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In many cases there is a choice that must be made between law or order and what is the right thing to do. Antigone is the story of the daughter and sister of Oedipus who was conceived through incestuous love and fathered by a disgraced man, and a mother who later committed suicide. Then in one single blow her two brothers kill each striking a fatal blow to the other. Creon, now the king of Thebes decides to bury one brother and leave the other to rot and be eaten by the dogs and crows. He goes so far as to outlaw anyone to give him proper burials rights on the penalty of death. Antigone however cannot bear to see her brother treated in such a manner. She decides that she will go and give her brother a proper burial even after her sister, Isemene refuses to help her, terrified of the consequence (death by stone). This predicament leaves us with the general question; which is of greater value? The order that is attained through law, or doing what you think is the right thing to do regardless of the consequences to yourself and others? It is better to take the morally right action in general even if it is against the law, but one must be aware of the hypothetical consequences of these actions even if it is the right thing to do.
There are certain situations when the laws, even when drafted by the people or the majority still contradict generally accepted moral principles. Still, everyone has their opinion of “the right thing” and these opinions can be wildly different. The result is a tough decision between consistency and order and doing what is right. From this we must try to determine which is the right choice, not only in Antigone’s case, but also in the situations we may face in our lives. Some might think that one must always obey the law and that maintaining order is the most important, others would advocate always doing what is right, and still others would deem it situational.
Kolberg’s moral theories would put Antigone is the highest class, post-conventional at a stage 5 or 6. This is because Antigone does what is morally right in spite of the consequence of death. Whether this was a wise or foolish move, it shows that she is acting in a selfless or careless manner. She states before committing the crime, “I shall lie, beloved, with my beloved brother, having committed a pious crime, since the time I must please those below is far longer than the time I must please those here above.” (65) Being at the higher moral stage simply means that Antigone values the welfare of others as much or more than her own well being. This is partly why Antigone is considered the first heroine of western literature and a model for standing up to the law. Antigone’s value of morality most likely played into her decision as well as most of her life having been stripped from her beforehand.
Many leading intellectuals would say that doing what is morally right despite what the law says is the way to go. This is portrayed through the actions of people like Martin Luther King Jr. who knew that the law was wrong and stood up for what is right. In a sense this is the same goal that Antigone fought toward. Her brother, although he had committed crimes against the city of Thebes, was still a human being and deserved to be treated as such. The law is made by man and anything created by man is bound to have imperfections. This is especially true when the law of the land is drafted by a single person with absolute authority. It is through this logic that Antigone’s decision to give her brother proper burial rights was the right one. However this decision eventually put Antigone in a situation where she took her own life and by doing so took the lives of her to-be husband Haemon and his mother through suicide while in their grief.
Morality has a lot to do with empathy, if empathy in itself does not in fact fully define what morality is. Living above the law is necessary to do what is right for our neighbors, not just for oneself. A post-conventional lifestyle involves being selfless and caring about others as well as attempting to define moral laws. Antigone’s decision seems to be one that would be made by a person at the post-conventional or at least conventional level. The decision was the correct one; it is a shame that the consequences of her actions were so great. It is better to act for the greater good rather than blindly follow the law, but it is vital that one remains constantly aware of the repercussions of each and every action they take.
Edited by Temerity, 01 July 2009 - 09:08 PM.
