Essay Question Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Question - Essay Example In addition, Creon is to take care of Oedipus children, that is, Antigone and Ismene, and Oedipus sons, Polyneices, and Eteocles. When the two sons of Oedipus become of age, they start to fight over who is to rule Thebes. Polyneices being the older brother believed to be the rightful heir to the throne Thebes since he had the birthright. However, Eteocles causes an uprising against Polyneices and ousts him out of power. Polyneices retaliates with an army in a battle where the two brothers kill each other. Creon ascends to the throne once again. Conflict arises in Thebes when the new king Creon makes a decree that it is only Eteocles that will be honored with a befitting burial since Eteocles fought for Thebes. On the other hand, the body of Polyneices was to be left in the field to rot and be eaten by animals for leading a violent uprising against Thebes using a foreign army. The decree of Creon, which prohibited anyone against burying Polyneices was to serve as an example to Polyneices followers (Sophocles & Johnston, 2007). Creon declared that Polyneices did not deserve a honorable burial since Polyneices waged war against Thebes and, therefore, a traitor of Thebes. The declaration does not go well with Antigone, who asserts that her brother Polyneices deserves to be buried even though he was a traitor of Thebes (Sophocles & Johnston, 2007). A conflict arises between Antigone and Creon since Antigone believes that they have a divine duty to the gods to bury the dead. In addition, antigone is determined to bring honor to her family by burying her brother. Antigone saw it as immoral and dishonorable for the body of their brother to be left in the fields unburied like someone who had no family. Antigone makes an emotional appeal with Ismene for them to bury their brother since even though Polyneices is guilty of betraying the state, they should show him sisterly love and