Wednesday, June 10, 2015

In Antigone, what is to be the fate of anyone who does not obey Creon's decree?

In Antigone, Creon orders that the body of Polynices be left out to rot in the sun and be eaten by carrion and dogs.  He decrees that anyone who breaks this order and moves the body to give it a proper burial shall be put to death.  Creon sees Polynices as a traitor to Thebes, so he claims that traitors do not deserve a proper burial.  Antigone, however, decides to follow the laws of the gods so that her brother can enter into the afterlife.  She cannot move the body on her own, and no one will agree to help her (in the beginning of the play, she appeals to her sister Ismene for help), so Antigone gathers dirt and puts it over the body as a symbolic burial.  When Creon hears from his messengers that the body has been somewhat "buried," he is furious and orders that the person be found and brought to him.  Even when Creon finds out that Antigone is the guilty person, he still orders her death.

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