The Nature of Conflict in Antigone In "Sophocles' Praise of Man and Antigone's Conflicts", Charles Paul Segal explains the nature of the conflict between Antigone and Creon: The conflict between Creon and Antigone finds its starting point in the problems of law and justice. In any case, the difference is formulated most explicitly in these terms in Antigone's great speech on the divine laws. . . . To the limited and relative “decrees” of men, she opposes the eternal laws of Zeus, the “unwritten laws of the gods”. She associates her affirmation of these absolute “laws” with her own resolute acceptance of death (460) (64). In Antigone, the protagonist is humble and pious before the gods and would not tempt the gods by leaving her brother's corpse unburied. . She is not humble before her uncle Creon, because she prioritizes the laws of the gods higher than those of men; and because she feels closer to her brother Polynices than to her uncle. The drama begins with Antigone inviting Ismene before the palace gates to say to her privately: “What, has not Creon destined our brothers, one to an honored burial, the other to shame without burial? ? Antigone's offer to Ismene ("Will you help this hand to raise up the dead?") is quickly rejected, so that Antigone must bury Polyneices herself. The protagonist, Antigone, quickly develops into a well-rounded character, while Ismene interacts with her as a foil, opposing Creon's threat of stoning to death as punishment for violators of his decree regarding Polyneices. The main conflict observed so far is that which the reader sees emerging between Antigone and the king. Antigone is a religious person who is not afraid of death, and who is...... middle of paper...... omnipresent. Sophocles' theme is the justice of the universe. We must understand that, in some sense, cosmic justice ultimately prevails (718). WORKS CITED Abrams, MH A Glossary of Literary Terms, 7th ed. New York: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1999. Segal, Charles Paul. “Sophocles’ Praise of Man and Antigone’s Conflicts.” In Sophocles: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Thomas Woodard. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966. Sophocles. Antigone. Translated by RC Jebb. The Classic Internet Archive. no pag.http://classics.mit.edu/Sophocles/antigone.html “Sophocles” in Literature of the Western World, edited by Brian Wilkie and James Hurt. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1984. Watling, E.F. Introduction. In Sophocles: The Theban Plays, translated by EF Watling. New York: books about penguins, 1974.