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The aftermath of a civil war is the situation in Thebes as the play 'Antigone' begins. The young Theban King Eteocles dies in a bloody fight to the death with his twin brother, Polyneices. The cause of the bloodshed is Eteocles' refusing to honor the royal power sharing arrangement that he has with his co-sovereign, Polyneices.

Traditionally, Thebans respond to war by burying their dead and getting on with their lives. But there's a new twist here. The new monarch, Theban King Creon, decides to end the god given rights of all Thebans to proper Theban style burials. Without a word from the gods, or from their oracular representatives on earth, Creon decides only to respect the burial rights of those who die loyal to Thebes.

Such a decision splits families apart and puts neighbor against neighbor. But Creon is firm even though the decision affects his own royal household. To wit, Eteocles is buried with full Theban honors. But Polyneices is left to the criminal's fate of a corpse whose body is left, above ground, to the cruel workings of the weather and wildlife.

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Q: What is the situation in Thebes as the play begins?
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Describe the condition of the people of thebes as the play begins?

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Yes. Apex answer is a).


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