Examples Of Civil Disobedience In Antigone

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The Antigone Essay

1. Antigone is known to be a strong-willed character, hell bent on her beliefs as she defies the law time and time again. Her civil disobedience is the main focus of the play, pronouncing just how much she is willing to fight for her rights. Sophocles explores the impacts of what an uprising means to monarchies and what it symbolizes to the people who are downtrodden and silenced in the name of governmental reason. So how does Antigone practice civil disobedience?

To start, civil disobedience is a public refusal to obey the law; it is nonviolent, punishment is always willingly met, and it is used to attract attention onto the culprit’s message. Antigone uses this particular form of protest because her moral conviction is tried. This is shown when she declares, “It is my nature to join love, not hate,” (Sophocles, 134) after being captured for burying her deceased brother, Polyneices. Through Creon’s decree of death to her and her sister, Ismene, Antigone consequently becomes the epitome of unlawfulness in the city of Thebes. …show more content…
Therefore, Haimon is not foolish to beg of his father to terminate the executions. He reveals how he has listened to the peoples’ whispering, “They say no woman has ever, so unreasonably, died so shameful a death for a generous act,” (Sophocles, 66-67) and continues to push for what he believes is right, just as Antigone has done. Meanwhile, the people question the King’s ethics: “’She covered her brother’s body. Is this indecent?’ ‘She kept him from dogs and vultures. Is this a crime?’ ‘Death—She should have all the honor that we can give her!” (Sophocles,

Examples Of Civil Disobedience In Antigone

The concept of civil disobedience has been around since the beginning of organized government. As long as people have had a law to disobey, they have done so. Most often, these people do not break the law just because they wish to cause trouble, but because they see the law as corrupt or immoral. Sophocles writes about such a person in his play Antigone, where the titular heroine breaks a law in order to bury her deceased brother. Since civil disobedience is not a purely fictional event, Antigone’s…

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Kreon And Polyneikes In Sophocles Antigone

divide themselves between those who uphold their moral compass and those who passively accept the commands of tyranny. In “Antigone”, the main character, Antigone, defies the king, Kreon, by burying her brother. After the death of Antigone’s brothers, Eteokles and Polyneikes, Kreon decides that since Polyneikes betrayed the city, he did not deserve a proper burial. Antigone, a grieving sister, believed that he did. To avenge her brother and give him the respect she believed he deserved, she buried…

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Civil Disobedience: The Social Contract Theory

Civil disobedience is “a public, non-violent and conscientious breach of law undertaken with the aim of bringing about a change in laws or government policies.” In all cases, those who participate in civil disobedience, are acutely aware of the prospect of legal punishment (i.e. being thrown into jail). One of the main purposes in partaking in civil disobedience is bringing the dissatisfaction of the public to the attention of the…

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Effects Of Democracy In Antigone

EPICENTER OF THE EARTHQUAKE: A PAPER ON THE EFFECTS OF CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE ON CITIZEN-STATE RELATIONSHIP IN SOPHOCLES’ ANTIGONE BY OKOYE GOSIFE DONALD FOR HISTORY 100: CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE FROM ANCIENT GREECE TO MODERN AFRICA SUBMITTED ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5TH, 2013 PLEDGED: Democracy is defined as “That form of government in which the sovereign power resides in and is exercised by the whole body of free citizens directly or indirectly through a system of representation.” (Black's…

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Antigone Annotated Bibliography

AA Annotated bibliography Topic of Research- Antigone Working Thesis Sentence- Both “Remarks at Michigan State University” and “Day of Affirmation” are ideal speeches that I can use within my analysis to strength my argument. First Source: Clinton, William. “Remarks at Michigan State University”. 5 May 1995, pp.481-484. Antigone Module Opening Page, https://alamo.instructure.com/courses/1112121/ pages/antigone-module-opening-page. Canvas, https://alamo.instructure.com. William J. Clinton’s speech…

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Bio Med Essay

Honors English Novel Study Form Title: Antigone Author and Original Year of Publication: Sophocles, 1888 MLA citation: Sophocles. Antigone. New York: Dover Publications, 1993. Print. Pertinent biographical information on author (You must use an online source and must also include a citation that matches the Works Cited page): Sophocles was born around the times of 496 B.C.E. into wealth, as a son of an arms manufacturer. As an Athenian citizen and “well-known as a masters of tragedy…

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Antigone Vs Kreon Essay

In Sophocles Antigone, Antigone is in a dilemma between her principles and following the order of King Kreon. Being the loyal and moral sister, Antigone rebels against Kreon’s decision and gives her brother, Polynices, the proper burial he deserves, despite Kreon’s death penalty for anyone who disobeyed his commands. In Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail he explains that he disobeyed the laws that were unjust through nonviolent protests because they were laws that oppressed African…

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Disobedience In Antigone: Unjust Law, And Civil Rights

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” If Martin Luther King Jr. and countless others had not protested during the Civil Right movement there would still be segregation and inequality. Without a doubt, there are times when it is justifiable to break a law in a democratic society. If rights are being denied, if the majority feel it is an unjust law, or even if the minorities (being that they are experts on the subject) feel it is wrong as well. Despite…

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Essay on Civil Disobedience

“Civil Disobedience” Imagine living in a world where you completely disagree with a law or rule. Everyone in this world is required to obey this law, but your beliefs do not allow you to do the same. You can not carry on with being an obedient citizen so you break the rules. In the conclusion of breaking the laws, you have gotten into serious trouble. You are no longer living safe and in harmony. You are asking me if it is justifiable to break the rules in certain circumstances. I think in no circumstances…

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