In the play Antigone, by Sophocles, we admire Antigone and her actions because she is, among other characteristics, the courageous person we all wish to be. Courage is often seen as the most important human characteristic by many famous philosophers. For example, Aristotle states that:
Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others. -Aristotle
An example in the book where we can see Antigone’s true courage (true courage being courage with no personal gain or non-moral justification) is when Antigone openly defies the law to do what is right, and when confronted by Creon (the king), she says,
I did it. I don’t deny a thing… These laws–I was not about to break them, not out of fear of some man’s wounded pride, and face retribution of the gods. Die I must, I’ve known it all my life. [p. 81 ln. 492, and p.82 ln. 509-513]
We can see true courage here, specifically when she says, “I don’t deny a thing” because she leaves herself defenceless to all the consequences. In conclusion, Antigone embodies the most important human characteristic of courage by not only defying law and risking her life to do what is right but by also facing the consequences.
Hey Coen, good response! I agree with you that Antigone really displays courage, and also agree that it is a very important characteristic to have. I also liked how you included a quote from Aristotle. However, I did notice that you might not have answered one of the main questions about the play given in the handout. Nevertheless, it is a well thought out response!
I really appreciate your assertion on the value of courage as a human trait, and especially how that trait is embodied in the character of Antigone.