Sophocles' Antigone - Student Guided Notes
Sophocles' Antigone - Student Guided Notes
Sophocles' Antigone - Student Guided Notes
The due date for this packet is at the end of our unit; however, you should complete the
highlighted parts as we go through each section.
Note: You will do much better throughout the course of this unit if you stay on top of Student
Guided Notes. On-going grades will be posted in Skyward based on suggested deadlines;
however, the final deadline is FRI 2/25.
Please keep in mind the MHS Academic Code of Conduct - any copied notes (from/to peers or
online sources) would fall under plagiarism policies (as outlined in the MHS Student Handbook
and HON 10 English Syllabus) and students violating the policy would receive a zero for the
entire packet (130 total points).
The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BC) provided one of the earliest accounts of
the formal elements of tragic drama in his treatise entitled POETICS. According to Aristotle,
tragedies involved a main character of high social standing falling out of favor or perpetrating
his or her own demise through hubris (excessive pride or self-conceit, in Greek tragedy often in
defiance of the gods) or a tragic flaw that leads to a substantial error in judgment (what the
Greeks called hamartia). Most importantly, the suffering of the tragic figure provoked strong
feelings of both pity and fear on the part of the audience. The notion of the tragic scapegoat,
then, relates to the role of the sacrificial animal in ancient religious rituals of sacrifice. According
to Aristotle, when the dramatic performance reaches its resolution, the audience experiences a
therapeutic release of these feelings of pity and fear. He termed this therapeutic aspect of
tragedy catharsis. Many scholars maintain the theater continues to serve this therapeutic
function today.
In the media, the word “tragedy” is commonly used to describe accidents, natural disasters, and
even acts of seemingly random violence. Is there any relationship between this common use of
the word tragedy and tragedy as a dramatic form?
Theatrical performances in ancient Greece were not simply, or even primarily, for the purposes
of entertainment. Tragic drama provided the audience with an opportunity to reflect on its own
social, political, and religious values. Likewise, whenever so-called “tragic” events occur in our
contemporary world, they often lead us to ask searching questions about the nature of our
society, the possibility of justice, and perhaps they even cause us to reflect upon our own
mortality. In works of ancient Greek tragedy, there is always a chorus, a group of actors who
sing and provide commentary on the action taking place in the play. The chorus serves as kind
Antigone will provide a vivid portrayal of the lasting literary - as well social and political -
importance of tragedy and the idea of the tragic in everyday life. In consideration of tragic
drama as a metaphor, it can be argued that the theater provides its audience with a
metaphorical space for making sense of the darkest and often most difficult aspects of human
life.
Examples:
He’s a real Romeo.
The challenge of solving the global pandemic is very complex and demands herculean
efforts to tackle it adequately.
I didn’t have any bus fare, but fortunately some good Samaritan helped me out!
All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong,
and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride. – Antigone (Sophocles)
Metaphor – describes an object or action in a way that isn't literally true but helps explain an
idea or make a comparison. A metaphor states that one thing is another thing. It is a direct
comparison, and it equates those two things not because they actually are the same, but for the
sake of comparison or symbolism.
Characterization – step by step process to highlight and explain details about character in a
story.
After introducing the character, the writer often talks about his behavior; then, as the story
progresses, the thought-processes of the character. The next stage involves the character
expressing his opinions, ideas, and getting into conversations with the rest of the characters.
The final part shows how others in the story respond to the character’s personality.
Direct Characterization – when the author tells the audience the personality of the
character
Indirect Characterization – when the author shows attributes that reveal the character’s
personality
Aristotle argued that “tragedy is a representation, not of men, but of action and life.”
This assertion of the dominance of plot over characters is termed “plot-driven narrative.” This
literary approach characterized most literature until the 19th century.
As always, attention to the use of figurative language and rhetorical devices - whether
presented in dialogue between characters or in monologue or soliloquy - will add layers of
depth and compelling specificity to any analysis and a robust consideration of the historical
context including relevant social issues or cultural norms (or resistance to those norms)
represented directly or indirectly in the play (e.g., allusions) will demonstrate a more advanced
level of critical thinking.
Aside - Words spoken by an actor directly to the audience, which are not "heard" by the other
characters on stage during a play.
Catharsis - The purging of the feelings of pity and fear that, according to Aristotle, occur in the
audience of tragic drama. The audience experiences catharsis at the end of the play, following
the catastrophe.
Choragos - The chorus leader who often speaks on behalf of the chorus. Serves as another
actor.
Chorus - A group of characters in Greek tragedy (and in later forms of drama), who comment
on the action of a play, usually without participation in it. The earliest may have consisted of as
many as 50 members but was later reduced to 12 to 15. It generally has the following roles: 1) to
explain the action. 2)to interpret the action in relation to the law of the state and the law of the
Olympian gods. 3) to foreshadow the future. 4) to serve as additional actor(s) in the play. 5) to
sing and/or dance. 6) to give the author's views
Dramatic Irony – when the audience knows something the characters do not. Clearly the
setting of a play takes on extra importance as readers can pay close attention to the staging,
costuming, and other directorial notes included in the text of the play. For example, the content
of one scene can be set in an incongruous location or a character might be wearing a costume
that contradicts the actions he is performing, thus resulting in dramatic irony .
Pathos - A quality of a play's action that stimulates the audience to feel pity for a character.
Pathos is always an aspect of tragedy and may be present in comedy as well.
Soliloquy - A speech in a play that is meant to be heard by the audience but not by other
characters on the stage. If there are no other characters present, the soliloquy represents the
character thinking aloud.
Tragic hero - A privileged, exalted character of high repute, who, by virtue of a tragic flaw and
fate, suffers a fall from glory into suffering.
E. ARISTOTLE'S TRAGEDY
1) "TRAGEDY is an imitation of action & life, happiness & misery"; plot is the most
important element, character is second.
i. Its length is such that it can be clearly understood 'without difficulty';
should have a single central theme
ii. protagonist is character experiencing most change
iii. its AIM is to arouse pity and fear for protagonist
2) PROTAGONIST is tragic hero whose error in judgment leads to downfall or
subjects that person to retribution. Often, however, fate lays with cosmic moral
order and role of chance in his/her affairs
F. CHARACTERS:
Comprehension Questions:
1. How are Antigone and Ismene related?
Comprehension Questions:
1. How did Creon, the new King of Thebes claim heir to the throne?
2. What does Creon think of those who place friends above the good of their own country?
4.. What crime has Polynices committed in the eyes of the king and how shall he be punished?
7. Who does Creon believed buried Polynices and what motivated them to do so?
9. According to the Chorus, what is the most wonderful of all the world’s wonders?
10. According to the Chorus, what is the one thing man will not find rescue from?
Comprehension Questions:
1.Who has the sentry captured and brought before King Creon?
5. Who else does Creon have arrested in connection with the crime of burying Polynices?
7. Besides being Antigone’s uncle, how else are Creon and Antigone related?
9. According to the Chorus, who is the god who must not be made angry?
Comprehension Questions:
1. What is Haemon’s initial response when his father asks how he feels about the king’s decision
to execute Antigone?
3. Why is Creon intent on harshly punishing, even family members, all those who break the law?
4. According to Haemon, what is the finest of all the gifts the gods give to man?
5. What does Haemon say the citizens of Thebes are saying behind the King’s back?
6. Which side, Haemon or Creon, does the leader of the Chorus support?
7. While Creon is ranting at his son, what does the king threaten to do?
8. Describe how Creon plans to perform his death sentence upon Antigone.
9. According to the Chorus, what is it that “not even the deathless gods can flee”?
EPISODE 4, ODE 4
NOTES
The references to the many gods are from literature, history, mythology, religion, politics,
sports, science, or culture. ALLUSIONS draw comparisons.
Note the character change in Antigone: she is suffering, quiet, sad, resigned to her fate,
sensitive to criticism, looking for and needing words of praise and love. (Previously, she
was strong-willed, resistant to and confident in responding to criticism, determined,
almost arrogant).
Comprehension Questions:
1. Whose fate does Antigone allude to in comparison to her own?
2. What does Antigone want the people of Thebes to bear witness to?
5. Interpreting Allusions:
a) Read the Choral Ode (lines 1035-1089) as well as the footnotes on page 37. Identify and
explain all the similarities you find between Antigone, Danae, and Cleopatra as well as
those between Creon and Lycurgus. Do they share a similar fate? What other parallels
b) Oedipus Myth. See lines 945-957 and line 1079: these sections refer to the curse of the
Oedipus myth--that all of Oedipus' descendants will pay for his sin of incest (though it
was unintentional). What are the specific words of these lines? How do you know they
allude to the Oedipus myth?
Comprehension Questions:
1. The Chorus prays to a “god of a hundred names.” List five names for this god.
3. How has Teiresias’ prophecy that Creon would pay to the gods “flesh of [his] own flesh” come
true?
4. Who is Eurydice?
5. What were Creon and the messenger doing when they prayed to Hecate and Pluto?
6. Describe what Creon saw when he looked through the crevice into Antigone’s tomb.
9. What happened to Eurydice after the messenger relayed the news about Haemon and
Antigone to her?
10. At the end of the play, Eurydice blames Creon for the tragic events, and Creon willingly
accepts, saying, "I alone am guilty." Explain how any of these people might be responsible:
Creon, Haemon, Antigone, Ismene, Teiresias, the Greek gods.