Antigone is a play that asks many questions and answers none. It forces us to participate in a layered thought experiment that pits tyranny against tradition, state law against personal choice, and family against family.

Antigone is one of the seven surviving plays of Sophocles, and perhaps, one of the most well-known Greek tragedies. The play’s protagonist, Antigone, is the daughter of the former king of Thebes, Oedipus. Her brothers, Eteocles and Polynices have recently killed each other in a battle for the crown of Thebes.

The presently crowned Theban king, Creon (Antigone’s uncle) decrees that Etiocles’ body will be honored with a hero’s burial while his brother, Polynices’ body be left for the dogs and vultures to eat, as a punishment for his rebellion. In an act of familial loyalty, Antigone betrays Creon’s order and buries her brother’s body. This act of defiance sets up this classic play’s ensuing debates and deaths.

What makes this play so enjoyable is that the convictions of both Antigone and Creon are so compelling.

Once Antigone is arrested for pouring sand over Polynices’ body, there is a great confrontation scene between her and Creon where Antigone states her belief that Creon does not have any authority over her brother’s burial and that this right, only belongs to the gods. Creon, becoming increasingly incredulous, insists that as the King of Thebes, he maintains the right to punish those who attack the crown. He punishes Antigone to death by starvation.

The Scene where Creon is confronted by his son, Haemon (who is also, wait for it…Antigone’s fiance) is equally thrilling. One of my favorite dialogues in the play perfectly sums up Creon’s ideology

Haemon: A city is no city that is of one man only.

Creon: Is not the city held to be his who rules it?

Haemon: That were brave – You a sole monarch of an empty land

Here Creon stresses that the king’s power is absolute and that he not only exercises the right to rule the people but also control them.

As the play progresses, Antigone succumbs to self-pity. However, she never once regrets her actions. The same cannot be said for Creon. His stubbornness is eventually worn down once when he is strongly advised that if he does not bury Polynices and free Antigone, he will be cursed and hated by his people. Characteristic of many Greek tragedies, despite his change of heart, the curse is irreversible.

Ultimately, the end of the play is one death after the other, emphasizing the consequences of unchecked power. There is not a single weak scene in the entirety of the play. The debate scenes (Ismene – Antigone, Antigone – Creon, Creon – Haemon) especially, are so gripping, not a dialogue misplaced or thrown away.

When I first read the play, I thought the clear depictions of Antigone as the heroine and Creon as the tyrant gave no room for any ambiguity about the play’s moral. But as I ruminated on the last act, it made me wonder, Is Antigone’s fate really any better than Creon’s? Of course, Creon got what he deserved, but Antigone’s adamant rebellion did not serve her any good either, except maybe the good conscience of having stuck to her convictions.  This is the ambiguity that we are left to untangle. Maybe the true moral of the story is that moderation in virtue is as fatal as moderation in vice.