to see that his authority was limited because he was only a man, not a god. Although laws should be followed, who is to say that every law or rule is right? Having a sense of what is “right” is more of a social aspect rather than an individual one. All people abide by a set of laws specific to their culture, and anyone who breaks those laws is a traitor. Because a person’s adherence to a rule depends on his or her personal truths, most people hold the same truths, but sometimes have different ways of carrying out what they hold to be true. Although most of the public agreed with Antigone’s decision to bury her brother, they did not carry out this value because of their need for self-preservation. Antigone dared to uphold her personal honor and that of her family and therefore deviated from the norm of self-preservation.A human being who has faith in a cause would rather follow his or her own idea of supreme authority rather than be subject to the will of another human being. Antigone had certain unalterable truths and values that she abided by, and those strong convictions were greater than her respect for Creon, or the value of her own life.Creon’s stubborn mistake in condemning Antigone to death results in the loss of his own wife and son. It is only then that he learns the folly in his bitter pride and authority struggle. Throughout the play Creon believes that “he whom the State appoints must be obeyed to the smallest matter, be it right—or wrong” (144). In Creon’s view, there is no room for diversion from his laws. Everything he declares must be followed through with to the very last detail, and there is no questioning his authority, no matter how unjust it may seem. That overbearing pride and austerity is what costs him his happiness.The play Antigone cannot therefore be called a tragedy, simply because its main character brings such nobility to the story. She is ...
