The German philosopher Hegel stated that the play
Antigone represents the tragic collision of right against right, with both sides equally justified. Do you agree with this interpretation? Why or why not? This post is due by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, January 24th.
I do not agree with this interpretation. In my personal opinion i think that Antigone is the only one who is doing whats right by attempting to give her brother a proper burial or ceremony instead of leaving him exposed to the wild. I think that leaving the brother of Antigone out in the open left to rot is creon's way of expressing his pride and loyalty toward his country but also abusing his power with the harsh punishment of death given to Antigone because she disobeyed the ridiculous law and sprinkled dirt on her brother. Overall i think that Antigone is right and creon is wrong and that creons act is more vindictive than it is justified. (excuse me if i didnt use justified in the correct context)
ReplyDelete...vindictive than it is just. *correction*
ReplyDeleteI agree with this statement due to the definition of morals. What a person believes is morally correct is completely arbitrary (their choice). Hegel may believe that King Creon has the right as a ruler to state what he believes and make it law. He could believe that absolute rule is more important than the burial of a fallen warrior. Antigone on the other hand believes that every member of her family deserves a burial. This is what she believes is morally correct. So what Hegel said is indeed true, both characters are doing what they believe is morally correct in their opinion. Both sides are equally justified by the way they interpret the word "right".
ReplyDeleteNo I do not agree with this interpretation because even though people have different morals, I believe that Antigone wanting to give her brother an appropriate burial is the right thing to do. If someone in my family that I was close to passed away, I would want to give them a proper burial and I would hope that they would do the same for me.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with this interpretation because even people who have done the most horrible of things still deserve to be properly disposed of or buried, in this case. Antigone does the right thing by sprinkling soil over her brother (who hasn't even been proved guilty) just so he could continue to the heavens and not be stranded on earth forever. Creon's law is harsh, unjust, and thoughtless.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Hegel's interpretation that the play Antigone show right against right, because both Creon and Antigone's actions were right and equally justified. As king Creon had the power to make laws, so when he put out the law to not bury Antigone's brother because he was a traitor that was completely right and within his power. While on the other hand when Antigone went against Creon's law and buried her brother she was also right. Antigone actions were justified by her personal belief that family members, no matter if they are a traitor or not, deserves a proper burial.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Hegel's interpertation that the play Antigone shows the tragic collision of right against right, because both Creon and Antigone's actions were equally justified. Creon has the right as a ruler to make any laws he wants. And the people under his rule are supposed to abide by them, but at the same time Antigone has perfect reasoning for wanting to bury her brother. Its her familys morals and she thinks he deserves proper burial, as would anyone else.
ReplyDeleteI do not agree with this interpretation because the truth is neither freon nor antigone were "right", therefore the battle cannot be right verus right. Both antigone and creon were overcome with pride. Although Antigones intentions were pure, she still let her pride overcome here to the point where it caused her death. As for creon, his intentions were in power not in doing right. Even though he claimed his biggest concern was for his county, he's not fooling anyone. All he was concerned about was being the all powerful king of a great county.
ReplyDeleteI would agree with this statement on certain levels. Was it against Creon's law to not bury her brother? Even though Antigone knew that this was wrong, she knew that this was her family, and that she should do something in honor of him. As for Creon, he is the king and should be able to create laws. What falls out of proportion in this case is, he is overreacting to this "threat" of power and enforced this law greatly. Both sides have valid reasons and prove the quote, "...right against right".
ReplyDeleteI agree with Hegel's interpretation because both Antigone and Creon remained true to what they see as being "right". Creon is the king and therefore has the power to make laws however he wants. Antigone obviously felt like giving her brother a proper burial was the right thing to do as well. Because of this and the open interpretation of what is right and wrong, I agree with Hegel's statement.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Hegel’s interpretation because I feel that Creon and Antigone both had equally justified belief that their actions were right. Antigone felt that it was her duty as a sister to provide a proper burial for her brother and Creon is king of Thebes so it is his right to make any law that he feels is necessary. Antigone has ethics on her side while Creon has the law; and even though their beliefs oppose one another, they are both right in their own ways.
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ReplyDeleteI do not agree with this interpretation because while I know and believe it is each person's right to choose their morals and act on what they believe right or wrong, it is clearly shown that he knew he was wrong. He knew he should not have sentenced Antigone to death or refused to give her brother a funeral. He acted with the very trait he told the blind man he was acting on. He did it out of greed, power, and a need to control and impress people, he couldn't back down for the sake of his image. Antigone did seem prideful too but I believe she was right in her actions. She did it for love, I think this collision is between knowing right and doing right. Creon knew what was right but did not act on it, Antigone did.
ReplyDeletec.barton
Though both sides of Hegel's interpretation are arguable, I more agree with it. As King, Creon has the ability to rule however he would like, and believes however he chooses to rule is morally correct. Yet, Antigone believes that going against Creon's orders to give her brother a proper burial was morally correct. Due to both character's actions on what is morally right, I believe that both sides are justified, and is why I agree with Hegel's statement.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with Hegel's interpretation that in the play both sides are equally justified because Creon was wrong in almost everything he did, and he knew it. He did everything out of his hunger for power and for his own good, while Antigone did what she did for her and everyone else's good. The one point i would agree with Hegel would be that at the end when Creon realizes his wrong doings and wishes he could go back and fix it.
ReplyDeleteI do not agree with Hegel's interpretation of the play being a collision of right against right. In my opinion,Creon forbid the burial of Antigone's brother not because he thought it was morally right, but because he is extremely prideful. I believe that Creon created the law because it was a way to show off his newly gained power, which he was crazy about. Now on the other hand,i think Antigone did what she did because she truly believed that it was the right thing. Therefore, I feel as though the play is best defined as a collision against right and wrong.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that what Antigone did was right. Although she she thought she was doing the right thing, in reality, it was wrong. It is never o.k. to break the law just because you think it's right.
ReplyDelete~Sam Ingrassia
I agree with Hegel's interpretation of the play representing tragic collision of right against right. Antigone did what she believed was ethically and morally correct; to properly bury her brother. Her criminal actions can be justified by the love and respect she had for him. Antigone knew she would suffer Creon's punishment before she acted. Creon is the king, therefore, his word is law. As any other justice system, there must be punishment in place for those who break the law. Each side presents a fair arguement, making Hegel's statement correct.
ReplyDeleteI think that the statement is both true and false. Both Antigone and Creon believed the actions they took were right because they both percieve right and wrong in different ways. But then Creon towards the end realizes what he has done is wrong and kind of in his own way begins to see the reasons behind Antigone's actions, though with his narcassistic charchter he still sees himself as right and only takes back his actions for fear of what the Gods will do to his city and in return what the people of the city will do to get back at him. With Hegel's statement you can see it as Antigone believing her way is right because it was her brother and she believed that he deserved a proper burial while you have Creon who believes that since he is king of Thebes that what he does is right because in his mind everything he does betters the city.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with that statment because I think Antigone had every right to bury brother and Creon should have respected both of his nephews and his niece's decision. Family should have been more important to Creon at that time instead of creating his laws.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with this interpretation because I think it is right anginst wrong. Antigone shouldn't of burid her brother because it was against the law. Creon had every right to make that law because he was the king, and citizens have to obey the law even if they think the law is wrong. Before going off to bury her brother and therefore sealing her death antigone should have tryed to presuade Creon and talk him out of the law and see reason. Creon was also right because antigones brother was a traitor and should not be given a heroes burial for defying his country.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with Hegel's interpretation of Antigone. Both Antigone and Creon had their morals and values, although different, are still ever present. Each character believed that they were right in their own respects, it was just unfortunate that the ethics each possesed were opposite. Creon and Antigone had too much pride in their beliefs and because of that, it became their tragic flaw, the reason each fell.
ReplyDeleteI do not agree that there was a collision of right against right. Though Creon's decision might be considered as a moral decision, his true, hidden intention was to enforce and flaunt his power. He wanted to do something drastic in order to gain the respect of his people and show that he was the right person to gain this new power. His decision was ultimately wrong. In contrast, Antigone carried out her actions out of love for her brother and her sincere morals. She knew that what she was doing put her in great danger, but she still buried her brother because it was the right thing to do. Creon would have never had the courage to do this. Overall, this play was the story of a conflict between a narcissistic coward and a courageous, loyal sister, not a collision of right against right.
ReplyDeleteYes, I do agree with this interpretation because although what Anigone and Creon did was seen as immoral to some, others see their actions as the right thing to do. Creon and Antigone made the choices they did for a reason and did what they thought was just. For example, when Antigone wanted to bury her brother, she thought of the burial as an act of respect, not an unlawful action.
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