Ismene begs Antigone not defy the laws of the city and add to their family's tragedy. She vows to give Polynices the proper burial rites. She declares that the burial traditions are the unwritten laws of the gods, and are more important than the decrees of one man. Oedipus's daughters, Antigone and Ismene, are grieving for the loss of their two brothers, but Antigone is also defiant. Creon further decrees that anyone who does try to bury Polynices will be punished with death. He decrees that the body of Polynices, who fought against his native city, will not be given burial rites but will be left to rot, as a warning to traitors. Their uncle, Creon, is now king of Thebes. As the play begins, the invading army of Argos has been driven from Thebes, but in the course of the battle, two sons of Oedipus (Eteocles and Polynices) have died fighting for opposing sides.
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