Creon and Antigone have conflicting views on citizenship. Creon believes that citizenship is by law while Antigone thinks it is by nature. According to Creon, citizenship is complete obedience to the orders of the country. On the other hand, Antigone felt that there should be room for individualism when one is undertaking her role as a citizen. She disobeyed Creon and buried her brother Polyneices. Creon decided to execute her for disobeying the laws of the city. As a punishment, Creon sent her to die in the cave outside Thebes. Creon felt that she had abandoned her citizenship. Creon prohibited the people of Thebes from burying Polyneices as the custom was. He told the people that Polyneices had distanced himself from them, and they should then not treat him as their own. This meant that Polyneices could not be buried by the people of Thebes. According to the customs members of the city buried their dead. Burial was a sign of recognition of affiliation and citizenship. Prohibition of the burial of Polyneices by Creon meant that he was not a citizen of Thebes.
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Creon placed Polyneices in the same level as the Argives who were left unburied. These were foreigners who attacked the people of Thebes, and they were left to be fed on by the birds and dogs. For Creon, when Polyneices attacked the city he lost his citizenship, and he was a foreigner in the city. According to him citizenship is based on loyalty, and it is revoked when Polyneices attacked the city. This led to conflict between Antigone and Creon. According to Antigone, betrayal does not rob ones connection with his city, while Creon believes that citizenship is a contract and bleach of it means that the citizenship is terminated. There is a conflict in whether one becomes a citizen by law or nature.