Claim: Although Polyneices is Eteocles brother, he didn’t deserve any funeral rites because he tried to wipe out his ancestral city
Textual Evidence: “…Eteocles, who perished in the fight to save our city, the best and bravest of our spearmen, will have his burial…As for his brother- that Polyneices, who returned for exile, eager to wipe out in all-consuming fire his ancestral city and it native gods…for him, the proclamation in the state declares he’ll have no burial mound, no funeral rites, and no lament.” (Sophocles 220- 230)
Explanation: Polyneices betray Thebes when he attacked his own city instead of protecting it. He alternated ruling the City with his brother, thus Polyneices was meant to protect the people of the Thebes, not put them in danger. Polyneices doesn’t deserve a burial since he died without honor, by trying to kill the ancestral city’s native gods with a battle against Eteocles which put his people in danger; this battle ended with the death of his brother. In Greek mythology kill a family member is a sin and anyone who does so doesn’t deserve to rest with the gods, therefore Polyneices doesn’t deserve a proper burial.
Claim: Eteocles was trying to defending his city and protect it from Polyneices, but died honouring his people and city.
Textual Evidence: “Once Oedipus ceased being king of Thebes, his two sons, Polyneices and Eteocles, agreed to alternate as king.When Eteocles refused to give up power to Polyneices, the latter collected a foreign army of Argives and attacked the city. In the ensuing battle, the Thebans triumphed oveExplanation: Polyneices may have been apart of the royal family and seen as a loving friend and brother to Antigone and others he was still the enemy because he attacked Thebes with intention of wiping out the city and its gods. Polyneices is seen as the enemy because a king/ ruler is supposed to protect their city not destroy it because they want the best for their cities and for it to grow not to crumble. Since in Thebes he is still considered as an enemy and a traitor be does not deserve a burial therefore he should be left in limbor the invading forces, and the two brothers killed each other, with Eteocles defending the city and Polyneices attacking it.” (Page 1 BACKGROUND NOTE TO THE STORY)
Explanation: Eteocles was just trying to protect his city but died trying to guard it from the invading forces of his brother. Eteocles was passionate in defending his city because he worked so hard trying to build and maintain his city and get it in the right place. Eteocles will not allow his efforts to be in vain therefore he could not allow his brother to come to Thebes with a foreign army to destroy it. In the eyes of thebes Eteocles died as a hero
Claim: Although Polyneices was apart of the royal family, he was the enemy of Thebes because he attacked his own city with a foreign army of Argives
Textual Evidence: “A good man does not wish what we give him to be the same an evil man receives… An enemy can never be a friend, not even in death.” (Sophocles 520)
Explanation: Polyneices may have been apart of the royal family and seen as a loving friend and brother to Antigone and others he was still the enemy because he attacked Thebes with intention of wiping out the city and its gods. Polyneices is seen as the enemy because a king/ ruler is supposed to protect their city not destroy it because they want the best for their cities and for it to grow not to crumble. Since in Thebes he is still considered as an enemy and a traitor be does not deserve a burial therefore he should be left in limbo
Claim: Antigone thinks Creon is the one doing wrong by only honouring Eteocles and not Polyneices. Although, Eteocles had rightfully received his burial according to the customary rites by dying in honor and as a great leader who did all to defended his city, while Polyneices tried to destroy Thebes and died as a traitor.
Textual Evidence: “Look—what’s Creon doing with our two brothers? He’s honouring one with a full funeral and treating the other one disgracefully! Eteocles, they say, has had his burial according to our customary rites, to win him honour with the dead below”. (Sophocles 20-30)
Explanation: Eteocles deserve his proper burial because he died defending Thebes in the battle between him and Polyneices over control of Thebes. While Polyneices died in action as a traitor and the enemy of Thebes because of that Polyneices doesn’t deserve his burial because he didn’t get to be punished for his wrong doing on Thebes his punishment is no burial so that even in death, while he is in limbo, he cannot be in peace and he will suffer the consequences of his betrayal.
Claim: Ismen thinks that this was all destined to happen because their father was also unlucky when he ruled which lead to him taking his life; so when the two brothers fought to the death which brought them to a common doom.
Textual Evidence: “…Think, Antigone. Consider how our father died, hated and disgraced, when those mistakes which his own search revealed forced him to turn his hand against himself and stab out both his eyes. Then that woman, his mother and his wife—her double role— destroyed her own life in a twisted noose. Then there’s our own two brothers, both butchered in a single day—that ill-fated pair with their own hands slaughtered one another and brought about their common doom”. (Sophocles 50- 70)
Explanation: Eteocles and Polynices were destined to doom because their family was unlucky from the beginning, with Oedipus taking his own life because he couldn’t take the hatred and dishonor of his father, whom he killed unknowingly which lead to him winning the throne and marriage with his mother. Then later after his mother and wife found out about she bore her own son’s children and also took her life. The battle between the two brothers which lead to their death was just something waiting to happen. They’re tragic death was fated to happen.
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