The title character of Sophocles’s tragedy is torn between her obligation to her family and her duty to the state. Told that her brother Polynices is considered a traitor and cannot receive a proper burial, Antigone defies her uncle, Creon, the king of Thebes, and buries her brother, losing her life as a result. The tragedy, which has been the subject of numerous philosophical reflections, raises the questions of what our duties are how we should behave when they come into conflict with one another.