1. Antigone
Reading Guide Answers

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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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”

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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

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

14. 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

15. 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

16. Ode 3
13. Love

17. 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

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

19. 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…

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

21. 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

22. 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”

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

24. 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

25. 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

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

27. 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”

28. 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!!!!!!

29. 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)

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

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

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

34. 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

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

36. 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

41. Antigone confronted by the dead Polynices
Nikiforos Lytras, 1865

43. 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

44. 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…

45. 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

46. 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