Antigone's Struggle: A Clash of Religious Duty and Political Obligation in Gendered Perspectives - Paper Sample

Antigone rationalizes with Creon that since her deceased brother is no longer indebted to him she was justified in performing burial for him, following the highest law of the Greek state. She additionally, lashes out at the king when she highlights that by law, human dignity dictated that human beings need to be buried whether literary or symbolically for their soul to find peace in the underworld. As a result, Creon feels that she was taunting him when she sprinkled earth on the body of Polyneices allowing his soul to find peace in Hades. From Creon’s perspective, he sees the defiance coming from a woman rather than from a traitor. He is additionally infuriated with her assertive and bold nature when she questions why she chose to defy her king. She calmly responds by saying “I dared. It was not God’s proclamation. That final justice. That rules the world below makes no such law. Your edict, king, was strong, but all your strength is weakness itself. The immortal unrecorded laws of God.” (Antigone, 437) This response highlights Antigone’s religious obligation to Polyneices exceeds her political obligation to what Creon had decreed.

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The encounter between Antigone and Creon is a clear demonstration of the struggle between religious duty and political duty. On the offense, Creon symbolizes duty to the state and the laws that govern it. On the defense, Antigone symbolizes how her duty to family and religion is paramount and surpasses all social and political constructs. Creon advocated for obedience to the human-made laws above all else and he says that “there is nothing worse than disobedience to authority” (Antigone, 408). Antigone stresses that no higher obligation transcends duty to the gods and one’s religion. It is quite evident that gender roles play a critical role in which obligations Creon and Antigone view as absolute. Creon views citizenship as conformity to the state laws which necessitate uttermost respect while Antigone believes that despite being a citizen of Greece, she has an individualistic role to fulfill.

Gender plays a significant role in influencing how Creon executes his public role within society. When he learns of Antigone’s defiance, he views it as an attack on his masculinity and political leadership position (Antigone, 756). Upon hearing that his sister defied his orders, Creon takes the defiance personally by claiming that he is no longer a man, but rather Antigone is the man and therefore she has elevated herself to a higher hierarchy in comparison to him. He further argues that if he alters Antigone’s punishment for disobeying his decree, he will no longer be the king and would therefore have lost control of his kingdom to a woman. The gender roles are so fixed that Creon would rather condemn his blood sister to death than let a woman be in a position to challenge him. Meanwhile, Creon asserts that “When I am alive no woman shall rule” (Antigone. 577-8). And “I swear I am no man and she the man/if she can win this and not pay for it” (Antigone. 528-9). At this point, Creon has likened masculinity with triumph and confrontation with defeat. Antigone’s gender makes it all the more important than Creon enforces his will. He goes on to emphasize that Greek men must never allow women whom they love or are associated with blood to challenge or even attempt to outsmart men. He concluded by suggesting that he would rather be challenged and beaten by a man than disobeyed by a woman, if only for the gender roles to be maintained (Antigone, 551). Creon informs his son Haemon that it is vital that the state defeats Antigone primarily because she is a woman and she may assume male status. Creon’s conflict with Antigone lies in the fact that he cherishes traditional Greek customs whereby Greek women exemplify characteristics such as submissiveness, obedience, and silence in contracts to men who are dominant, authoritative, and victorious.

Creon’s actions highlight the precedence that political obligation has in comparison to family obligations. Throughout this play, it is evident that the different forms of obligations are viewed through distinct lenses thereby they are classified according to an individual’s gender (Calder, 1968). Despite, Creon and Antione being siblings they are in total disagreement about the welfare of their brother’s body. This conflict is highly personal to Creon who sees it as an attempt by his sister to grab power. Creon is unwilling to compromise his moral duty but is prepared to elevate his perceived duty to the whole of Greece even if it means killing all of his siblings. The attainment of power has overshadowed Creon’s individuality making his intentions and devotions to the city rival those he has towards his family. Creon believes that his political position necessitates him to unconditionally uphold civil order even if it means denying religious customs to his deceased brother and executing his sister for civic disloyalty. Therefore, he believes that his obligation to his family can be compromised for the greater good, however, his political obligation cannot be compromised irrespective of the personal cost he incurs (Antigone, 742).

References

Bayfield, M. A. (Ed.). (1901). The Antigone of Sophokles. Macmillan.

Calder III, W. M. (1968). Sophokles’ political tragedy, Antigone. Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies, 9(4), 389-407.

Milch, R. J. (1965). King Oedipus, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone. USA: Cliffs,. Print.