Antigone

Sophocles' tragedy of a woman who buries her traitor brother against the state's decree, pitting divine law against Creon's power.

Specifications & Metrics

author

Sophocles

type

Tragedy (Greek)

era

Classical Athens (c. 441 BC)

language

Ancient Greek

setting

Thebes

source text

The Theban myth cycle

acts

1 acts

Relative Scale in Plays

Core Principles & Analysis

• Produced in Athens around 441 BC, part of Sophocles' Theban trilogy of myths.
• Antigone's defiance of Creon made the play a lasting text of civil disobedience.
• Anouilh, Brecht, and Fugard are among the many who adapted it for modern politics.

Sources

• Wikipedia: Antigone (Sophocles play)