Written by Sophocles, perhaps the greatest Greek writer of all time, Antigone is the third play of the Oedipus trilogy. The reader needs to know the background of the Oedipus myth, a story that involves Oedipus being subject to a curse that hangs over his family. Unknowingly, Oedipus becomes a victim of a prophesy -- that he will kill his father and marry his mother.
The story centers around a powerful moral conflict existing between Antigone and her uncle Creon over the burial rites of her older brother Polyneices. The latter was killed in a siege in which he attacked his brother Eteocles as well as his own state of Thebes. As a result, Creon, his uncle and the next in line for the throne, issues an edict that prevents Polyneices a military burial because he attacked his own people. Such a proclamation brings Antigone to the forefront where she boldly declares that she will indeed bury her brother.
Adherence to Civil Law and Religious Law are in direct opposition to each other; both Creon and Antigone struggle to maintain their integrity and standards.