Haemon

 The son of Creon and Eurydice, cousin to the four children of Oedipus.
 Antigone’s young fiancé and son to Creon.
 Haemon appears twice in the play.
 In the first, he is rejected by Antigone.
 In the second, he begs his father for Antigone’s life.
 In a dramatic dialogue with his father, Haemon defends the moral basis of Antigone’s actions
while warning his father that the people of Thebes sympathize with her determination to
bury Polyneices.
 He and his father part in anger, as he simply asks his father to do what’s right for Thebes,
and his father stubbornly follows the path of least resistance.
 He refused the happiness that Creon offers him and follows Antigone to a tragic demise.
 Haemon’s devotion to Antigone is clear, at her death , he is so distraught that he tries to kill
his father and then kills himself.

Eteocles

 Brother of Antigone , Ismene and Polyneices.

 He took control of Thebes after King Oedipus died, but then refused share the throne with
his brother Polyneices.
 The two brothers fought and killed each other outside one of the city’s seven gates.

Polyneices

 Brother of Antigone, Ismene and Eteocles.

 His name means ‘many troubles’, and he’s generally remembered as ‘the bad brother’,
because he attacked Thebes with foreign army.
 While Eteocles was buried with full ritual honours, Polyneices was left as carrion for the
crows, in punishment for the vile crime of assaulting his own city.

Chorus

 The chorus comments on the action and interacts with Creon, actively interceding with
advice at a critical moment late in the play.
 The chorus comprised of the Theban elders, vital for maintaining order in the city, and Creon
summons Them to win their loyalty.
 Frames the play with a prologue and epilogue, introducing the action and characters under
the sign of fatality.
 In presenting the tragedy, the chorus instructs the audience on proper spectatorship.
 Reappearing at the tragedy’s pivotal moments to comment on the action or the nature of
tragedy itself.
 Along with playing narrator, the chorus also attempts to intercede throughout the play,
whether on the behalf of the Theban people or the horrified spectators.
 They watch the unfolding events with sympathy and a discerning eye: they pity Creon and
Antigone, but also comment critically on their faults.
Choragos

 Leader of the Chorus.

 He is also the member of the chorus who participates in the drama of the play as a
member of the cast.
 In his role, he interacts with people in the play.
 In one of the scene, his task is to encourage Oedipus to summon Teiresias, the blind
prophet, to figure out who killed the king.