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Sophocles’(496-406) second most famous play Antigone contains many contrasts. According to G. M. Kirkwood, “A contrast between Antigone and Creon lies at the heart of the drama can be taken for granted” (118). In the story, Antigone wants to bury her brother, who fought bravely and died on the battlefield, but to do so would be to break the law since her brother fought on the side of Argos, the enemy of Thebes. Creon, her …

…and insights the characters experience pull the reader into the story. There is real drama, and believable characters, and real tension.. The main characters, dramatically opposed to each other in intent, come to understand the viewpoint of the other, even though they cannot accept it. This movement toward both separation and understanding works on all the characters, Creon as much as Antigone. Their fatal contrast is between loyalty to family and loyalty to the law.