Antigone's Actions

Life is influenced by the decisions an individual chooses to make or not make. These decisions have a direct relationship into the path of life that will unfold as time passes; and, those decisions create a domino effect that forever changes that person’s life. Antigone, the main character of Sophocles’ play, “Antigone”, makes one decision that affects her life, as well as the lives of the people around her. As soon as she decided to bury her brother in order to properly give him respect and a means to be civilly treated, she set forth a series of events that only the future, and of course Teiresias, knew. By choosing the path of honor and respect for her brother, Antigone chose to face several known and unknown outcomes, specifically, Creon’s disapproval and her own suffering which is told through this story.
Antigone’s actions were correct. She should have the right to bury her brother and have him respected. She should be able to love him enough to do that and not be punished. Although she went against the directive of Thebes’ ruler, and thereby committed blasphemy, her actions were out of love. Creon was wrong to have Antigone punished in such a manner; the punishment simply did not fit her crime. Antigone simply stood up to a bully, Creon, and in doing so, respected her own beliefs and values. In feeling as strongly as she did, she recognized that its importance was so great that it could not be shielded by simply placing her in a cave. Not even death could take her convictions away, which she believed, would ultimately be weighed and evaluated by God, not Creon--nor anyone else who did not respect and honor themselves enough to stand up for themselves or others during their time of need.
In fact, Antigone was repulsed by the cowardly act of her own sister, Ismene, who decided to go with her into the cave. Ismene was not showing courage to die for what was right, but rather was choosing to die for fear of what would happen to her once Antigone was gone. In between the fear of repercussions and lack of courage to bury her own brother, were Ismene’s indecisiveness and the true colors of her values, which infuriated Antigone. Now facing the limelight, Ismene, who did not want to help in the process of burying Polynecis, decides to suffer with Antigone. For what—an act, a show, and a free ticket to heaven on the coat tails of the pure and unselfish actions of her sister? It is therefore not surprising that Antigone told Ismene that only she could suffer for her actions—because it was only she, Antigone, who carried them out with honor and with true conviction.