What is the driving force within humans that compels us to take on and fulfill a duty? Duty derives from a person’s innate sense of obligation to members of one’s community. This sense of obligation is then taught and reinforced by society’s standards. Social pressures and consequences reinforce the innate obligations one feels towards members of their community. In the context of The Odyssey and Antigone, duty is defined as a person’s sense of responsibility to honor and care for friends and loved ones even at great personal risk to themself. A profound sense of duty is demonstrated in The Odyssey through Odysseus’s command of his comrades, who trust him to guide them safely, and in Antigone, which portrays a sister’s deep sense of duty to her brother when she defies the laws of men to give him a proper burial. This paper argues that the characters of Odysseus and Antigone reveal a different aspect of duty, one that goes beyond conforming to social standards and aligns with biblical teachings, which is the human capacity to prioritize one’s obligations to the members of one’s community over one's own safety, happiness, and freedom.
Odysseus models the human capacity to prioritize others by placing the safety of his comrades over his own. Odysseus longs to return home to his wife and son, but his sense of obligation to his comrades, who are under his command, delays him from achieving this desire. When his crew, led by Eurylochus, becomes enslaved by Circe and subsequently turned into swine, Odysseus risks his life to rescue them, despite Eurylochus’ warning: “for I know you will never come back yourself…” (Homer 147). Odysseus bravely responds, “...only I shall go. For there is a strong compulsion upon me” (147). One can argue that the “compulsion” Odysseus feels is a deep responsibility for the welfare and safety of his men. Romans 12:10 states: "Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves” (NIV). Odysseus could have easily retreated, counted his men as lost causes, and sailed away with the rest of his crew. However, when Odysseus insists on rescuing his men from Circe, he willingly takes the risk, knowing the dangers of an attempted rescue. This demonstrates Odysseus’ deep sense of responsibility for those under his command, even when it poses risks to his own personal safety.
Antigone also demonstrates the human capacity for others when she refuses to obey the law of Creon in order to bury her brother. Antigone is fully aware that in defying Creon she will be sentenced to death. Her early conversation with her sister Ismene demonstrates her resoluteness when she responds to Ismene, saying, “I have longer to please the dead than please the living here… dishonor the laws the gods hold in honor” (Sophocles 363). Antigone is more concerned with her fate in the afterlife than preserving her mortal life. She places her value in eternity and realizes she will face judgment for her actions in her mortal life. Romans 13:7 states: "Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor" (NIV). Antigone demonstrates this biblical principle when she acknowledges her duty to pay respect and honor to her deceased brother, Polynices.
Odysseus demonstrates his sense of duty to his family and comrades by choosing them over potential happiness. Odysseus spends a year of luxury with Circe, where he and his comrades spend their days “feasting on unlimited meat and sweet wine” (Homer 152). The text alludes to the fact that Odysseus could have stayed longer. However, his desire to return home to his kingdom, his wife, and his son is born of a deep sense of obligation that he has for them. His duty to those he left behind in Ithaka is so strong that Odysseus, a mortal man, is able to convince Circe, a goddess, to help him return home to Ithaka. Circe directs Odysseus to venture to the Land of the Dead in order to find answers on how to return home safely. This symbolizes Odysseus’s willingness to face death in order to achieve his goal. Galatians 6:2 says to “Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (NIV). When Odysseus undertakes the journey to the Land of the Dead, in order to get the information he needs to get him and his comrades all safely home, he is carrying the burden of responsibility for them. Ultimately, Odysseus is unable to get his crew home safely, as they all perish in the shipwreck that washes Odysseus up on the shores of Ithaka. However, it is his willingness to face death that represents his drive to put the welfare of his comrades above himself.
In comparison to Odysseus, Antigone sacrifices a life of potential happiness, one she could have lived out as a bride to Haemon. The text portrays Haemon as deeply in love with Antigone. Haemon defends Antigone to Creon, hoping to elicit his mercy and have her spared from being put to death. The audience also realizes Haemon’s true devotion to Antigone when he commits suicide over her corpse, which is foreshadowed when Haemon says: “Then she’ll die… but her death will kill another” (Sophocles 383). Antigone laments that she has been “denied all joy of marriage” and “raising children” (388). The text also makes reference to the cave she is sentenced to die in as being her “bridal- bed,” further highlighting her sacrifice (387). Fulfilling her sense of duty to Polynices weighed more to Antigone than a life of domestic happiness with a man who deeply loved her.
Odysseus chooses duty before personal freedom when he places himself in uncomfortable situations. Once Odysseus has returned home, he is required to complete a ritual in order to appease Poseidon. Odysseus relays to his wife, “Teiresias told me I must take an oar and trudge the mainland, going from town to town… some traveler falling in with me will say: 'A winnowing fan, that on your shoulder, sir’” (Homer 186). Odysseus must leave his home after just returning to ensure he lives out the rest of his days peacefully with his family. There is no textual evidence given on how long Odysseus’s journey will take. This is done purposefully. Based on the fact that it will be on foot and will span many towns, it is not unreasonable to assume the journey may be long and arduous. Romans 5:3-4 says, “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (NIV). Odysseus’s hardships, endured because he chose duty over his freedom, produced resilience in him, strengthening his character. Throughout all the trials he faced, he never abandoned his hope of returning home or of living out the rest of his days with his family.
In contrast with Odysseus, Antigone places her sense of duty over her personal freedom in a more concrete way. When Antigone’s “living soul” is “ruthlessly lodged” “within the grave,” her physical freedom is completely stripped from her (Sophocles 392). Her act of committing suicide is a profound statement of a woman taking back her agency. In this way, she trades a slow and agonizing death that Creon had intended for her for a quick one. Antigone pays the ultimate sacrifice, her life, by performing her duty to Polynices. In this way, she demonstrates the human capability to bravely sacrifice one's life to honor their beliefs. Antigone shows immense bravery by standing up for what she believed was honorable: performing the burial rites for her beloved brother.
Odysseus and Antigone show a unique sense of obligation by acting not out of a need for social approval, but out of a deep sense of selflessness towards others. Their personal sacrifices reveal the human capacity to prioritize one’s community members over one’s own safety, happiness, and freedom. Odysseus represents how fulfilling one's duty can delay fulfillment, but through perseverance, a person can finally achieve their heart’s desire with pride. Antigone represents how far someone can be willing to go for the sake of duty, even when it costs them everything. Together, Odysseus and Antigone provide a powerful lesson that transcends time and culture on the sacrifices of performing one's duty. Yet despite the consequences of fulfilling one’s obligations, we should always strive to be honorable like Odysseus and Antigone.
Works Cited
The Bible. New International Version, The NIV Bible, 2011, https://www.thenivbible.com/
Homer. “The Odyssey.” The Norton Book of Classical Literature, edited by Bernard Knox, Norton, 1993, pp. 112–187.
Sophocles. “Antigone.” The Norton Book of Classical Literature, edited by Bernard Knox, Norton, 1993, pp. 359-400.
