Antigone

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Antigone

• REVIEW

2
Know the following concepts

• The perspective and conflicts of
• Creon, Antigone
• Haimon, Ismene
• Teiresias.
• Literary Terms
• Irony,
• Figurative Language
• Allusion
• Antagonist/Protagonist

• History of the Greek theater
• Sophocles Impact on it
• Thematic concepts of Antigone
• The story of Oedipus and how it relates

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Topics

• Hubris
• Hamartia
• Polis
• Catharsis
• Peripeteia
• Oikos
• Paean

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Greek Theater

• Dithyramb
• Hypokrit
• Parados
• Skene
• Orchestra
• Theatron
• Dionysus

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Characters

• Oedipus
• Jocasta
• Polynieces
• Eteocles
• Sphinx
• Choragos
• Antigone

• Ismene
• Creon
• Haimon
• Eurydice
• Teiresias
• Chorus
• Sentry

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The Chorus

• The chorus serves as an intermediary between the
  actors and the audience. They produce imagery
  through their words to create scenery that in
  those days did not exist.

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Sophocles (496-406 B.C.E.)

• Contributions to the development of theater
• Introduction of third actor
• Made changes to the size of the chorus
• Introduced painted scenery on the Skene
• Introduced a new style of music to plays
• Abandoned the trilogy of plays for the
  self-contained tragedy (1 play at a time)
• Created characters that are more realistic, not
  god-like thus reinforcing the lessons of the
  play

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Tragic Hero

• character of high social standing who makes an
  error of judgment or has a fatal flaw that,
  combined with fate and external forces, brings on
  a tragedy
• Hamartia weakness or flaw in a character.
• Hubris excessive pride or arrogance
• Experiences the following
• Peripetia Reversal of fortune
• Catharsis self-realization and self-awareness

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ESTABLISHING A TRAGIC HERO

• High Social Standing
• Suffers a downfall as a result of Harmartia
  (flaw)
• Has a peripetia (reversal) and has or causes a
  catharsis (purging of emotion)
• Battles against FATE.
• Evaluate Antigone/Creon to establish the Tragic
  Hero

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Written Responses

• Identifications (IDs)
• Quotations
• FOLLOW RULES ON HANDOUT
• Short Essays

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Responding to a Prompt

1. Identify the question
2. Restate the question as a thesis- the point that
   you wish to prove.
3. Give 3 specific examples directly related to the
   question.
4. Explain how those examples prove your point.
5. Summarize your point by rephrasing (not
   repeating) your thesis.

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Essay Response

• PROMPT 1
• Antigone declares that she acts out of honor and
  obedience to the gods. Are these really her
  motives? Do her words and actions reveal other
  motives? In an essay, analyze Antigones motives
  and draw conclusions about why she does what she
  does. Use at least three details from the play to
  support your analysis.

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Step One Find the Question

• PROMPT 1
• Antigone declares that she acts out of honor and
  obedience to the gods. Are these really her
  motives? Do her words and actions reveal other
  motives? In an essay, analyze Antigones motives
  and draw conclusions about why she does what she
  does. Use at least three details from the play to
  support your analysis.

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Step Two Restate the question as a thesis

• Antigone declares that she acts out of honor and
  obedience to the gods. Are these really her
  motives? Do her words and actions reveal other
  motives?
• Although Antigone claims that she acts out of
  honor and obedience to the gods, these are not
  her real motives. Her words and actions reveal
  other motives.

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Step Three Give three specific examples

• She wants to honor the brother that she has lost.
  
• She wants to get credit for burying Polyneices.
• She wants to die.

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Good Response

• Although Antigone claims that she acts out of
  honor and obedience to the gods, these are not
  her real motives. Her words and actions reveal
  other motives. Firstly, Antigone feels
  responsible for burying her brother. In the
  prologue, she argues with Ismene that they have a
  family obligation. She says He is my brother.
  And he is your brother, too Another reason she
  does this is to get credit for it. She tells
  Ismene to tell everyone. This suggests a sense
  of pride. Finally, she seems to have a death
  wish. Not only does Antigone want everyone to
  know what she did, before she dies, she seems
  happy to be able to see her dead mother, father
  and brother. Therefore, Antigone has many more
  motivations for this than just reverence for the
  gods.

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Reason One

• Although Antigone claims that she acts out of
  honor and obedience to the gods, these are not
  her real motives. Her words and actions reveal
  other motives. Firstly, Antigone feels
  responsible for burying her brother. In the
  prologue, she argues with Ismene that they have a
  family obligation. She says He is my brother.
  And he is your brother, too Another reason she
  does this is to get credit for it. She tells
  Ismene to tell everyone. This suggests a sense
  of pride. Finally, she seems to have a death
  wish. Not only does Antigone want everyone to
  know what she did, before she dies, she seems
  happy to be able to see her dead mother, father
  and brother. Therefore, Antigone has many more
  motivations than just reverence for the gods.

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Reason Two

• Although Antigone claims that she acts out of
  honor and obedience to the gods, these are not
  her real motives. Her words and actions reveal
  other motives. Firstly, Antigone feels
  responsible for burying her brother. In the
  prologue, she argues with Ismene that they have a
  family obligation. She says He is my brother.
  And he is your brother, too Another reason she
  does this is to get credit for it. She tells
  Ismene to tell everyone. This suggests a sense
  of pride. Finally, she seems to have a death
  wish. Not only does Antigone want everyone to
  know what she did, before she dies, she seems
  happy to be able to see her dead mother, father
  and brother. Therefore, Antigone has many more
  motivations than just reverence for the gods.

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Reason Three

• Although Antigone claims that she acts out of
  honor and obedience to the gods, these are not
  her real motives. Her words and actions reveal
  other motives. Firstly, Antigone feels
  responsible for burying her brother. In the
  prologue, she argues with Ismene that they have
  an family obligation. She says He is my brother.
  And he is your brother, too Another reason she
  does this is to get credit for it. She tells
  Ismene to tell everyone. This suggests a sense
  of pride. Finally, she seems to have a death
  wish. Not only does Antigone want everyone to
  know what she did, before she dies, she seems
  happy to be able to see her dead mother, father
  and brother. Therefore, Antigone has many more
  motivations than just reverence for the gods.

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Transitions

• Although Antigone claims that she acts out of
  honor and obedience to the gods, these are not
  her real motives. Her words and actions reveal
  other motives. Firstly, Antigone feels
  responsible for burying her brother. In the
  prologue, she argues with Ismene that they have a
  family obligation. She says He is my brother.
  And he is your brother, too Another reason she
  does this is to get credit for it. She tells
  Ismene to tell everyone. This suggests a sense
  of pride. Finally, she seems to have a death
  wish. Not only does Antigone want everyone to
  know what she did, before she dies, she seems
  happy to be able to see her dead mother, father
  and brother. Therefore, Antigone has many more
  motivations than just reverence for the gods.

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Essay Response

• PROMPT 2
• As the new head of state, Creon forbids
  Polyneices burial. In an essay, investigate the
  character of Creon. What do his decision and the
  reasons for his decision say about him? What are
  the strengths and the weaknesses of his
  character? Use at least three details from the
  play to support your investigation of Creons
  character.

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Step One Find the Question

• PROMPT 2
• As the new head of state, Creon forbids
  Polyneices burial. In an essay, investigate the
  character of Creon. What do his decision and the
  reasons for his decision say about him? What are
  the strengths and the weaknesses of his
  character? Use at least three details from the
  play to support your investigation of Creons
  character.

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Step Two Write a Thesis

• As the new head of state, Creon forbids
  Polyneices burial. In an essay, investigate the
  character of Creon. What do his decision and the
  reasons for his decision say about him? What are
  the strengths and the weaknesses of his character?

Creons decision and the reasons for this choice
say much about him and reveal both his strengths
and weaknessess.
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Essay Response

• PROMPT 3
• In your opinion, what accounts for the strong
  appeal Antigone has had for centuries? In a short
  essay, explain why Sophocles classic tragedy
  remains relevant to modern life. Support your
  opinion with at least three details from the
  play.

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Step One

• PROMPT 3
• In your opinion, what accounts for the strong
  appeal Antigone has had for centuries? In a short
  essay, explain why Sophocles classic tragedy
  remains relevant to modern life. Support your
  opinion with at least three details from the
  play.

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Essay Response

• PROMPT 4
• With which character in Antigone did you identify
  most strongly? In a short essay, explain how and
  why you identified with this character. Discuss
  what you discovered about the character and the
  play. Use at least three details from the play to
  support your explanation.

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Essay Response

• PROMPT 5
• Who do you believe is the tragic hero in
  AntigoneAntigone or Creon? In a short essay,
  state your opinion and support it with reasonable
  evidence from the play. Use at least three
  details from the play to support your opinion.

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Vocabulary

• Sated- Satisfied provided with more than enough
• Sententiously- In a way that shows excessive
  fondness for wise sayings in a lecturing tone
• Deflects- Turns or makes go to one side
• Edict- A public order or decree
• Brazen- Shameless bold
• Waver- Show indecision fluctuate
• Deference- A yielding to the ideas, wishes, and
  so on of another
• Contempt- Scorn the attitude of someone who
  looks down on something or someone else
• Vile- Evil low extremely disgusting
• Piety- Loyalty and devotion to family, the
  divine, or some other object of respect
• Lamentation-Expression of grief weeping
• Rash- Too hasty in speech or action reckless

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Images of Antigone