Temmi LattinMrs. HillEnglish 929 February 2014Divine presence versus human law: which one prevails over the other? Since the beginning of days, people have pondered the question of whether or not there are gods, and if they do, are they in control? In Sophocles' Antigone, the reader is introduced to two opposing characters: Antigone and Creon. Creon, king of Thebes, decrees that Polyneices, who was leading an army against Thebes, is a traitor and therefore cannot be buried. Antigone, a strong and tenacious woman, disagrees with Creon's decision to deny Polyneices a proper burial and is determined to bury him, ignoring Creon's ruling. As a monarch, Creon represents human law and the power of kings, while Antigone represents divine law and the belief that the gods are in control and will punish anyone who challenges them. At the play's conclusion, both characters' futures are doomed, but the initial question of whether it was right still remains. The opera Antigone opens with the dialogue of two sisters, Antigone and Ismene, with two completely different opinions. Antigone believes that, as Polyneices' sisters, they are responsible for burying him properly, according to the god's rules. On the contrary, Ismene believes that they should not get involved, they are "born women, incapable of dealing with men". (Sophacles, p.3) Antigone ignores this statement and still adamantly insists that they must bury him. He feels that by burying him he will follow the gods, which is more important than following the ruler. As he says on page 3: “Loving and beloved, I will lie by his side (Polynices). For much longer it is necessary for me to satisfy those lower Powers, than the powers on earth; because there I will have to lie forever." She believes that in the afterlife she... middle of paper... the next king, however, offers the crown to whoever can solve the riddle instead. When Oedipus solves the riddle, Creon willingly relinquishes the throne and Jocasta's hand in marriage. This shows that Creon is not power hungry and truly wants the best for the city. The reader can see that Creon is trustworthy and does not go back on his word, which also confirms why he needed to punish Polyneices, even after he was given reason not to. Furthermore, Creon was sure that no one would disobey him, as we see on page 10, and I was shocked to hear that someone buried Polyneices, as he says; “What do you think? Which man dared to do this? Creon truly believed that everyone would obey, which explains why the punishment is so harsh. However, when Antigone did the unseen, how could she go back on her word and be considered dishonest and prejudiced towards family members??