| A | B |
|---|
| Antigone | protagonist of play, headstrong, upholds laws of gods rather than the King's laws, who happens to also be her uncle, brave, maybe too stubborn |
| Chorus | In the play Antigone, these players act as older Theban nobles who comment on the actions of the characters in the play and underline moral points. They also fill in the background of the civil war that pitted brothers Eteocles and Polynices against each other. |
| Ismene | sister to Antigone, scared of King's laws and not willing to disobey them like her sister, eventually decides to support Antigone |
| Creon | King of Thebes, with a strong loyalty to his country, dictates that no one should bury Polynices, brother to Antigone and Ismene, although this will dishonor their family, beaking the law of the gods and enraging them. |
| Haimon | engaged to Antigone and is Creon's son, voice of reason and strong enough to attempt to talk to his dad, the King, but to no avail |
| Eurydice | Creon's wife and Haemon's mother. She appears late in the play, when she senses something is wrong with her family. |
| Oedipus | The former king of Thebes and Antigone's father. |
| Laius | Oedipus' father and former king of Thebes. To avoid being killed by his own son as was prophesied, he sent Oedipus to die in the wilderness as a baby, but he survived. |
| Jocasta | The former queen of Thebes and Oedipus' mother. When she discovers that she has married her son, Oedipus, she commits suicide by hanging herself in the palace. |
| Polynices | The oldest son of Oedipus. He dies in battle, and Creon declares him to be a traitor, forbidding burial upon penalty of death. His body rots in front of the city until Antigone performs burial rites by sprinkling dust over it. |
| Eteocles | The youngest son of Oedipus. He claims the throne for himself with the support of Creon and exiles his brother. Polynices kills him in battle, and Eteocles' body receives a full burial at the order of Creon. |
| Sentry | A soldier who tells Creon about the illegal burial of Polynices' body. |
| Tiresias | A blind old prophet. He also predicts future attacks on Thebes by the cities that surround it. |
