There are two major characters that dominate Sophocles's play, Antigone, that drive the play's action. The first is Antigone who seeks to appease the Gods and lay her brother to rest. The opposing figure in this play is Creon, the king of Thebes, who feels that Antigone's brother deserves no such rites for his betrayal. Throughout this play the key point of scrutiny is the morals and ethics of Antigone's decisions. Though the key source of Antigone's worries stems from a divine source, the true core of this play lies in the mundane opposition of Creon's decree. Her actions and decisions were fueled by her moral values, her respect for divine laws over man, and sense of pride.
             Antigone is a powerful example of someone who does what she thinks is right, despite many hardships and people who were discouragingly opposed. Although we may not relate to the self-sacrificial actions of Antigone, or may not have the strength to do something similar, we should uphold the principles behind her actions. Antigone believes, like most people of her time, that a dead person's soul could not rest if that person's body was not buried. Creon, the King, commands that the body of Polyneices, Antigone's brother, be left to rot unburied because he had died attacking the city, a traitor. This presents a huge dilemma for Antigone; she feels she must obey the laws of the gods and bury her brother, but the penalty would certainly be death.
             Antigone's moral values were so important to her that she is willing to die in order to uphold them. She reasons that her reward (or punishment) after death would reflect the nobility of her decision--and the reward would last much longer than her terrestrial life (65-66). Ismene believed that her sister was right but feared to act against authority (68-69). She is too overwhelmed by the present, and her immediate suffering. It is human nature to fear death, and this overwhelmed Ismene's desire to adhere to all godly...