The Conflict of Political and Natural Law in Antigone

The Conflict over Political and Natural Law In Sophocles’ tragedy Antigone there are many major political conflicts present. Some of these include the role of women in politics, claims of justice versus claims of the family, individualism versus patriotism, the state versus religion, and obligation to the versus the obligation to ones conscience among others. But the conflict I have chosen to examine is that of the law of the gods or natural law versus the law of humans or the political law. In order to do this I will be focusing on three sections of argument: what occurs in Antigone to prompt this conflict, how Plato would react to and resolve this conflict, and finally how I would evaluate this conflict and work to decipher which†¦show more content†¦His natural law was not based on what the gods had enlisted as the right and wrong but rather that there was an inherent truth about the world and pursuing it was of the most supreme priority of an effective leader, bec ause without being guided by this truth the leader would establish false political law and would falter eventually. That being said, Plato would react to this play by realizing that Creon had the right intentions, because he believed that what he was doing truly was the right thing to do, but he allowed his anger with Polyneices, due to him being a traitor and fighting Thebes, along with his immense pride about not wanting to be proved wrong by a women to cloud his reason. Plato would describe Creon as having a soul not fit to be the ruler of a just city because his appetitive and spirited parts supersede that of reason, which is by far most important to Plato. The only person Plato saw to be a fit ruler was a â€Å"Philosopher-king,† since he would understand the â€Å"Goods† and â€Å"Truths† of the world and would lead the city towards them. But this is only possible if the people are obedient; Plato shows this through his noble lie, where all the people ar e chosen to a specific role in society based on their characteristics and are forced stay in that role throughout their lives. So Plato would see that Creon was on the right track to getting their but since he was anShow MoreRelatedEssay on Antigone and Tragedy Archetypes and Art917 Words   |  4 PagesAntigone as a heroic and tragic archetype must internally struggle with individuality and morality versus established rule and law and she can be seen as externally fighting between her sister as an outward display of her internal conflict. Antigone then is a unique archetype as a heroine and her power and powerlessness are defining to her as a woman in politics. Her sister, Ismene is portrayed as much weaker and can be said to be metaphorical in that individual morality is weak as compared to establishedRead MoreEssay on Comparing Positive and Natural Law1443 Words   |  6 PagesPositive and Natural Law â€Å"Do what you believe is right.† This is a phrase common to us all, brought to our attention by parents, reinforced by teachers, and preached by leaders. But how does one define what is right? 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