UWEC Burial at Thebes

Sophocles’ play, first staged in the fifth century B.C., stands as a timely exploration of the conflict between those who affirm the individual’s human rights and those who must protect the state’s security. After the War of the Seven Against Thebes, Antigone, the daughter of Oedipus, learns that her brothers have killed each other, having been forced onto opposing sides of the battle. When Creon, king of Thebes, grants burial to one but not the “treacherous” other, Antigone defies his order, believing it is her duty to bury all of her close kin. Enraged, Creon condemns her to death, and his soldiers wall her up in a tomb. While Creon eventually agrees to Antigone’s release, it is too late: in a tragic repetition of events in her family’s history, she takes her own life. In this outstanding translation, Seamus Heaney reveals the darkness and humanity of Sophocles’ masterpiece.

Suggested age: 15 & over