Antigone and Ismene are the daughters of Oedipus, a cursed king of Thebes who killed his father, married his mother, and later blinded himself in a fit of guilt. His daughters remained with his successor, Creon, as did one of his sons. The other son, Polynices, led a rebellion against Creon in a battle in which both the brothers were killed. Creon decreed that Polynices' body was not to be buried--this, according to the Greeks' beliefs, meant that his soul would never reach the Underworld, nor know peace.
Antigone snuck out that night to bury her brother, feeling that the duty of family was greater than duty to king. It took two nights, and on the second she was caught and put on trial. Creon's son Haimon spoke for her, he was her betrothed. But Creon's advisors warned him that if he didn't take drastic measures, public sympathy might grow for Antigone and other people would rebel against the king as well. So he sentenced her, instead of execution, to be sealed in a stone vault for a time.
The day after she was imprisoned, Haimon came with a group of men to free her, only to discover she had hung herself with her veil. Haimon killed himself in despair.
