The idea of ​​a sacred crime is something that is open to opinion. Something that is a sacred crime to one person may not be a sacred crime to another. A holy crime is when someone with good intentions breaks the law with what they believe to be justified reasoning. In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and Sophocles' Antigone, crimes are committed by innocent people who feel good. Both Brutus and Antigone go against the law for something they believe is right, despite the consequences. Each character convinces themselves that their crime, although against the law, is for the best. Both have good intentions for their crimes and therefore justify them as holy in their minds. The offenses committed by Antigone and Brutus are sacred crimes which they justify with useful intentions, but Antigone's crime is the more sacred of the two. Antigone's crime is one that many would not even consider a crime. In the play Antigone, King Creon decrees that while Antigone's first brother, Eteocles, may be buried, her other brother, Polyneices, is not allowed to be laid to rest and anyone who attempts to bury him will be himself- even put to death. Antigone, however, opposes Creon and buries Polyneices anyway. Antigone believes that every dead soul deserves the same respect of being laid to rest. She feels she is following the greatest laws of the Gods by burying her brother. When speaking to her sister about her plan to bury their brother, Antigone said, “But I will bury him; and if I must die, / I say that this crime is holy: I will lie down / With him in death” (Sophocles Prologue.55-57). Antigone's pure love for her brother and her willingness to accept the punishment she knows is coming are, among other things, what sanctifies her crime. She simply buries Polyneices in the middle of a paper...e more solid and pure than those of Brutus, whose intentions were fragile and questionable. Antigone's crime was a lesser offense because it harmed no one and only contributed to the rest of her late brother. By comparing the two crimes and their consequences, we see that Antigone's crime was the lesser of the two evils. Both characters are brave and honorable people who commit crimes with the initial intention of helping others. Both characters believe what they are doing is for the best and intend to help, which proves both honorable and holy crimes. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar.” Literature: Reader's Choice Course Five. Ed. Jeffrey Wilhelm. New York: Glencoe, 2009. 774-863. Print.Sophocles. “Antigone.” Literature: Reader's Choice Course Five. Ed. Jeffrey Wilhelm. New York: Glencoe, 2009. 721-759. Print.