Antigone by Sophocles depicts the aftermath of the war between the sons of Oedipus, Eteocles and Polynices, to control Thebes. The new king Creon decrees that the former, who died defending Thebes, will be given a hero's burial but the latter, now branded a traitor to Thebes, shall not be buried but left in the open to be destroyed by wild animals and birds. Antigone, one of the two daughters of Oedipus who is to marry Creon's son, as much as she may have disagreed with her brother's action is grief stricken at the thought of him not receiving proper burial and determines that Creon's edict is a violation of the god's will and cannot be obeyed. After being caught in the act of covering her brother's body, Antigone is sentenced to be entombed alive over the protest of her betrothed and the seer of the city. Then the events unfold to punish Creon for his pride and foolhardy defiance of the gods by stubbornly refusing to admit his error until it is too late.
This classic Greek tragedy well deserves its place among the great books of Western Civilization. While short in length it is packed with lessons and points for discussion: obeying man v. obeying the gods, pride and its consequences, and the courage to stand for one's beliefs among others. Of Sophocles's tragedies this one is my favorite and I would highly recommend it for ages 14 and up.
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