Written Law v. Moral Law: Published Writing #1

Question #4 At one point, the Chorus suggests that Antigone is doomed, along with the rest of her family, to a tragic fate, saying, "No generation frees another, some god / strikes them down; there is no deliverance" (lines 647-48); at another point, however, the Chorus tells her "It is your own self -willed temper that has destroyed you"(lines 920-21). Which, if either, interpretation does the play as a whole endorse?

Antigone with her family are destined to be a tragedy. Antigone’s father killed his father and married with his own mother. Then Antigone’s brothers, “each killed the other, hand against brother’s hand” (Ismene, 65). For Antigone, she was punished in violation of the law, and died. However, the reason of the tragedy is not the god striking them down. The cause of this tragedy is their own temper. Self-willed temper can destroy a person. The representative is Antigone and her family.
The reason of Antigone’s father and brothers’ tragedy is their aggressive temper. Firstly, Antigone’s father is aggressive and bad-tempered. In Greek legend, Oedipus was destined to kill his father and marry his mother (Sophocles 1129). However, if Oedipus did not argue with his father because he wanted to across the road firstly when they met, and if he could calm himself down instead of releasing his bad temper, he would not kill his father. Then, he would not get the choice to marry with his mother. Then, Antigone’s brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices, were also aggressive because of the battle of imperial power. They battled to the death for the throne of Thebes (Sophocles 1129). If they can work together, and this battle would not appear, then they would not kill by each other. Especially, Polyneices would not attack his own country with other country. He would not be thought by Creon that he is a returned exile, his native city, and the gods of his own people (Creon, 217-219). Then, he would survive instead without burial.
For Antigone, her tragedy is resulting by herself because she is stubborn and tart. She wanted to bury her brother, Polyneices, which was religious, but it broke the law. If she was not stubborn and listened Ismene’s remonstrance, she would not break the law and resulted in death. When Ismene wanted to persuade Antigone, she became tart. She said Ismene dishonored the god (Antigone, 88-89), and she said she would loathe Iseme, and Ismene would be adjudged the enemy (109-110). Secondly, she was caught by Creon because she wanted to bury her brother again, and she was still tart to Creon. Her arrogance is the major reason riling Creon up. Creon was very angry, “this girl had learned her insolence before this, when she broke the established laws. But here is still another insolence in that she boasts of it, laughs at what she did” (Creon, 524-527), and this is the major reason that made Creon decide to kill her. In the constant, Ismene survived because she was considerate. If she could listen to Ismene and mealy-mouthed, the end of her might be different. 
In a conclusion, self-willed temper can destroy a person. Sometimes, it may kill person by themselves. If Antigone could more considerate, less stubborn and tart, she might survive with Ismene together. If Oedipus could more humility, he would not kill his father, and the whole tragedy would not appear. If Eteocles and Polyneices could more corporate, they would not kill each other, and Antigone would not die because she buried Polyneices. Tragedy is not resulting by god, it is created by self.