Notes
This is the first major agon (debate, or dramatic conflict) in the play between the two main characters, Antigone and Creon. Creon tries to subdue Antigone by proclaiming that she has broken “the published law.” But Antigone is not to be defeated. She is morally correct and she uses this fact to her advantage. Antigone quite sensibly believes in following Heaven’s laws and not those laid down by mortals like Creon. The laws of Heaven are “infallible” for her, as they have existed from the beginning of time. Creon’s law, on the other hand, is but “newly-born,” as Antigone points out. For Antigone, the established laws of Heaven have been tried and proven to be correct.
Antigone holds that death will not bring her as much sorrow as the fact that her brother’s body lies unburied. Her fierce pride and loyalty to family are evident in this scene. The Chorus is the first to observe this: “Fierce shows the maiden’s vein from her fierce sire;/ Calamity doth not subdue her will.”