It has been said that the ancient Greeks invented what is modernly referred to as the tragic drama. One of the most influential writers of the time was Sophocles, a fifth century Greek dramatist who penned one of the earliest surviving pieces of literature, Antigone. This play came as the third in a trilogy about a royal family of Thebes and the tragic events of the members' lives. While Sophocles' trilogy dabbles in discussing many Greek ideals and morals, his writing always carries a strong theme.
             One could infer many themes in Sophocles' Antigone such as the laws of the state versus the laws of tradition, the social place of women, and the consequences of uncompromising pride. Sophocles' often touches base on many of the aforementioned themes, giving great amount of details that could be used to support them. However, another possible theme of Antigone is that love inspires fierce devotion. This theme surfaces in many ways throughout the play, specifically, in the characters' relationships to one another.
             The first support of the theme occurs in the opening scene when Antigone decides to bury her brother, Polyneices, though it goes against the strict rule of Creon, the
             king of Thebes. Antigone, not a fierce or unusually courageous woman, loves her brother so deeply that she will break the king's law. She believes that he must have a
             proper burial, regardless of Creon's decree, because if not, then his spirit will never make it to the underworld. She is aware of the consequences, but her strong devotion to her brother makes the decision to bury him easy. She tells Ismene, her sister, "My brother and, though though deny him, thine/No man shall say that I betrayed a brother" (Sophocles 26-28). Antigone's love for Polyneices leads her to devote her effort into giving him a proper burial, regardless that Creon has ordered strictly against it.
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