Antigone Public and Private View

Antigone Public and Private View

In Antigone’s private world, she is the niece of Creon, the sister of Polynices and Ismene, and the daughter of Oedipus. In the play she had to struggle with the fact Polynices was her blood brother, and needs to respect him by giving him the proper burial, while coming to the conclusion she has die because she has to disrespect her Uncle Creon, who was a surrogate father to her by going against his word of the law about burying Polyinices. Antigone quotes from the play as she speaks out against Creon, “These laws- I was not about to break them, not out of fear of some man’s wounded pride, and face the retribution of the gods. Die I must, I’ve know it all my life – how could I keep from knowing? –even without your death-sentence ringing in my ears. And if I am to die before my time I consider that a gain. Who on earth on earth alive in the midst of so much grief as I, could fail to find his death a rich reward? So for me, at least to meet this doom of yours is precious little pain,”(lines 510-520 pg. 1482).   She had to put up a fight against her sister as well in order to fight for what was right for there brother. As Antigone quotes in the play to Ismene, “Why not? Our own brother’s burial! Hasn’t Creon graced one with all the rites, disgraced the others? Etoecoles, they say has been given full military honors, rightly so- Creon’s laid him in the earth and he goes with glory down among the dead. But the body of Polynices, who died miserably, why, a city-wide proclamation, humor has it forbids anyone to mourn him. He’s to be left unwept, unburied, a lovely treasure for birds that scan the field and feast to their heart’s content,”(lines 25-35 pg. 1470-1471)  
In public Antigone has pride, and wants to bury her brother because of it. She wants to look like the hero who never gave up on her own flesh and blood. She makes this fact know to Ismene, “He is my brother and –deny it as you will-your brother too. No one will ever convict me...