Antigone

a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles

The Main Characters:

Antigone: The main character.

Ismene: Antigone’s sister.

Creon: The new king of Thebes and Antigone’s uncle.

Polyneices and Eteocles: Antigone’s two brothers.

After the two brothers, Polyneices and Eteocles, kill each other in battle, King Creon becomes the ruler of Thebes.

He decides that Eteocles will be buried with honor because he fought for the city.

However, he forbids anyone from burying Polyneices, calling him a traitor.

Creon’s law is very clear: anyone who tries to bury Polyneices will be killed.

Antigone loves both her brothers and believes that everyone deserves a proper burial to find peace in the afterlife.

She feels it’s her duty to bury Polyneices, even though it goes against the king’s law.

She asks her sister, Ismene, for help, but Ismene is too scared to break the law.

Antigone decides to do it herself.

She secretly goes and performs a small burial ritual for her brother.

When Creon finds out, he gets furious.

He orders that Antigone be captured and brought to him.

Creon can’t believe that his own niece would defy his law.

He tries to make her change her mind, but Antigone proudly says that she was following the laws of the gods, which are more important than any human law.

Creon sentences Antigone to death.

She is to be sealed alive in a cave.

Before she dies, Antigone says goodbye, believing she did the right thing for her family and the gods.

Creon’s son, Haemon, who is engaged to Antigone, begs his father to change his mind.

A wise old oracle, Tiresias, also warns Creon that he must bury Polyneices and free Antigone, or the gods will punish him.

Finally, Creon gives in and rushes to the cave to free Antigone and bury Polyneices.

But it’s too late.

When he gets to the cave, he finds that Antigone has taken her own life.

Haemon, heartbroken, tries to attack his father and then kills himself.

Later, Creon’s wife, Eurydice, hears about her son’s death and also takes her own life.