The central conflict in Antigone has to do with deep respect for someone. If there should be higher respect for the laws of men, or the laws of the gods. This central conflict arises because the people of Thebes are accustomed to living in peace. While the inhabitants of Thebes live there in peace, the battle against the Argive army begins. The end result of the war was that the Thebans defeated the Argive army. After the war, according to tradition, all Theban dead are buried out of respect for the gods and for the loved ones the dead leave behind. However, the Theban king Creon decides to apply a law which will not allow disloyal Thebans to be buried. This new law comes into conflict with his niece, Antigone. This is a problem for Antigone, since she obeys the rules of moral authority superior to the laws created by the Thebans. Say no to plagiarism. Get Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original EssayEven though Creon creates the law that no one is allowed to bury a disloyal Theban, Antigone still believes that the laws of the gods are much more important than the laws of man, which is why she always tries to bury her brother Polyneices. This is a problem, since Creon had said that anyone who buried a disloyal Theban would die. Creon believes that the laws of men are superior to the laws of the gods. He believes that everyone should follow the laws of man, no matter who they are. Haemon, Creon's son, as well as Antigone's fiancé, knowing Antigone's beliefs about the law and Creon's beliefs about the law, begs Creon to change his rule. Creon still does not listen and only changes his decision when it is too late. Creon still cannot accept what Antigone is doing and sentences her to death for disobeying the law of men. There is a lot of symbolism in Antigone. Antigone and Creon, who were the two characters involved in the conflict, also have symbolism in their characters. Antigone is driven by familial and impulsive action, she represents nature, she seeks support from God and the Goddess closely associated with nature, and she represents femininity. Creon, however, is motivated by the integrity of the polis, is calculating in his actions, represents man-made institutions, he seeks support from the official God and Goddess of the state, and he represents masculinity. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. a custom article now from our expert writers.Get a Custom EssayWhat qualifies Antigone as a heroic figure is that she did not listen to the rule that no one was allowed to bury disloyal Thebans. She honored the corpse of her brother Polyneices. Her character throughout the story also showed that she was not going to abandon that of her brother Polyneices, regardless of the consequences. She showed strength and she didn't even listen to her uncle Creon. She demonstrated great power, since she went against the wishes of King Creon. She stood her ground and never gave up, even if things went wrong. She also did it alone, since no one wanted to help her bury her deceased brother. Antigone, because she went against the king's rule, suffered many negative reactions. Even when she faced backlash and was also going to get the death penalty, she still didn't care and buried her brother. Faced with negative reactions, rejection and the death penalty, she still buried her deceased brother and this is what classifies Antigone as a heroic figure..