Antigone Reading Guide Answers

Prologue “repulse of the Argive army,” Thebes wins, Eteocles & Polyneices die Antigone & Ismene are arguing about burying their brother, Polyneices

Prologue It is the right thing to do- God’s law He is a traitor (broke his exile, made war on his home city and family) Fear & respect for the law

Prologue 6. “we are only women, we cannot fight with men” “I have no strength to break laws that were made for the public good” “Impossible things must not be tried at all” 7. not loving Polyneices 8. very! Without proper burial the dead person’s soul would wander the Earth without rest for all eternity

Prologue 9. Oedipus- went insane, tore own eyes out Iocaste- strangled herself 10. No! Tell everyone, they’ll hate you otherwise when they find out what I’ve done 11. If she dies, “that crime is holy” and “it will not be the worst of deaths—death without honor”

Prologue 12. City Elder/Senator, and (choragos) leader of the elders 13. the battle the night before, how Eteocles and Polyneices kill each other in battle

Scene 1 Creon What does the future hold; why has he called us together? A ship “our Ship of State” their loyalty strong and wise, not afraid to make the difficult decisions Polyneices cannot be buried

Scene 1 7. they agree to obey the law 8. the sentry 9. Polyneices has been buried 10. selling his loyalty 11. the sentries threw dice

Ode 1 12. a lyric sung by the chorus which develops the importance of the action 13. the power of human intelligence 14. Intelligence combined with respect for the law

Scene 2 Someone buried Polyneices The choragos and sentry talk about who the prisoner is and what she did To mourn him a mother bird who returns to an empty nest I do. I deny nothing. Did you hear of the new law? Yes It was not god’s law If she had left Polyneices unburied, she would have suffered. Now she is at peace.

Scene 2 10. Breaking the law and boasting of it 11. Ismene 12. They agree with me(Antigone), but out of fear say nothing 13. Eteocles, they are both brothers and “equal in blood” 14. Yes, if she will let me say so. I am guilty.

Scene 2 15. No, you refused to help! 16. grief teaches the steadiest minds to waver 17. Yours did… when you assumed guilt with the guilty! 18. shock

Ode 2 19. death, the end of the family line 20. the things that humans find enjoyable will get us in trouble

Scene 3 Haimon no marriage means more to me than your continuing wisdom He would have to change his mind and admit he was wrong Anarchy, anarchy! He says the people think Antigone did the right thing; “it is not reason to never yield to reason!” Anger

Scene 3 7. He feels they are inferior, “If we are to be defeated, let it not be by women.” 8. Peacemaker 9. Suicide 10. A young man in a rage is dangerous 11. She will not be executed, she is pardoned 12. walled up in a cave with food

Ode 3 13. Love

Scene 4 Sad She is dressed for burial You will have a kind of honor since your death is like those of famous demi-gods before, yet unique among humans Death is death…Antigone is dying an unjust death Her father, Oedipus

Scene 4 6. Only herself, “Your death is the doing of your conscious hand” 7. “Our hands are clean”

Ode 4 8. A woman imprisoned in a tower; her beauty attracts Zeus… the child(Perseus) mistakenly kills a man he failed to recognize as his grandfather. Moral? Be careful who you kill… 9. He was punished for his opposition to the worship of the god Dionysos. 10. A kings’ new wife who blinds the sons of the old wife…

Ode 4 11. The god of war 12. All have tragic endings…

Scene 5 A blind prophet Teiresias helped discover that Oedipus married his mother and killed his father… A seat in the temple where Teiresias would deliver his predictions about the future The god of fire and the forge A bunch of birds fighting, tearing each other to pieces

Scene 5 6. He has a boy describe it to him 7. Bury Polynices, you have angered the gods… 8. He thinks Teiresias has been paid to say these things 9. Creon will pay back “corpse for corpse” 10. Fear, “your house will be full of men and women weeping, and curses will be hurled at you from afar”

Scene 5 11. “Go quickly: free Antigone from her vault and build a tomb for Polynices”

Exodus The founder of the city of Thebes The king of Thebes who built the walls of the city “Fate raises up, and Fate casts down the happy and unhappy alike: no man can fortell his fate” “I would not give so much as the shadow of smoke for all he owns” Creon

Exodus 5. Haimon killed himself, Antigone killed herself 6. Eurydice, Queen of Thebes 7. Unlocking the gate to the temple of Athena 8. The messenger describes the action in great detail 9. They are gods/godesses of the underworld

Exodus 10. Pray, bathe the corpse in holy water, burn the body and build a barrow over it 11. one of the servants

Exodus 12. I heard a voice grieving within the chamber 13. Haimon 14. she “made a noose of her fine linen veil and hanged herself”

Exodus 15. “that his father had stolen her away from him” 16. Haimon spits in Creon’s face, lunges at Creon, falls own sword & dies 17. Silence, she goes into the palace 18. The silence 19. Check on the Queen 20. “My own blind heart has brought me from darkness to final darkness” It’s all my fault!!!!!!

Exodus 21. Eurydice is dead, suicide 22. Death 23. “I alone am guilty” 24. “No wisdom but in submission to the gods” follow the rules (especially god’s laws)

Antigone Description Action Motivation sister/daughter of Oedipus niece of Creon protagonist stubborn, headstrong, devout, foolish Action Bury Polynices Motivation Divine Law

Ismene Description Action Motivation sister/daughter of Oedipus niece of Creon fearful, timid Action beg Antigone to obey Creon’s law Motivation Fear

Creon Description Action Motivation King of Thebes Husband of Eurydice Antagonist Proud, paranoid, vindictive Action Deny Polynices’ Burial Motivation Stability, power, pride(Hubris)

Haimon Description Action Motivation Creon’s son engaged to Antigone Prince of Thebes Action Tries to save Antigone Motivation Will of the people & self about right & wrong

Teiresias Description Action Motivation Blind prophet Predicts Haimon’s, Eurydice’s death Motivation Give Creon a chance to save his son & Antigone

Eurydice Description Action Motivation Wife of Creon Curses Creon (Queen of Thebes) Action Curses Creon Commits suicide Motivation Creon’s actions caused the death of her last son(Haimon) and Antigone

Antigone confronted by the dead Polynices Nikiforos Lytras, 1865

Tragic Hero Aspects of the Greek Tragic Hero: must be of noble birth or hold an important social position is generally virtuous has a desire to do good deeds often dies in the end of the play

Tragic Flaw A defect in the character of a tragic hero that brings about the downfall of the hero The hero realizes his/her flaw but it is too late…

Hubris a Greek term, meaning “arrogance” Oedipus decides to go to Thebes by chariot Another charioteer tells him to clear the road Oedipus refuses(he’s in a bad mood) The other charioteer refuses

Characteristics of Tragedy Characteristics of a Tragedy A piece of literature (especially a play) Protagonist: a significant person (king or hero) Cause of the tragedy a tragic flaw, or weakness (like hubris or greed) Purpose? Provoke feelings of fear/pity in the audience (Catharsis) Convey a sense of grandeur and nobility of the human spirit