Antigone, << an TIHG uh nee >> in Greek mythology, was the daughter of King Oedipus and Queen Jocasta, the rulers of Thebes. Oedipus had unknowingly killed his father and married his mother. When he discovered what he had done, he blinded himself and was banished from Thebes. Antigone accompanied her father and served as his guide during his exile.
Following Oedipus’s death, Antigone returned to Thebes, where her brothers Eteocles and Polynices were struggling for the throne. The brothers had agreed to share the rule of Thebes, but Eteocles broke the agreement. Polynices tried to regain his share of the throne by attacking the city in an episode called the Seven Against Thebes.
During the battle, Eteocles and Polynices killed each other. Creon, the new king, buried Eteocles with great honor. But he considered Polynices a rebel and a traitor and forbade anyone to give him a proper burial. Antigone considered Creon’s order a violation of divine law and buried her brother.
Creon sentenced Antigone to death for her disobedience, despite the pleas of his son Haemon, whom Antigone was to marry. Ancient sources differ on what finally happened to her. One says she and Haemon committed suicide. Others say she was killed by Creon or went into exile. Antigone has come to represent personal courage and conscience, especially in opposing the unjust use of power by the state.
See also Oedipus.
