Family In Sophocles Antigone

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Both of your brothers have died but you have heard that they will only bury one because the other betrayed the family; what would you do? Would you stay loyal to your brother or follow the rules and not bury him? In Antigone, Polyneicês and Eteoclês died in the war but Polyneicês was fighting against his brother so Creon the king of Thebes decides that Eteoclês will be buried with honors but Polyneicês wouldn’t he will be left on the fields for that carrion birds. Creon threatens that whoever buries Polyneicês will be executed but Antigone believes that she has to bury him to stay true to him even after death but does Ismene think the same? Antigone and Ismene are both sisters but they are very different. Antigone values her family and …show more content…
Ismene values more the laws that honoring her brother and helping her sister out. Ismene does not think she can stand against them and she isn’t strong enough for it. On page 689 Ismene says “Our own death would be if we should go against Creon. And do what he has forbidden! We are only women, we cannot fight with men, Antigone! The law is strong; we must give in to the law. In this thing, and in worse. I beg the Dead to forgive me, but I am helpless: I must yield to those in authority. And I think it is dangerous business to be always meddling.” Ismene does not have the courage that Antigone has to go against Creon which makes them complete opposites. Ismene is authoritarian who favors that laws more than other things.
Antigone and Ismene are two sisters with completely different values, Antigone values her family and will sacrifice her own like just to honor her brother but Ismene rather follow the laws and not go against anyone. Ismene is willing to leave her brother on the battlefield without honoring him and letting her sister bury their brother alone knowing what she’s getting herself into. Families may be the same in a way but each person has different beliefs and

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