Antigone by Sophocles The character of Antigone in Sophocles' play, Antigone, is one of the most controversial tragic characters in classical literature. The war in her city has torn her family apart, caused the death of both her brothers, and created a reason for her to fight against the king, her uncle. His uncle Creon decides that his brother Polyneices should not be buried because he is a traitor, but according to his religion his brother's soul will not go to the afterlife until he is buried. In defense of her brother, she illegally buries his body and is subsequently sentenced to death. With her complex thought patterns, bold actions, and the end she meets, the character of Antigone causes a debate among critics as to whether or not Antigone is a tragic heroine. She can be perceived as a martyr heroine, dying for love and religion, or as a fanatical woman who lacks the ability to think rationally. How the role of Antigone is played can further help interpret Sophocles' views on women and politics. By believing that she is a heroine who died for her beliefs, it shows that Sophocles aimed to show that women deserve to be treated as equals and as citizens of Greece. Sophocles, like Antigone, was born to a privileged family in 496 BC in Colonus, a town near Athens. His life was filled with stories of war and heroism. When he was a young boy, the Athenians defeated the Persians at Marathon. Afterwards, he was forced to watch the burning of his home and the Parthenon by the Persians, as well as the construction of a new Parthenon. During the last years of his life, the Peloponnesian War raged on a large scale. Sophocles was a general and war hero during some time in this period, but also at...... middle of paper ....../sophocles.htm. December 10, 2004. Holland, Catherine A. “After Antigone: Women, the Past, and the Future of Feminist Political Thought.” American Journal of Political Science, Vol. 42, no. 4. October 1998. JSTOR. http://links.jstor.org/s. December 8, 2004.Saxonhouse, Arlene W. “From Tragedy to Hierarchy and Back: Women in Greek Political Thought.” The American Journal of Political Science: Vol. 80, no. 2. June 1986. JSTOR. http://links.jstor.org. 8 Dec 2004.Sophocles. Antigone. Ed. Giorgio Giovane. New York: Dover Publications, Inc, 1993. Sophocles. Antigone. Ed. RC Jebb. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/sophocles-antigone.txt December 17, 2004.Willner, Dorothy. "The complex of Eduipo, Antigone and Electra: the woman as hero and victim." American Anthropologist, New Series, Vol. 84, no. 1. (March 1982), pp. 58-78. JSTOR. http://links.jstor.com 6 Dec 2004.