Creon urges her to find Haemon and marry quickly. She must not waste her life and its happiness. Antigone challenges his servile happiness. She is of the tribe that asks questions and hates man's hope. A distraught Ismene rushes in, begging Antigone's forgiveness and promising to help her. Antigone rejects her, but she does not deserve to die with her.
Ismene swears she will bury Polynices herself then. Antigone calls on Creon to have her arrested, warning him that her disease is catching. Creon relents. The Chorus protests. Haemon enters and begs his father to stop the guards. Creon replies that the mob already knows the truth, and he can do nothing. Antigone sits before the First Guard in her cell; his is the last face she will see.
The Guard rambles about his pay, rations, and professional quibbles. Antigone interrupts him, pointing out that she is soon to die. She asks how she is to be executed. The Guard informs her that she is to be immured. The Guard asks if he can do anything for her. She asks if he could give someone a letter, offering him her ring. Reluctant to endanger his job, the Guard suggests that she dictate her letter and he write it in his notebook in case they search his pockets. Antigone winces but accepts.
She recites her letter, "Forgive me, my darling. You would all have been so happy except for Antigone. The Chorus enters, announcing that it is Creon's turn. The Messenger delivers the news: Antigone had just been immured, when the crowd heard Haemon's moan from within.
Creon howled for the slaves to remove the stones. Antigone had hung herself. Haemon then stabbed himself and lay beside Antigone in a pool of blood. Upon being told of Haemon's death, Eurydice finished her row of knitting, climbed to her room, and cut her throat. Creon is alone. The Chorus notes that truly if it had not been for Antigone, all would have been at peace. All who had to die have now died.
Only the Guards are left, and the tragedy does not matter to them. Ace your assignments with our guide to Antigone! Just in the nick of time, though, King Theseus of Athens steps in and saves the girls. Theseus grants asylum to Oedipus, allowing the old blind man to die in peace. His body is buried in secret somewhere near Athens, and the city receives his blessing. Theseus refuses, though, saying that nobody can ever know where Oedipus is buried.
Antigone is super worried about the civil war between her brothers in Thebes, though, so she and Ismene head back home. Arriving back in her hometown of Thebes, Antigone tries to talk some sense into her brothers.
Try as she might, she can't get her brothers to be nice to each other, and they end up killing each other in single combat. Creon then takes over the throne of Thebes. As his first edict, he declares that Eteocles' body should be buried with all honors and ceremony, but that Polyneices' body should be left out in the open to rot and be eaten by wild animals.
Um, gross. The new king also says that anyone who touches the body will be sentenced to death. Note: Getting a proper burial was a big deal to the ancient Greeks. They believed that if the right rites weren't observed, then you weren't allowed to enter the Underworld and had to wander the shores of the River Styx forever as a restless ghost.
Antigone isn't about to let this fate happen to her brother, so she determines to bury him despite Creon's proclamation. The rebel girl tries to convince her sister, Ismene, to help her do it, but Ismene is way too chicken. So, Antigone goes out on her own and buries her brother.
She gets busted by Creon's guards, though, and they bring her before the king. Antigone is totally unrepentant, which only makes Creon angrier. He sentences her to be buried alive in a tomb or cave. Haemon, Creon's son, hears about all this and begs his dad to reconsider. Man, when did Antigone have time to get engaged? Creon refuses his son's pleas, though, and Haemon storms away.
The blind prophet Tiresias comes by to try and talk some sense into the king. Meanwhile in the tomb, Antigone is slowly smothering. The father and son argue, Haemon accusing Creon of arrogance, and Creon accusing Haemon of unmanly weakness in siding with a woman. Haemon leaves in anger, swearing never to return. Without admitting that Haemon may be right, Creon amends his pronouncement on the sisters: Ismene shall live, and Antigone will be sealed in a tomb to die of starvation, rather than stoned to death by the city.
The blind prophet Tiresias warns Creon that the gods disapprove of his leaving Polynices unburied and will punish the king's impiety with the death of his own son.
After rejecting Tiresias angrily, Creon reconsiders and decides to bury Polynices and free Antigone. But Creon's change of heart comes too late. Antigone has hanged herself and Haemon, in desperate agony, kills himself as well.
On hearing the news of her son's death, Eurydice, the queen, also kills herself, cursing Creon. Alone, in despair, Creon accepts responsibility for all the tragedy and prays for a quick death.
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