Antigone
...ther. As king, Creon felt like a strong and powerful ruler was needed to stabilize Thebes. Creon wanted to send a message to all other potential enemies that Thebes was not to be messed with by leaving Polyneices, the invading traitor, unburied to be feasted upon by birds and wild dogs. He also wanted to exercise his newfound power over the people of Thebes, who he knew would be sympathetic to Polyneices in death by forcing them to abandon their custom of burial rites because of his royal decree. Once Creon discovers that Antigone, his niece, is the perpetrator, he is too stubborn and prideful to amend his decree. He feels that it would ruin his reputation and cause the people to lose respect for him. His pride will not allow anyone, especially a women, to disobey him and get away with it. All of Creon’s reasons for his actions are relative to his culture and social conditioning. Everything that he is trying to do, that he thinks is good, is just as likely to be thought of as wrong by someone else, particularly some outside of his culture. This is why Creon’s actions are wrong. Antigone feels that her brother is owed a proper royal burial, even though he turned against his homeland. She feels that it is a right, given by the Gods and Death itself, that is not able to be taken away by any mortal, not even a king. She buried her brother out of respect to him and the Gods. She knows of the power of the Gods all too well, and fears that leaving her brother unburied with only cause further sorrow for her and her family. Her ties to her family, as ill fated and cursed as it is, are stronger than her ties to Thebes. She feels that her family should come first, even if it may not be in the best interest of the State or its king. Most of her family is dead, except her sister, Ismene. She...