Decisions in Antigone

Decisions Decisions…
Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “The time is always right to do what is right.” Every day, every person on earth has to make decisions for what they believe is true. Peoples’ beliefs differ from individual to individual, which creates a variety of “right choices”. Not everyone will choose the same path, for their choices reflect their beliefs. In Sophocles’ play, Antigone, the characters Ismene, Antigone, & Creon all perform actions based on their belief in either Divine or Civil Law.
Antigone believes that Divine Law is superior to Civil Law, so she will only do what the gods believe is true. Antigone goes out of her way to bury her brother, who Creon banished, and says, “I am doing only what I must.” (Sophocles 496). She shows courage and integrity in her beliefs. She chose to bury her brother Polyneices, though she knew that in doing so she would face certain death because King Creon forbids it. When Creon catches Antigone in the act, she is sentenced to death. Although her life is at stake, Antigone does not attempt to deny what she has done because she knows that what she does is the right thing. She not only says she is the culprit but also ridicules the Civil Law and accepts the punishment. Mocking Creon, Antigone says, “But all your strength is weakness itself again the immortal unrecorded laws of God” (Sophocles 505). She believes that no one is powerful enough to match the power of the laws of the Gods. This is the reason why Antigone would rather follow Divine Law, and uplift her brother to the Underworld than give in to the demands of the world she lives in, even at the cost of her life.
In contrast to Antigone, who is bold, and courageous, Ismene is more timid natured, and believes in Civil Law. In the opening discussion, Ismene decides to not take part in her brother’s burial. She knows she cannot fight the King, and she exclaims, “We are only women, we cannot fight with men, Antigone!” (Sophocles 496). It is clear that...