Many times in life one will come upon a situation where they are forced to decide between what ones conscious tells them to do and what the laws of man require them to do. In Sophocles, Antigone, the main character, Antigone comes to this crossroads. She must either follow the Kings law and leave her brothers body to be dishonored as it rotted away in front of the city or do what her conscious tells her to, give him a proper burial. Antigone is forced challenge man made law in order to follow her conscious and do what she believes is right.
In the city of Thebes there was turmoil over the recently vacated throne. Two brothers both wanted to seize power and both ended up dead as a result. Their Uncle Creon then seized power. Creon forbade anyone from burying the body of the rebel brother, Polynices under threat of death. Antigone, Polynices sister though that this was extremely unfair. She believed that her brother deserved a proper burial. To accomplish this she had to deify her King, taking a great risk she followed her conscious and did what her heart told her to.
Antigone, unlike her sister, does the right thing by following her conscious even when it was a great risk to herself as she had to break the Kings laws. She puts herself in great danger all to make sure her brother keeps his honor. In the end she ends up dying for what she believes in. She sacrifices her own like to follow her conscious and do what she believes is right.
This one act, the breaking of the Kings laws all to giver her brother a proper burial shows how Antigone challenges man made law when it goes against her conscious. She shows her inner integrity and strength by giving herself up for what she feels is right. While Antigone does die, she preserves both her and her brother Polynices honor in her actions.
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