DOI: 10.47743/jss-2025-71-4-10

Faculty of Law, "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University of Iași.

Abstract: Sophocles' tragedy Antigone illustrates the conflict between two opposing views of justice: human law, embodied by King Creon, and ancestral custom, symbolized by Antigone. Through this conflict, the work analyzes the relationship between the individual and the state, individual conscience and social obligations. Antigone, loyal to divine law and her family traditions, defies Creon's authority by attempting to bury her brother Polynices, despite the king's prohibition. A symbol of the struggle for justice, courage, and resistance against arbitrary power, Antigone questions the foundations of political power and authority, asserting that ancestral custom must prevail over human edicts. She embodies the idea that sometimes the search for truth and justice requires immense sacrifices, the price being one's own life. Antigone's sacrifice is not just a simple act of rebellion against a decree issued by a tyrannical ruler, but can also be seen as a lesson for society, which seems to have strayed from the fundamental values of respect for divine laws, considered sacred and immutable. Creon, in turn, represents absolute authority, the king who tries to establish order in Thebes through the strict application of his decrees. The decision to refuse Polynices' burial is seen as a crucial act for maintaining authority and preventing social disorder. For him, human law, that is, his own word, takes precedence, and any disobedience to it threatens the peace and stability of the city. The decision to sentence Antigone to death, despite the insistence of her son, Haemon, reflects rigidity but also a degree of selfishness, as Creon does not allow an exception, however just, to jeopardize the king's authority, thus becoming blind to the dangers that may arise from disregarding the word of the gods. Sophocles' tragedy prompts the reader to reflect on the effects of power on human existence and its limits. It challenges them to ask themselves a series of fundamental questions: should existing laws be respected, even when they contradict the morals or values of a community? What does respect for the law mean? What about obedience?

Keywords: custom, law, moral duty, courage, conflict between written law and moral principles.

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