by her destiny, compelled even before the play begins, to follow her path to the end. This makes her essentially two personas: an actress portraying a role, and Antigone, the character she embodies. However, this duality fades as the play progresses, and the audience identifies more with the thin and plain girl. Antigone is a child-woman, too young and too frail for adulthood, yet too determined to be treated as a child. She frequently asserts that she is too young for an untimely death, and other characters often comment on her youth or her thinness, a trait of an undeveloped woman. Her youthful traits also emerge in her awkward attempt to match her sister Ismene’s beauty and sophistication by using makeup and a dress, and in her use of a child’s toy shovel to bury her brother. Antigone represents the idealism of youth, which struggles to survive in a corrupt world. Survival in such a world requires compromising one’s values. She embodies womanhood in her unwavering stance against the world and her integrity. Like her father Oedipus, she seeks truth to the very end, regardless of the consequences. She upholds her integrity to the extent of breaking off her engagement to Haemon to spare him from suffering. Sadly, she cannot shield him from pain, as he refuses to return to the living world as she wishes. Antigone is such a purist that she declines her sister’s help in burying their brother because Ismene wants to obey the law. When Ismene later tries to join her in condemnation, despite having committed no crime, Antigone rejects her companionship. Antigone is too much of an idealist to operate in the world. Her counterpart is Creon, a model of compromise. They argue over what Antigone should do with her life—Creon suggests she should gain weight and have children with Haemon, which Antigone scorns—in the pivotal scene of the play. Indeed, Antigone’s role is so crucial to the play that every other character’s morality must be evaluated in relation to hers, the standard or ideal. Ultimately, she embodies personal integrity as opposed to the expediency of personal compromise, like those Creon makes to preserve the state. Against Creon’s compromises, Antigone firmly declares that her role is to "say no and to die." In her idealistic sacrifice, Antigone became a heroic figure in occupied France, serving as an inspiration to the resistance movement as it fought against the German occupiers.

Choir/Chorus
The Choir includes the Prologue, who initially introduces the characters as participants in a play, thus breaking the theatrical illusion by revealing the ending right from the start. The Chorus embodies the "character" of the playwright, possibly Jean Anouilh himself. The Prologue explains that Antigone is compelled to perform her role "till the end." This statement implies that characters, much like real people, cannot escape their true selves, even within the fictional realm of the theater, the world of fantasy and assumed identities. The Chorus appears at the beginning and end of the play, establishing a framework that highlights the play's theatricality. Additionally, in the middle of the play, the Chorus offers a digression on tragedy, serving as another reminder to those who might be drawn into the illusion of reality. In this digression, the Chorus describes tragedy as "tranquil," since the outcome is known and unavoidable. Its presence and tone add a sardonic touch to the events of the play. When Creon deliberates over what to do with Antigone and nearly convinces himself that she wants to die, the Choir calls Creon a fool and reminds him that his niece is merely a child. In this role, the Choir functions like the traditional Greek chorus, acting as a group of moralizing elders.

Creon
Weary and burdened by the heavy responsibilities of state, Creon issues an edict against burying Polynices as a means to solidify his authority and restore public order after the war. He hopes this decree will discourage dissenters from rallying around the warrior, while giving a proper burial to the brother who challenged his rule. He never anticipates opposition from Antigone, a family member and fellow ruler, so when he discovers her defiance, he attempts to dissuade her from repeating the "absurd gesture" of the ritual burial. Her unwavering devotion to her brother instead of the state frustrates him. Creon has chosen the path of saying "yes" to duty, "yes" to the world, "yes" to being king, and thus "yes" to compromise. He sees no alternative way to govern. In his effort to persuade Antigone to cease her burials, he discredits Polynices' character, stripping away her last bit of faith in humanity. In return, she forces him to confront his own lost hope, reminding him of the idealistic young man he once was before a lifetime of compromise. By the play's conclusion, Creon must continue, now without the illusion of doing good; he merely persists.

Guard
The guard, along with his two fellow guards, fails to remain vigilant over Polynices' corpse. During a lapse in their watchfulness, Antigone performs a ritual burial by sprinkling dirt on her brother’s body, defying Creon’s edict. Creon warns the guards that they will face execution if another mistake occurs. Consequently, when the guard apprehends Antigone and presents her to Creon, he feels indifferent towards her but relieved to have redeemed himself. The guards are primarily concerned with their own survival. The guard who arrests Antigone is thirty-nine years old, has two children, and is a typical family man. With seventeen years of service, he is eager to secure his upcoming promotion in June. Antigone has to persuade him with a ring to write a final letter to Haemon, but he botches the task so badly that Antigone realizes the futility of leaving any last words. By the play’s end, the guards continue playing cards, oblivious to the surrounding tragedy, focused solely on their mundane lives.

Haemon
Haemon, Creon’s son, deeply loves Antigone, despite having previously been involved with Ismene before proposing to Antigone. His love for Antigone is genuine and profound. Loyal and trusting, he initially keeps his promise to remain silent after Antigone announces they will never marry. Unable to persuade his father to spare his fiancée, he decides to join Antigone in her cave. Upon discovering that she has hanged herself, he drives his sword into his chest, ending his own life.

Ismene
Ismene, Antigone’s beautiful and feminine sister, is the woman with whom Haemon spent an entire evening dancing before unexpectedly proposing to Antigone. Ismene is cautious and adheres to rules, advising Antigone to leave their brother unburied and leave the task of dying for one’s beliefs to men. This attitude disgusts Antigone. When Ismene finally seeks to join Antigone and begs to be punished alongside her for their brother’s burial, Antigone scornfully rejects her offer.

Messenger
The Prologue reveals the Messenger’s role at the beginning of the play. He is destined to announce Haemon’s death, and the weight of this message preoccupies him as he waits for the play to begin. In the end, the Messenger delivers a harrowing account of Haemon’s agonizing death before departing.

Nurse
Antigone endearingly refers to this simple woman as her old, "wrinkled apple." The Nurse shows unwavering love and loyalty to Antigone throughout her trials, highlighting Antigone's humanity and her role within a traditional family. The Nurse provides comic relief in an otherwise somber play. She is preoccupied with ensuring Antigone gets enough rest and food, completely unaware of or unable to grasp the complexities and significance of Antigone's rebellion. The Nurse underscores the sacrifices required for the sake of honor.

The Page
The Page is a young aide to Creon, who accepts Creon's authority without question and dutifully manages the king's tasks. The Page remains by Creon's side even after the tragic deaths of Creon's immediate family. Despite having witnessed all the events of the play, he tells Creon at the end that he wishes to grow up. The Page symbolizes the bureaucratic machinery, consistently performing the minor tasks that keep the regime functioning, regardless of how corrupt, incompetent, or misguided it may be.