Rebecca Greene Antigone is an old Greek play turned movie that is about family, civil (dis)obedience, and commands of the gods. In the film, King Creon has just occupied the throne and has commanded that Eteocles, the previous ruler, have a royal burial while Polyneices, Eteocles' brother, has been declared a traitor and is to be left to the birds. (I'll give a little bit of the backdrop here simply for clarification purposes. The two brothers, Polyneices and Eteocles have two sisters, Ismene and Antigone; they are all the children of the previous king, Oedipus, and were born out of incest. When King Oedipus vacated the throne, his two sons agreed to rule together; obviously this did not work out as planned, so Polyneices raised an army to attack the city and overthrow his brother. They met on the battlefield and killed each other; right after this is where the movie begins).King Creon proclaimed that anyone who was caught trying to bury Polyneices would be stoned to death. Antigone wants to bury her brother anyway because she believes that it is against the gods' will not to give him a proper burial. This is synonymous to the Greek philosopher Socrates, who claimed he must live the philosophical life by questioning Athens' "wise men" on their self-proclaimed knowledge. He said that this was a command by the gods, and that he was doing his city a service; therefore, he would not stop living a philosophical life even if the cities' rulers command it. Antigone is caught with her brother's corps, King Creon has her buried alive in a cave. Antigone accepts her sentence with dignity, claiming that she did right by the gods for burying her brother. In the Apology, Socrates is sentenced to death by the city since he will not abstain from his questioning lifestyle. Similarly to Antigone, Socrates knew he would be found guilty and accepts his fate calmly. Both protagonists stuck with their moral beliefs rather than bending to the pressure of man; they felt it would be better to die than to live in disobedience to the gods.At one point, Socrates questioned a man named Euthyphro about the meaning of piety. Euthyphro gives multiple definitions throughout the dialogue for what piety is: doing what is pleasing to all the gods, the part of justice which is concerned with care of the gods, and praying and sacrificing to the gods. Socrates finds holes in each of these definitions however, and the conversation ends unsatisfactorily. I believe Euthyphro would have told Antigone that she was correct on obeying the gods and honoring her brother; he also would have told the king that he was just in punishing Antigone despite her being engaged to his son. Socrates taught that obeying the gods was more important than obeying human law. However, in Crito his friend tries to convince Socrates to run away from his death sentence and Socrates refuses because he doesn't want to disregard the laws of the city, thus weakening the state. Haemon, Creon's son does not outright tell his father, thus the law, that he is wrong in punishing Antigone. Merely that Creon ought to think it over and change his mind. Because he does not, Haemon and Creon's wife ultimately commit suicide and Creon is left alone and unhappy. Not too many years after they put Socrates to death, the great city of Athens fell and it has since never returned to its previous glory.

Kaly Royster In the film Antigone, the debate on what is just and unjust is presented. This theme is of course a very popular topic in Greek literature. The Greek philosopher, Socrates, questioned many times what to follow based on what is considered just. The film depicts the character Antigone going against King Creon's decree by doing what she considers just, but ultimately, she died standing up for her cause. Creon, who is the current king to the city of Thebes, has recently taken the throne after the exile and death of the previous king, Oedipus, and the death of his two sons, Polyneices and Eteocles. After Oedipus left Thebes, his two sons were left to switch back and forth being king of the city. The first brother to have a turn was Eteocles. When the time came for his reign to end, he of course, did not want to give up his noble position. So based on his brother's inability to step down, Polyneices decide to revolt and started a war against the city of Thebes. Ultimately, both brothers were killed in the battle. After their deaths, Creon took the throne, and since Polyneices was the one who started the war, Creon deemed him a traitor and Eteocles a hero for defending the city. For Creon's first edict as king, he declares that Eteocles will receive a rightful burial, but Polyneices' body will be left in the desert unburied since he was a traitor and does not deserve a rightful burial. Antigone, who is one of Polyneices and Eteocles' sisters, does not agree with this edict, and viewers too might have conflicting views on this edict. Antigone is faced with the tough decision to either follow the unwritten laws of the gods that say to bury the body or the written laws of the city that say to follow the king's command. Antigone struggles with her decision, but since she sees Polyneices as her brother and not as a traitor, she rebels against the laws of the city and follows what the gods' command. Similarly, in the book Apology, the author Plato transcribes Socrates' speech of defending himself against living a philosophical life. Socrates too had to make a similar decision like Antigone to either follow the god that told Socrates to live his philosophical life, or follow the city's command of him stopping his philosophical life. Socrates, like Antigone, chose to follow the god because he thought it was more just to follow the god than to follow the city's laws in that situation. Due to them both rebelling against their cities' laws, Socrates and Antigone were both sentenced to death. Creon did not want her blood on his hands, so he left the decision up to Antigone to either live or die. Antigone eventually killed herself since she was put in a cave to die. She knew that she was ultimately going to be judged by the gods, so in her mind since she followed the gods' commands, she exemplified justice and had nothing to lose by ending her life for her just cause. At this point in the film, viewers may feel bad for Antigone's death since she was only trying to do the right thing, or they could agree that she broke the laws, and therefore, her death was justified. Socrates too decided to face his death instead of escaping. However, in the book Crito, Socrates reasons for facing his punishment were because the laws of the city told him to do so not the god. Because of this change in who to follow, one could argue that it seems as if it is just to follow both the laws of the city and the gods, but it may depend on the situation and person. So as a viewer of the film Antigone; however, we see that it is more just to follow the gods, because in the end they stopped hearing the prayers of the city and turned against Thebes because of King Creon's actions.

burnum-686-537338 Moral claims do not give rise to philosophical grounds. Yet, In Antigone it is clear that moral actions prompt philosophical questions, and inherently make good drama.This review acts as a strict focus on how moral and ethical points are made throughout the film, and how they act as catalysts to progress the story and keep the viewer involved. Be it known that I have not read the Sopheclean text of Antigone, and fully derive all of my comments and criticisms solely within the boundaries of the film.The character flaws present in the film mostly derive from wayward and distorted adherences to moral ideologies. For example, Antigone's ethical and moral backbone throughout the film is guided by powerful intangibles like love and loneliness, which makes her rash and at times misguided. Creon's moral code is also in knots as he acts as a Euthyphro in the fact that he is conflicted and contradictory to many of his beliefs that shape him, i.e. his aforementioned moral code. Values undoubtedly shaped the society of Ancient Greece. Loyalty was a cornerstone value in this society, yet loyalty drifts and fades as tides turn in Antigone. For example, as Creon is crowned King of Thebes he is shown immediate support as the new benevolent King, yet mourning for Oedipus, or any mention of him whatsoever is non existent. Is this a loyal Thebes? Though support of Creon was warranted by his grace, the remembrances of a fallen king laid flat. As Creon sits on his thrown surrounded by his court he states, "The country's foe is always mine." Little did Creon know that he was the biggest threat to his country, and thus his own foe. Because of the nature of Greek Tragedies and the intuition of most people, the common viewer could understand this at first glimpse. It was clear that Creon's hubris and pride would be his downfall.Antigone, acting as the protagonist in the film, is the embodiment of good. Yet, contradictions within her moral ideology leads to questioning what "good" actually is. Is her entire moral and ethical embodiment good? Is it her choices of which moral standpoints to act upon that are what is good? Or is it her actions that are good? Simply put, Antigone is a walking paradox. It is impossible to know what is good. Acting against Zeus due to her undying love and care for her brother, or burying her brother because it is just in the Gods' eyes to do so. Both are contradictory and both can be good.It is clear that both the protagonist and antagonist have inner conflicts. Their inner ideologies contradict. What makes one a "protagonist" and another an "antagonist" lies in the fact that the shared ideologies between them also conflict. Inner contradictions within an individual which conflict with another individuals already clashing ideologies makes it impossible to know who is right and who is wrong. Both characters were acting upon the same ethical grounds. They acted to safeguard human law, religious law, and family values. Is it then that moral grounds are shaped by convenience and circumstance? Does one's moral backbone fit the skeleton of a different distortion of themselves? Is moral rectitude a variable of space and time? Is it the contradictions of moral standpoints that are convenient because they can be malleable to fit any form? These are the questions that I believe the film poses. The film does a fantastic job at examining exactly what grants a legitimate moral claim or action, which most people are curious about. Reason is man's most precious gift, and by the will of nature, the tone of his reasoning is determined by his moral code.

gentendo I believe the director's purpose was to persuade the audience to consider the following argument: Man is given only a limited number of chances to change his unrighteous/stubborn behavior into something more righteous, just and humble. If man refuses to submit to these chances, thereby procrastinating his repentance until the end, he not only causes unnecessary suffering upon others, but also upon himself. This theme is illustrated through Creon in four ways.Creon is given many chances throughout the film to change from stubborn tyrant to humble citizen—one who is equal and open-minded with everyone else. His first opportunity to change occurs through the exchange of words he has with his son, Haemon. Haemon attempts to persuade his father to free Antigone by stimulating his mind to reason. He graciously tells his father that he respects him, and that he will submit to his will if it be just. However, Haemon does not believe his father's will is just, and attempts to open his mind to other truths that exist outside his narrow perspective—namely, the truth of what Antigone did for her brother was noble and laudable. Haemon also gives a metaphor to what will happen to his father if he does not submit to humility: "Pliant trees survive even the fiercest storms. But rigid trees will break and collapse in the slightest wind." Even hearing the Chorus say that the words of his son are worth giving attention to, Creon is too dogmatic at this point. It's going to take a lot more to change his heart.His second opportunity to change is given to him through Antigone's last testimony before she is sentenced to dwell forever in the cave. Feeling that death is about to overtake her, she cries out to Creon, asking him what she has done wrong—what law she has broken. She admits that if her action is wrong, she will repent of her sins. But she also admits and prophesies that if her accuser is wrong, that the same death and curse placed upon her will also come upon him. This is a foreshadow of what was yet to take place to Creon, a man who continued to act as the rigid tree his son earlier warned him about (kind of like an Abinadi moment). Still, Creon is set in his ways and refuses to renounce his unrighteous judgments.His third opportunity to change seems to be the most effective in softening his heart. Knowing that the prophet has never been wrong about any foretold prediction, the blind prophet foretells the terrible fate that lies at Creon's discretion if he does not change. These words carry heavy weight into Creon's heart, causing him to now consider freeing Antigone and burying Polynices.The fourth opportunity comes from the Chorus. Upon contemplating the prophet's words, Creon announces, "Tell me what I must do and I will do it." The Chorus reproaches the king and tells him that he must free Antigone and bury Polynices in order for the curse to be removed. However, by the time he acts on this advice—which was the advice he was given all along—it is too late. Antigone, Haemon, and his wife all end up killing themselves as a result of Creon's procrastination. He now finds himself in a world of pain, having finally learned to comply with obedience through the things in which he suffered, but was now too late to do anything about. The last scene where Creon is escorted outside the walls of the kingdom produced a haunting image for me in what will happen to those who procrastinate the day of their repentance. Those who do so will, in a like manner, be escorted outside the celestial gates by the sentinels that guard them—keeping the impure and unholy out.