When Antigone's two brothers are killed, King Creon rules that only Polynices will be denied a proper burial because he died an enemy of the state. While Polynices died banding together with others against the city of Thebes, his brother Eteocles died defending the state. Antigone buries her brother Polynices even though the King ordered that he be neither touched nor buried. When caught, Antigone did not argue nor deny her actions, for she believed what she did was right. When banished to a cave, Antigone killed herself before the king could retract his punishment. The morality in question here is about the placement of Antigone's loyalty. Should she obey the commands of her God or the commands of her city's ruler? In Crito, Socrates claims that disobeying one's country is worse than disobeying one's mother and father; that doing so harms the soul, and makes life not worth living. Antigone's moral beliefs however were to obey the rules of her God and give her brother a proper burial, and rather than breaking those rules, she acted upon them and accepted her fate calmly just as Socrates did in the Apology. In Euthyphro, Socrates ponders over the meaning of "piety" with Euthyphro, and although a definition is never reached, many examples of piety are given. Actions that are pleasing to the gods, or that are concerned with the care of the gods are all pious actions and therefore good and moral. This is because the gods would not will anything that is immoral. I think that in Euthyphro and Socrates' opinion, Antigone's actions would be moral because she is acting upon her knowledge of the rules of the gods.
Review of Antigone
