Written Law V. Moral Law

There is a key significance that can be attributed to the Sentry when he initially told Creon that a man has buried Polyneices. First of all, the decree established by Creon was, “I here proclaim to the city that this man shall no one honor with a grave and none shall mourn” (Sophocles 1135). Creon made it clear to the city of Thebes that he absolutely prohibits anyone to bury Polyneices’ body. When the Sentry alerts Creon that someone has broken his law, Creon is outraged and seeks revenge on the person who broke the decree. Later on, the Sentry informs Creon that he saw Antigone “burying the dead man you forbade the burial of” (Sophocles 1141). Without having the Sentry inform Creon that Antigone was the criminal, there would be a mystery as to who buried Polyneices.

These events spark the major conflict between Creon and Antigone. Creon is faced with a difficult decision when he learns that Antigone is the individual who blatantly went against the law he set out for the entire city. Since Antigone is engaged to Creon’s son Haemon, Creon’s plan of executing the renegade is not as effortless to carry out. However, Creon quickly determines that he cannot go against his word and more importantly cannot let a woman defy him. When Creon says “I swear I am no man and she the man if she can win this and not pay for it” (Sophocles 1143). It seems that Creon is extremely focused on the fact that Antigone is a woman and if he were to let her walk free of the crime because she is a woman, then he would be less of a man for doing that. This leads the reader to believe that the conflict between Creon and Antigone is mostly related to their genders.

Gender bias is a recurring and essential theme in the play, Antigone. This theme is made very clear when Creon is talking to his son Haemon about his decision to execute Antigone. Creon says, “we cannot give victory to a woman. If we must accept defeat, let it be from a man; we must not let people say that a woman beat us” (Sophocles 1147). Creon believes that if a man loses to a woman, then he loses all of his credibility as a man and that it will never be forgotten that a man let a woman beat him. However, he deems it as satisfactory to lose to a man in an equivalent situation. Creon is letting the reader know his true feelings about women, and how he thinks that men are far superior to women. The theme of gender bias plays a massive role in the play, especially in the conflict toward Antigone and Creon.