Antigone vs. Perpetua.... Who Is a Better Martyr?

Antigone vs. Perpetua…. Who is a Better Martyr?

To what extent will you go in order to defend something that you believe in? Are you willing to endure public ridicule, imprisonment, or even death for that which you so strongly believe in? Someone demonstrating such bravery as this can be referred to as a martyr. A more profound definition of a martyr is any person who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce a belief or cause, usually religious. There are several examples of this courageous behavior dated back hundreds of years in history. Two heroines in particular, Antigone and Perpetua, were both well known for their martyrdom. Even with slightly different situations, the women also similar in some ways.

To begin with, both Antigone and Perpetua possessed some of the same type of characteristics. Very confident and determined, they were able to stand up for what they valued without backing down, regardless of the consequences. At the hand of one another, Antigone’s brothers meet their demise and Creon becomes king of Thebes. During his reign he makes an unjust decree. “Never, while I rule, / Will a criminal be honored higher than a man of justice. / But give me a true friend of this city / And I will pay him full honor, in death or life” (Antigone, Lines 207-210). Creon felt as if Eteocles fought for the city, thus giving him a proper burial. On the other hand, he declared that Polyneices was a criminal and forbid anyone to bury him. Anyone who went against him would be punished by death. Well aware of this, Antigone refuses for this treatment to be put upon her brother. “….I / Will bury him. I will have a noble death / And lie with him, a dear sister with a dear brother. / Call it a crime of reverence, but I must be good to those / Who are below” (Antigone, Lines 71-75). She makes the decision to give her brother the proper burial that he deserves, even if it means she could be killed for doing so.

Just like Antigone, Perpetua displays the...