Question

Ead Antigone’s lines from Part 2 of Antigone.

Yes. Zeus did not announce those laws to me.
And Justice living with the gods below
sent no such laws for men. I did not think
anything which you proclaimed strong enough
to let a mortal override the gods
and their unwritten and unchanging laws.
They’re not just for today or yesterday,
but exist forever, and no one knows
where they first appeared. So I did not mean
to let a fear of any human will
lead to my punishment among the gods.

What central idea do these details introduce?

Answer 1

The lines introduce the central idea of the conflict between the laws of the state and the laws of the gods, and Antigone's belief that obeying divine laws is more important than obeying human laws.

Step-by-step explanation:

The central idea introduced in these lines from Part 2 of Antigone is the conflict between the laws of the state and the laws of the gods. Antigone is asserting that the laws proclaimed by Creon, the ruler of the state, are not strong enough to override the laws sent by the gods, which are unwritten and unchanging. She believes that these divine laws are eternal and not subject to the whims of mortal rulers, and that obeying them is more important than obeying human laws. This sets up the central conflict of the play, as Creon punishes Antigone for defying his edict and burying her brother, which he sees as a threat to his authority, while Antigone sees it as a sacred duty to the gods.