The Notions of Justice in The Republic and Antigone

Within two classical works of philosophical literature, notions of justice are presented plainly. Plato’s The Republic and Sophocles’ Antigone both address elements of death, tyranny and immorality, morality, and societal roles. These topics are important elements when addressing justice, whether in the societal representation or personal representation. Antigone uses the concept of death in many ways when unfolding the tragic story of Antigone and her rebellion. The most obvious way is how death is used as a form of capital punishment and justice against state-dubbed criminals and wrongdoers. The play first exhibits this notion when Antigone states, â€Å"No passing humor, for the edict says who’er transgresses shall be stoned to death†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦show more content†¦Unlike in Antigone, Plato writes about man’s fear of death, and how that fear can be used against him. Socrates states, â€Å"Can any man be courageous who has the fear of death in hi m?† (Plato, Book 3). Socrates looks at the use of death for justice as something base because it reduces man to primitive behavior. In the previous quote, he specifically states that man cannot be functional when there is a looming fear of fatal justice hanging over one’s head. Although this notion of death as a tool for justice does not correlate with the notion of death in Antigone, both works view death as something justifying life. In The Republic, Cephalus addresses death as something man needs to enter with a clean conscience. He states, â€Å"It keeps him from having to leave life in the fear or owing debts to men or sacrifices to the gods,† (Plato, Book 1). While this quote also emphasizes Plato’s point that it is not just to use the fear of death for punishment, it also shows that death brings a complete closure and ultimate justification to all lives once ended. Tyranny and immorality are key notions presented in Antigone when referring to justic e. In this play, Creon is presented to be a tyrannical and irrational ruler, while Antigone rejects this system and ultimate dies because of it. Creon views leadership in a selfish, immoral manner. When speaking to his son about his rule, he states, â€Å"The state is his who rules it, so ‘tis held†Show MoreRelatedJustification of Creon in Antigone by Sophocles Essay994 Words   |  4 PagesJustification of Creon in Antigone by Sophocles Antigone is a tragic play written by Sophocles in about 441b.c. The play is a continuation of the curse put upon the household of Oedipus Rex. Sophocles actually wrote this play before he wrote Oedipus, but it follows Oedipus in chronological order. The story of Antigone begins after the departure of Oedipus, the king of Thebes, into self-exile. Oedipus’ two sons, Eteocles and Polyneices, were left to rule over Thebes. An argument over rightsRead MoreThe Origin, Development and Significance of Human Rights10255 Words   |  42 Pagesancient Greece and Rome, where it was closely tied to the doctrines of the Stoics, who held that human conduct should be judged according to, and brought into harmony with, the law of nature. A classic example of this view is given in Sophocles play Antigone, in which the title character, upon being reproached by King Creon for defying his command not to bury her slain brother, asserted that she acted in accordance with the immutable laws of the gods. In part because Stoicism played a key role in its