Discussion Topic

Antigone's views on the worst kind of death and the worst crime

Summary:

In Antigone, Antigone views the worst kind of death as one without honor. She believes that dishonoring the dead, especially family, is the worst crime. Despite Creon's decree that Polynices should not be buried, Antigone prioritizes the divine laws over human laws, choosing to honor her brother with a proper burial, even at the risk of her own life.

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What does Antigone consider the worst kind of death and why?

In AntigoneAntigone says that the worst kind of death is a death without honor.  She believes that the laws of the gods trump the laws of men.  As such, the gods hold that family members need to honor their dead, so even though Creon the king has ordered...

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that Polynices not be buried because he is a traitor, Antigone believes that Polynices deserves a proper burial because he is her family member.  Antigone, like the other citizens in Thebes, knows that Creon has ordered the punishment of death on anyone who attempts to bury the body of Polynices, but she believes that the laws of the gods trump those of men.  She cannot bear the thought of going to her grave as a dishonorable woman--one who has not obeyed the laws of the gods.  So she opts for a death with honor and buries her brother.

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