1. Antigone

2. Facts First performed in 441 BC
Chronologically last in the Oedipus Cycle but written first
Oedipus Rex: 429 BC
Oedipus at Colonus: 405/6 BC
Antigone: 441 BC
Written to continue the story of Aeschylus’s Seven against Thebes
Antigone=“worthy of one’s parents” or “in place of one’s parents”
One of the first heroines in literature

3. Characters
Antigone: a heroine who values familial duty but can be stubborn, willing to break the law if necessary
Ismene: lawful and obedient to authority
Eurydice: Creon’s wife, queen of Thebes
Creon: believes that following the law will guarantee personal happiness, possible tragic hero, absolute ruler (king) of Thebes
Haimon: son of Creon, engaged to Antigone
Teiresias: blind prophet, represents Fate and a devotion to truth at all costs
Chorus: old wise men of Thebes

4. Themes
Divine law vs. manmade law (Civil disobedience): Creon demands obedience to the law above all else, right or wrong. Antigone believes that state law can be broken in extreme cases, such as honoring the gods, whose rule and authority outweigh Creon's.
The danger of absolute rule: As King of Thebes, Creon makes a terrible mistake that he later regrets, and no one has the right to tell him of his mistake.

5. Burial: Each Greek city was responsible for burying its own citizens
Burial: Each Greek city was responsible for burying its own citizens. A soul could not pass over into the Underworld until all appropriate burial rituals had been performed.
Gender roles: Antigone stands up against Creon, the absolute ruler of Thebes and has been the primary provider for her family for years.

6. Questions
Should Polyneices be given burial rituals?
Should someone who buried him in defiance of the state be punished?
Are Creon's actions just or thoughtless?
Who is the protagonist and antagonist of the play: Antigone or Creon?