The Best of Humanity

An important aspect of Antigone’s defiance of Creon is that, in burying her brother, she believed that she was acting upon laws that came from a higher power than a king and were much more important. Antigone defied the laws set by her king and paid a price but in the end she was revealed to be correct in her actions. There have been many great people in history who have defied the laws in their societies in favor of following what was seen as a higher moral path. Many of these people were seen as radicals in their times but in retrospect they are often revered as examples of the best people that come along. It is people like Martin Luther King Jr. and Harriet Tubman, and many others who chose not to obey the laws that had been set before them and instead chose to help their fellow man that we now remember as the best examples of what people are capable of achieving. While Antigone did not strike a blow for civil rights or help runaway slaves to find freedom, her actions were along similar lines to those of many people who are held in high esteem by society. Antigone buried her brother’s body rather than have it be desecrated and reviled by his own people in death. A common trait among both fictitious and real people of greatness is their belief that they are doing what is right and not just what they are told is the right thing to do. In this way, Antigone is really a great example of a strong person who chooses to do what is right even knowing what terrible outcome is likely. (286)