power.  That women were seen and objects that could be tossed away if the husband was unhappy.  The father would seek his son's love before letting him love his own wife.  

The LRJ About the Play

For my loving sister Antigone,

I am ashamed of the way that I denied to have a proper funeral of Polynethieus.  I was a afraid of the consequences that our uncle Creon would do to us if we were to be caught.  I loved our brothers equally and I wished I would have been there to help give him a funeral to send him to the gods.  Now that I have had time to rationalize I realize that I was very mistaken to not go with you.  I wish our family had not had this awful past that our father and mother that have bethroved on us, but even after all of that I am still grateful to have such a loving sister as yourself.  I want you to know that I too will take the blame for the burying of our brother, I feel that I need to clean my conscious and my spirit because I did not bury him.  I didn't stop you from burying him and I didn't even try to convince you but instead I was a coward and did not go.  If you are not alive then who will I have to talk to, or spend my time with.  You are my only family left, and Creon has gone crazy.  I am not strong enough to stay here on the planet alone.  I hope you understand what I am saying to you.

Your sister,

Ismene 

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