What is antigones motive for burying polyneices?

Answer 1

Antigone has many motives for burying Polyneices, the first of which is that he is her brother. The ancient Greeks believed that if a body was left unburied, the spirit would never be able to cross into the underworld but would wander the shores of the Styx, unable to find rest. To allow that to happen to her brother was unthinkable. Furthermore, leaving the body unburied would contribute to the cosmic "pollution" of the community begun during the reign of King Laius, as well as physically polluting the community. Decaying flesh smells bad and brings all manner of disease and vermin.

Another motive has to do with the role of women in ancient Greek society. Women really had no role in society; they were kept in the household performing domestic chores and birthing and raising new Greeks. The only time they really had a role in society was when a family member died. It was the women who prepared the body for the funeral. The women also ritually mourned the dead, tearing their hair and flesh with their nails to demonstrate their grief.

The third motive has to do with Antigone's family tree. Antigone's family was cursed in her grandfather's time as a result of Laius stealing (and raping) the son of the king from a neighboring kingdom. Consequently, Laius was killed by his son, Oedipus, who then married his own mother, Jocasta. Eteocles, Polyneices, Antigone, and Ismene are the result of that union. The entire line of the house of Thebes is fated to make poor decisions which result in their own death, and often the deaths of others, due to the curse.

Fourth, and most basic, Antigone buries her brother because it is required by the gods. The ancient Greeks believed that honoring the laws of the gods was of utmost importance. The gods could make a person's life pretty miserable if they were displeased by him/her. Antigone argues that she does not obey the civil law because the gods law is greater.