Lines 1-842
The central conflict is between mortal vs. divine law, or equivalently societal conformity vs personal conviction/morality. Creon advocates for order, rigidity, and the necessity for citizens to restrain themselves for the greater good (social contract-esque); Antigone responds with defiance and refuses to prioritize the state over her own values.
The conflict extends beyond these two characters to the general public, who are all torn between fear/respect for Creon and sympathy for Antigone. Antigone clearly understands this when she tells Creon that “the citizens here…would praise [her] too if their lips weren’t locked in fear” (84). Haemon later confirms this claim when he recounts the sympathy Antigone has received from passersby in the streets. In a way, these citizens serve as a proxy for the audience who, as the events of the play transpire, face the same dilemma: do I side with Creon, order, and the greater good; or with Antigone, humanity, and individualism?
It’s also interesting to think about how public opinion might serve as motivation for both parties. It’s definitely a huge motivator for Creon, who worries whether his laws will lose force if he reneges on them now. But what about Antigone? At first glance, it seems that all her actions stem from internal love rather than external influence. Even when she mentions that others should praise her actions, it seems more plausible that she only wants to provoke Creon, and that she doesn’t actually value this praise otherwise.
However, the fact that she refuses to let Ismene share in her punishment complicates this analysis. If love for her brother is truly all that motivates her, shouldn’t she celebrate the fact that her sister now wants to join her in that love? Maybe she thinks that Ismene’s initial reservations signified her lack of true love for their brother, and that she therefore doesn’t deserve to share in this final act of love; but maybe Antigone really does love the glory she’s earned in the minds of citizens, and what she refuses to share isn’t love, but recognition.