Identify the theme of Antigone:1 .analyze how it functions in the play2. how is it relevant to today's readers

The theme of a literary work is its central message—the idea an author wants to convey about a particular subject. Many literary works have more than one theme, and this is certainly the case with Antigone. Here are two themes that are portrayed in the play; the one that resonates with you best is the one you’ll most easily describe as the "main" theme.

One angle you can consider is whether it is more important to follow the gods’ laws or man’s laws. Creon makes a law that directly contradicts the gods’ law to bury the dead; Antigone’s decision to bury Polyneices incites the primary conflict in the play. By the end of the play, Antigone is dead and Creon is bereft, so at first glance it may not be clear whom Sophocles favors. However, before Creon loses his family, Antigone says, "but if the guilt lies upon Creon who judge me, then, I pray, may his punishment equal my own." And indeed, his punishment is twice her own, two deaths, two family members lost. Thus, Sophocles suggests that Antigone is in the right and that the gods favor those who follow their laws in the face of adversity.

Closely related, but nevertheless distinct, is the theme of tension between individual morality and the demands of society/the state. Antigone follows her own individual morals rather than the laws of the society in which she lives. Creon, the leader of that society, suffers no societal punishment for his wrongdoing—he remains king when the play has finished. And yet Antigone dies at peace with her actions, while Creon lives on in despair. This suggests that Sophocles’ message was the importance of living up to one’s own standards, even if the laws of the land disagree.

Both of these two themes are relevant to modern audiences. In the United States, there have been many protests of unjust laws throughout history, such as during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, and people continue today to protest laws they believe are immoral or unjust. The works of Martin Luther King Jr. are an excellent source of material on believing in divinity as a guiding light in the face of unjust human law. As for individual morality versus societal decree, you can look to today’s sanctuary cities, where local authorities believe the moral and practical good of protecting undocumented immigrants outweighs national laws barring their residence.