Ancient Greece was a time when the God’s were the warriors, and free thought was not on the forefront of the general population's mind. Individualism was nearly unheard of, and yet Sophocles’ demonstrates the idea of free thought in a time where that simple thought was of the unthinkable. The conflict “Fate vs. Freewill” depicts the the opportunity costs faced when mythology and philosophy coincide. All characters within “Antigone” are faced with their own beliefs and the effects it will have on their religious beliefs, and vise versa. Essentially, individualism is the downfall of all of the characters.
The center of Greek mythology is control. Within the multitude of Greek god’s there was a hierarchy, therefore everyone behaved accordingly. This idea is translated when Sophocles uses Creon to set a decree that had a belief that went against all Greek burial rites. This decree in of itself is an example of self thought. Creon states, “ His body shall be left unburied to be devoured by birds and dogs and managed in men’s sight” (Sophocles 205-06). Such a decree is so vast that it could have only been harvested by free philosophy. Creon is no God to declare this. He has fought no battle to give him the honor for such an announcement. Creon is also very aware of the individualistic approach he took when he disclosed his doubt to his son, “Lord, suspicion has been dawning on me some time that this deed might perhaps be the work of the gods” (Sophocles 278-79). He begins to doubt himself because he is conscious to the fact that his decision goes directly against the gods, and may eventually lead to his downfall. His own idea on how to unite the city goes against every burial rite in their culture. This consequently leads to his demise and indirectly causes him to lose his son. Also, his decision to not bury his nephew is what leads to his own destruction.
After hearing this decree, the entire city blindly obeys, but Antigone, who is also a free thinker, decides to go against her uncle. In this play she is the epitome of free thought and individualism. She knew exactly what she was doing and why she was doing it. She quotes, “I know that I am pleasing those whom I am chiefly bound to please” (Antigone, 88-9). She knew what her individual values were and how they correlated with her religion. She did not accept what her peers and family believed, and chose to believe in her own values, and fight for them. Antigone understood that this decree caused the people of Thebes to go against the god they personally believed in. She states to Creon, “It is in their view also, but they keep their mouths shut for you” (Antigone, 590). If Creon’s decree was set to place control over the city-state, then all that could be expected is that the people blindly obey. She was noble and one who thought with her mind, yet it was these qualities, and her insubordination that lead to Antigone’s leads to her own downfall.
A mind blindly obeying religion in an Ancient Greek society may have been the only way to avoid one's self destruction or downfall. To think freely or to enact individualism, according to Sophocles, was essentially in one form another destined to lead to one's self demise. Nonetheless, it is this theory of thinking that will allow you to chose the path of that destruction. In “Antigone”, Creon chooses to set the decree, and in doing so loses his entire family. This was his own decision to go against his religion and chose this outcome. Conversely, Antigone chose her religion and her beliefs over her uncle’s. In doing so, she knew what this laid out for her destiny, and knew by doing so it would lead to her death. Both individualists were faced with weighing their values and choosing their own fate based on their own personal will.
No comments:
Post a Comment