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Why did Antigone disobey King Creon's order in Sophocles' Antigone?

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The Greek philosopher Plato — Philosophy of law Plato, marble portrait bust copied from an original of the 4th century bce; in the Capitoline Museums, Rome.

In the context of the philosophy of law, Antigone’s decision to disobey King Creon’s decree serves as a foundational illustration of the conflict between state-mandated law and higher moral or religious obligations.1

After her brother Polyneices was killed attacking Thebes, King Creon forbade his burial, labeling him a traitor. Antigone defied this order, choosing to bury her brother’s corpse out of love, loyalty, and a sense of humanity. Her act of civil disobedience was rooted in the belief that the king’s legal authority was limited. She explicitly rejected Creon’s command by asserting that he could not override the "unwritten and unfailing laws given us by the gods".231

While Creon acted from a conviction that civic duties and reasons of state must outweigh personal or familial ties, his rigid adherence to the law led him to deny common human obligations toward the dead. Ultimately, the play highlights the tension between the rule of law as a state-enforced command and the existence of moral imperatives that transcend human legislation.31