Antigone
Antigone is a daughter of Oedipus in Greek legend who defies King Creon’s ban on burying her brother. Her story matters because it brings family duty and religious obligation into conflict with a ruler’s law, with terrible consequences for both sides.
Key stories of Antigone
Accompanying Oedipus
Antigone cares for her blind father during his exile. This part of her story shows her loyalty to a relative whom others reject.
In Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone guides Oedipus to a sacred grove near Athens and helps him seek protection.
In Oedipus at Colonus by Sophocles
Burying her brother
After her brothers kill each other fighting over Thebes, Creon forbids the burial of Polynices. Antigone disobeys because she believes the dead must receive sacred burial rites.
In Antigone, guards catch Antigone performing burial rites for Polynices, and she openly admits her action before Creon.
In Antigone by Sophocles
The fatal punishment
In the most common version, Creon orders Antigone shut inside a stone tomb. His eventual decision to release her comes too late to prevent several deaths.
In Antigone, Creon reaches the tomb after Antigone has hanged herself. His son Haemon, who was to marry her, then kills himself.
In Antigone by Sophocles
How to recognise Antigone in stories
- Look for a sister defending an unburied brother.
- Notice burial dust, forbidden funeral rites, and a sealed tomb.
- Watch for a clash between sacred duty and a ruler’s command.
Free for 3 months
200,000+ classics. Every format, free to start.
eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and any book printed at cost, large print too.
How is Antigone related to Oedipus?
Antigone is the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta. Because Jocasta is also Oedipus’s mother, the family relationships are tangled. In Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone accompanies her blind father in exile, showing the devotion that also shapes her later defence of her brother.
Why does Antigone disobey Creon?
Antigone disobeys Creon because she believes her duty to bury her brother outweighs his command. In Antigone, Creon treats Polynices as an enemy of Thebes, while Antigone insists that a ruler cannot cancel the sacred obligations owed to the dead.
Related terms
Free for 3 months
200,000+ classics. Every format, free to start.
eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and any book printed at cost, large print too.
200,000+ classics to read and hear, and printed books, large print included, at cost.
Try 3 months free
