This essay is to discuss the multilayered motives that drive Antigone to action. When I read the play I believe, it is a strong sense alligence to her family, and pure anger that drives Antigone to make the decision to act against Creons law and bury her brother Polyneices.
After loosing her mother to sucided, her father and her twin brothers, Antigone and her sister Ismene are the last of the Labadcus family (a royal family). The lost of so many loved ones in a short period of time begins to manifests feelings in Antigone causing her to believe that death was in her future as well.Because of the conflictions over power that bring her brothers to war over the land of Thebes, both brothers are killed by the other ones hand. With a traitors death comes no honor – set in this belief Antigone’s uncle Creon (now ruler of Thebes) declears that Eteocles will be buried with honor because he died protecting the city and Polyneices, the traitor will not be buried, his body is to remain on top of the soil, naked only to beoome food for wild animals.Antigone is angry about Creon’s law, and motivated by her love and loyality for her family, she begans to plot Polyneices burial. Despite what or who Polyneices was fighting for or against, Antigone feels that he should be honored for the simple fact that he her “blood brother”.
Due to such a strong belief that the Creon’s law is wrong and unethical. Antigone even insisted that her sister Ismene was kind of like a traitor because using her her logical judgement of cause and effect she could not bring herself to agreement with Antigones plan.Ismene knew that if she would help in the criminal act of burying her brother, she would be sentenced to death and death was not what she hoped for. “ My brother and yours, though you may wish he were not. I never shall be found to be his traitor” Antigone (2). Antigone was fully aware of the consquenece she would face if Creon caught her in the act.
As opposed to Ismene’s way of thinking, Antigone’s was- “death before dishonor” and chosing to leave her brothers body to rot in the sun was definetly a dishonor.This is strong evidence that proves she loves her brother despite anyones feelings about his trechourous actions. It is also a sign of selflessness, as she is willing and ready to scarafice her life to bury her brother the right way. In final words, Antigone was stronghearted; her loyality and love for her family out weighed any thoughts about facing death, expect for her thought to invite death in and hornor her brother; she believed it would be well worth it.
