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Antigone was one of the four children born of the hereditary relationship of Oedipus, the king of Thebes, with his mother, Iokaste. In Greek mythology and drama, Antigone's greatest virtue was devotion: she led her father after his blindness and self-exile, while in the case of the burial of her brother Polyneices, she chose the duty to the family and the laws of the gods over the laws of the state.

When King Oedipus went to exile, Antigone accompanied him to Kolonos, Attica. Her two brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices, stayed in Thebes under the regency of their uncle, Creon. When Oedipus died, Antigone returned to Thebes to live with her brothers and uncle, as well as her sister Ismene. Until then, the brothers had matured and competed for the throne of Thebes. They decided to take over the administration of the city in turn: one year would rule Eteocles, Polyneices next year, and so on.

However, at the end of the first year, Eteocles did not show any willingness to deliver the throne to his brother. Polyneikes was forced into exile and resorted to Adrastus, king of Argos and married his daughter, Argyia. Adrastos helped Polyneikes assemble a huge army with seven leaders attacking Thebes - the army was known as Seven against Thebes.

The Seven failed miserably, but not before the two sons of Oedipus confronted each other and killed each other in the battle. As a result, Creon, their uncle, became the king. He made an honorary funeral to Eteocles, but forbade the burial of Polyneices, for whom he felt he had betrayed his people with the siege of the city. This was a very harsh punishment: the ancient Greeks believed that without a burial, a human soul could not enter Hades and as a result would roam unceasingly upon the earth.

Antigone could not accept this treatment of her brother's body by Creon, and so with a handful of soil he gave him a symbolic burial. She also asked Ismene to help her, but her sister was too scared. Antigone’s action was a direct violation of the king's orders, and so Creon condemned her to death. He locked her in a tomb room and sealed its entrance. But the old prophet Tiresias warned the king that he would be cursed for the murder of Antigoni.

Eventually, Creon regretted it. He allowed a proper burial for Polyneices and opened the entrance of Antigone's tomb, but it was too late: to avoid death from hunger, Antigone hung herself. The son of Creon, Ammon, who had been engaged to Antigone, committed suicide over his beloved dead body. His death led the wife of Creon, Eurydice, to also commit suicide. Only Creon himself stayed alive to suffer the curse that Tiresias had prophesied.