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Contents
The protagonist. She decides to bury her brother Polynices before the play begins and spends the rest of the play defending that decision. She is not reckless; she is clear-eyed about the consequences and accepts them. Her refusal to back down forces every other character to take a position.
The king of Thebes and the play's antagonist. He issues the decree against burying Polynices and then refuses to reverse it even as evidence mounts that he is wrong. He is not simply evil; he has a coherent political philosophy. But his inability to admit error destroys his family and his rule.
Antigone's sister. She refuses to help bury Polynices because she is afraid of the consequences. Later, when Antigone is condemned, Ismene tries to share the blame. Antigone rejects this. Ismene represents the pull toward survival and caution, and the play treats her position as understandable even if it contrasts with Antigone's.
Creon's son and Antigone's fiancé. He tries to reason with his father using both personal and political arguments. When Creon refuses to listen, Haemon leaves in anger. He finds Antigone dead in the cave, attacks Creon, fails, and kills himself. His death is the blow that breaks Creon.
The blind prophet. He appears once, tells Creon exactly what will happen if he does not reverse course, and leaves. Creon initially accuses him of corruption. Everything Tiresias predicts comes true. His scene is the last real chance Creon has to change the outcome.
Creon's wife. She appears briefly, hears the news of Haemon's death, and kills herself while cursing Creon. She has almost no lines, but her death is the final blow in the play's ending. She makes Creon's isolation total.
A group of Theban elders who observe and comment on the action. They are sympathetic to Creon at first because he is the king, but they grow increasingly uneasy. They urge him to listen to Tiresias. They do not stop the tragedy, but they mark each stage of it and deliver the play's closing moral.
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