Antigone

Intrigue, murder and war have dragged on for generations through their family history. And there’s no end in sight: after the death of their parents Oedipus and Jocasta, the brothers Eteocles and Polyneices murder each other in the battle for the throne. Power is seized by their uncle Creon. He orders a state funeral for one brother, while the other is to rot on the battlefield. Antigone also wants to bury her second brother despite the death penalty threat. Her sister Ismene tries to stop her. But how is the cycle of injustice and arbitrariness going to stop if no one breaks it? Are human rights divisible? And does everyone really have constitutional rights? Creon represents the side of the ruling law. But does that really mean that Antigone has committed a crime? In Sophocles’ tragedy, premiered some 2,500 years ago, the reason of state is pitched against sibling love, and rationality against the heart. Antigone’s fate raises questions about responsibility, morality and the need to take personal action.