Anouilh's play was interpreted from the Sophocles original text during the German occupation of France during World War II. It had to pass censorship by the German's in order to be performed. The fact that it did was a miracle in itself as Antigone is a character shouting for justice, and standing for it even to the death against the tyranny of Creon's edict. Creon is a character that, quite possibly to the Germans was sympathetic to their desire to reign over France and the world: they were merely doing what was necessary to "restore order."
But the price that Creon pays is the life of his son who despises him for sentencing Antigone, his love, to her death for burying her brother Polynices' body after Crone ordered an edict that it shall remain unburied for the buzzards and wild dogs to eat. His body lying in rot is a symbol of Creon restoring order to the city of Thebes through political means. Creon does not believe in leaving the young King's body there, but he knows it will instill the power and structure necessary for his reign over the people of Thebes.
The play represents the truth that the reasoning within man, or the mind, cannot be separated from the spirit, which is represented in Antigone's fight to bury Polynices in order that his body may pass on to the afterlife. When Polynices is not allowed the right of burial, it becomes a matter of moral obligation for Antigone to bury him regardless of the cost being her life. Antigone tells Creon the King that a body is not his to do with as he pleases. It does not, nor will it ever belong to him. In this we see the manipulation of politics in order to create what they want the people to see and motivate what they want them to do. All of this at the expense of Polynices spirit which he is damning to never find rest by leaving him unburied.
Creon's belief that he is doing the necessary thing leads to Antigone's opposing fight to also do what she believes is right, and in this case it is the moral right rather than the political right. Because she will oppose him even to death she challenges his power, and in so doing he must kill her or risk losing control of the city he has just begun to reign over. But in his lust for political power he loses love. Haemon, his son attempts to kill him in the cave where Antigone has now hung herself. In this attempt to murder his father, we see Haemon's hatred of his Dad before he stabs and kills himself. Anouilh not only takes away Creon's son, but the emotion of the final moment of Haemon's life will forever be that he was hated with vile contempt by him. And to add further wounding, Creon's wife the Queen cuts her throat to kill herself in her grief at losing her son.
In the end, Creon is left with what he valued most in his life: his trade. He seeks to find out what is on the agenda for the rest of the day and simply moves forward with his duties. This furthers the contrast between Oedipus and Creon as the former King sought truth at any cost, even his own life in order to find peace while Creon is willing to live with great pain by sweeping it under the rug for all time as long as he is in power and the people are under his rule.
