Set in the past where values then differ from values today, Antigone sheds light upon conflicts with morality. She is faced with Creon’s decision of how her two brother’s deaths will be memorialized. Is it fair that one brother receives a proper burial and the other one does not?
One of her brothers, Eteocles, receives a lavish funeral, with “customary rites,/ to win him honor with the dead below,” (29-30) while the other brother, Polyneices, is left unburied and left as food for the birds. (35-37) These two brothers had fought against each other to death for the throne left behind by their father, Oedipus. With both successors dead, that leaves Creon, their uncle, to take the throne.
From Creon’s point of view, he sees Polyneices as the villain because he attempts to overthrow Eteocles from power and marches into Thebes with a battle intent. Creon believes that ‘anyone who threatens the state is an enemy.’ (212-214) It is understandable that Polyneices seems to play the role of the villain as he is reeking havoc on the country he grew up in and is to rule upon. However, Eteocles was at fault for breaking Oedipus’ wish that the brothers share the throne by having one rule for one year and the other rule the next year. I believe that if Eteocles followed his father’s wishes, then the whole battle between the brothers would not have happened. Creon’s decision is not fair, in my perspective, and is unethical because he puts all the blame on Polyneices who was aggressively seeking out justice for himself. “He’ll be left unburied,/ his body there for birds and dogs to eat,/ a clear reminder of his shameful fate.” (234-236) From this quote, Creon does not seem to have fully evaluated the situation, such as the underlying cause, and just automatically points an accusatory finger at Polyneices based on his actions. Also, as an uncle, I believe that Creon should give Polyneices some respect, not just leave his corpse in the open as food for animals.
Antigone, on the other hand, believes that family is more important, as she secretly sets out to hold a proper burial for Polyneices even if it means risking her life and going against the law. “I’ll still bury him. It would be fine to die while doing that…you can show contempt to those laws the gods hold in honour.” (89-96) By giving Polyneices a proper funeral, Antigone is obeying the morals set by the gods the Greeks honor and follow; in this case is that the dead should be given proper burial. Although Polyneices may have caused harm to Thebes, as a relative of a family who cares about him, Antigone’s decision to have a proper funeral for him is the right and respectful thing to do.
