A Clash of Brotherhood

Paper Summary:

This paper shows how, in both Plato's "Republic" and Sophocles' "Antigone," biological brotherhood plays a dangerous function, enough that for Plato it must be concealed and replaced by a universal brotherly relationship, while for Sophocles, brotherhood as a concept is accepted and plays a fundamental role in the unfolding of events.

From the Paper:

"In Republic, Plato illustrates that genetic brotherhood plays a suppressed role, while Antigone's fraternal bonds reveal it as a major element of society. Plato expresses through Socrates that "children, too, are to be possessed in common, so that no parent will know his own offspring or any child his parent" (Plato 457d). The Greek philosopher is clearly highlighting that family ties are not only weak, but virtually non-existent. Plato then declares that "those who were born at the same time as their mothers and fathers were having children they'll call their brothers and sisters" (Plato 461e). Since all boys and girls of the same age group must consider each other siblings, although they rarely have any biological connection, fraternal ties are clearly not a prime concern in Republic when compared to the welfare of the state. In Antigone, however, brotherhood plays such a vital role in the heroine's life that she is not only willing to break the laws in order to have her brother, Polyneices, buried, but she is also willing to die, the ultimate danger. In fact, Antigone explains to Creon that "[she] would not do it [defy the state] for a child, were [she] a mother,/ Not for a husband either" (Sophocles 39), but only for a brother. While brotherhood is nearly absent in Republic, it is an important element of life for Antigone."

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