Religious concerns in Antigone.

Antigone's side of the dispute appears to have held a much more celestial approach, as contrasting to the ordinary course that Creon chose to travel. With her heavenly approach Antigone believes that Creon is paying no attention to the laws of the heavens. She believes that he does this by ordering it illegal for anybody to offer an appropriate funeral for her brother. Antigone's view is one that greatly supports the Gods and the laws of the heavens. Her way of thinking is predominantly structured  by her principle that if someone is not to be given an appropriate burial, that person would not be traditionally accepted into heaven. Being a very religious person, this greatly concerned Antigone as the acceptance of her brother by the Gods was very significant to her. Creons command was delicate to Antigone and his pronouncement occupied her family life as well as the Gods. An important model in Ancient Greece was the faith that the government was to have absolutely no control what so ever in subjects with reference to any person’s religious philosophies. From Antigone's point of view, Creon was extremely disloyal to that principle by not allowing her to bury her brother, Polyneices in the way that she felt it should be. Believing that Creon did not have the supremacy to deny Polyneices Antigone fought for that right so that the burial was a religious ceremony. But unfortunately Antigone's well-built beliefs ultimately led her to death by the hand of Creon, whose actions are directed by the principle that man is the gauge of all things. He deems that the good of a man comes prior to the Gods. A significant illustration of Creons belief was Polyneices unburied body, it seemed that he did not want to give respect or credit to a man who made an attempt to occupy and triumph over his city. He denies Polyneices burial in order to show respect for Thebes. From this point of view, Creons pronouncements for denying burial for Polyneices are entirely just and maintain the ideals. Creon's reasoning's correspond with the Greek ideals excluding two that strongly contradict his actions. These are that it is Creon who exercises absolute dominance of political influence. He confronts this ideal by holding Antigone prisoner when he really should have been holding the publics. The people of Thebes supported Antigone but intimidated by Creons power were much too frightened to do something about it. Haemon, Creons son made him aware of this. The second ideal confronted was the ideal of freedom of religion. By Creon denying Antigone her right to carry out burial ceremonies for her brother Polyneices, he is denying Antigone the ideal supporting the right for freedom of religion.

The oppositions flanked by the philosophies of Antigone and Creon are extremely strong and significant right the way through the play. None of their confrontations rule over the other one, even though they are both right and wrong at the same time in many different ways. Antigone is clearly following the divine law whereas Creon is trying to defend the truthfulness of the city-state. Eventually, Creon was persuaded to set Antigone free after he debated the ideals and weighed the factors. But by this time it deemed that it was too late. The challenging of ideals was the grounds of the deaths of Antigone, Haemon, and Megareus. Equally both sides were reasoned and all beliefs were supported.