Accountability means being responsible for one's actions. It means following through with decisions and choices and holding yourself or others to a standard. When someone is accountable for their actions it means they are willing to take responsibility and ownership. When a person holds someone else accountable, it means they are ensuring the other is held responsible for the consequences of their actions. In the play, accountability means facing and acknowledging the consequences of your actions.

Antigone decides to go against her Uncle Creon's ruling and bury her brother. However, Creon declared that if anyone broke this law, they would be punished by death. The entire play is centered around the family holding each other accountable for their actions and/or lack thereof.

• Antigone: She makes the decision to bury her brother knowing it will result in death. However, Antigone does not lie about her actions and holds herself accountable believing she is being true to the gods over being true to her mortal uncle.
• Creon: He holds Antigone accountable for her actions of burying her brother but lacks the awareness of how his actions will affect everyone around him. It's not until the end of the play that he takes responsibility for every death he and his people have suffered.
• Ismene: Antigone's sister refuses to partake in any of this drama, fearing she will die. Antigone holds her accountable for disobeying the gods and leaving their brother without a proper burial. It's not until Antigone is banished that she is willing to take any familial responsibility.
• Haemon: Creon's son and Antigone's fiance is caught in the middle, but he takes Antigone's side and attempts to hold his father accountable for his actions right up until his death.

In the play, we see a lack of compassionate communication which results in the deaths of Antigone, Haemon, and Creon's wife. Ultimately, Creon does take responsibility for his actions, but it's too late. The lesson here is one of hubris. Antigone and Creon refuse to hear each other because they believe they are right. With similar stubborn personalities, both cause severe drama which reminds us that it's important to listen and work towards compromise because the consequences of refusing to do so may be dire.