Oedipus Plays: Antigone, Characters

Antigone – Daughter (and half-sister) of Oedipus, sister of Ismene, niece of Creon, and fiancée of Haemon. When her brother Polynices dies attacking Thebes, Antigone defies Creon’s order that no citizen of Thebes can give Polynices’s body a proper burial, under penalty of death. She believes the burial rituals are the unwritten rules of the gods, and must be obeyed regardless of a ruler’s political whims. She is bold in her defiance, believes firmly that she is right, and at times seems eager to die for the cause of burying her brother.

Ismene – Sister of Antigone. Ismene pleads with Antigone not to defy the laws of the city and not to bring more misfortune to their ill-fated family. When Creon sentences Antigone to death, Ismene first tries to share the guilt, and then pleads with Creon to change his mind and be merciful toward Antigone.

Creon – Brother-in-law of Oedipus, Creon becomes king of Thebes when Oedipus’s two sons die while battling each other for control of the city. Creon believes in the rule of law and the authority of the state above all else. Bending the rules leads to anarchy, in his opinion, and anarchy is worse than anything. Creon’s stubborn refusal to honor Antigone’s desire to bury her slain brother and to acknowledge the opinions of the Theban people, his son Haemon, and the seer Tiresias, leads to the deaths of his wife Eurydice, Haemon, and Antigone.

Haemon – Son of Creon and fiancé of Antigone. Haemon tries to convince his father to be compassionate toward Antigone and to heed the will of the people of Thebes, who don’t want to see her executed. He attacks his father and then kills himself when he finds Antigone dead.

Tiresias – The blind prophet, or seer, who warns Creon not to execute Antigone and not to stick so rigidly to his decision to disallow the burial of Polynices. When Creon insults Tiresias, the seer prophesies that the gods will punish Creon for Antigone’s death by taking the life of his child.

Eurydice – Wife of Creon and mother of Haemon. She blames her husband for their son’s suicide and kills herself, while cursing Creon’s name.

The Chorus – In Antigone, the chorus represents the elder citizens of Thebes. Sophocles’s choruses react to the events of the play. The chorus speaks as one voice, or sometimes through the voice of its leader. It praises, damns, cowers in fear, asks or offers advice, and generally helps the audience interpret the play.

A Sentry – The sentry brings Creon the news of Polynices’s illegal burial and later catches Antigone in the act of performing funereal rites for Polynices’s body.

A Messenger – The messenger gives an account of the suicides of Antigone, Haemon, and Eurydice.