description Antigone Overview
Antigone is an ancient Greek tragedy by Sophocles, first performed in Athens around 441 BCE. After a civil war in Thebes, Antigone defies King Creon's order by performing burial rites for her brother Polynices, whom Creon has declared a traitor. Their confrontation leads to multiple deaths and explores the conflict between state authority and religious obligation, as well as pride, family loyalty, political judgment, and the limits of individual resistance.
help Antigone FAQ
Why does Antigone insist on burying Polynices?
She believes divine burial obligations outweigh Creon's decree that Polynices must remain unburied as a traitor. For Antigone, refusing the rites would dishonor both her brother and the laws of the gods.
What is Creon's tragic mistake in Antigone?
Creon treats obedience to the state and his own authority as absolute, ignoring warnings from Antigone, Haemon, and Tiresias. By the time he reverses his order, Antigone is dead and the consequences have reached his own family.
How is Sophocles' Antigone connected to Oedipus?
Antigone is the daughter of Oedipus and sister of Eteocles, Polynices, and Ismene. The play begins after her brothers have killed each other while fighting over control of Thebes.
Does Antigone die at the end of the play?
Yes, she kills herself after Creon confines her in a rocky tomb. Haemon then dies beside her, and his mother Eurydice also takes her own life after learning of his death.
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