Examples Of Civil Disobedience In Antigone

The concept of civil disobedience has been around since the beginning of organized government. As long as people have had a law to disobey, they have done so. Most often, these people do not break the law just because they wish to cause trouble, but because they see the law as corrupt or immoral. Sophocles writes about such a person in his play Antigone, where the titular heroine breaks a law in order to bury her deceased brother. Since civil disobedience is not a purely fictional event, Antigone’s actions seem similar to those of real-life heroes, including the boxer Muhammad Ali, who risked his career for his religious beliefs. Because of their strict moral codes and determination to uphold their beliefs, Antigone and Muhammad Ali risked …show more content…
Antigone voluntarily sacrifices her life so she can do what is right. She claims that “This death of [hers] is of no importance, but if [she] had left [her] brother lying in death unburied,[she]I should have suffered.” (Sophocles 208). Antigone would rather die than live with a burdened conscience. She was given multiple chances to yield and recant her statements by Creon, but she insisted on doing what was right. When she was captured, she had already buried her brother, and she could have saved her own life without undoing her actions. However, Antigone persisted in resisting Creon, just so she could make a statement and persuade the people to her ideals. Her stubbornness and determination causes the chorus to lament, “Your death is the doing of your conscious hand” (227). Antigone decides that the best way to draw attention to her morals is to dramatically sacrifice her life for them, and since she is dying for what she believes in, she does not regret her fate. Antigone is determined to do whatever is necessary to uphold her ideals, even if it means losing her …show more content…
Ali nearly lost his career and all his public respect, but he persevered by believing in the strength of his morals. Antigone went even further by giving her life up in an attempt to defend her beliefs. Like Ali and Antigone, humans will face a time when they must battle the majority in order to take the “right” course of action. This will not be done easily; there will be much adversity and difficulty. However, if one truly believes in one’s morals and is willing to make a sacrifice in defending them, one will be able to overcome hardship for the sake of the greater

Show More