Antigone Background

 

Greek Drama (pp. 685-687)

 

1.  What religious rituals did Greek drama evolve from?

2.  What did worshipers do at those early religious rituals?

 

3.  What two innovations did Thespis contribute to drama?

 

 

4.  What did Aeschylus contribute to drama?

 

5.  What were tragedies in Ancient Greece?

 

6.  What were satyr plays?

 

7.  Describe the Theater of Dionysos.

 

 

 

8.  How were the audience members able to hear the actors?

 

9.  What is the purpose of the chorus in a Greek drama? (p. 750)

 

 

10.  Define Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero. (p. 739)

 

            a.  In order to arouse the twin emotions of pity and fear, a tragic hero must be

     ______________________________________________.

b.  According to Aristotle, a tragic hero must also be someone __________________________

     because he or she must fall from tremendous good fortune.

c.  What causes the hero’s fall?

     __________________________________________________________________________

d.  A real hero is ______________ and ________________ by the tragedy.

 

Sophocles (pp. 738)

 

1.  How many prizes did Sophocles win in drama competitions?

 

2.  What do all of Sophocles’ plays contain?

 

3.  What three innovations did Sophocles add to Greek drama?

 

 

The Story of Oedipus (pp. 688-689)

 

1.  Describe the story of Oedipus’ birth and his parents’ decision.

 

 

2.      What incident did Oedipus cause while a young man?

 

 

3.      Describe Oedipus’ encounter with the Sphinx.

 

 

4.      Describe Oedipus’ family in Thebes.

 

 

5.      What horrible discovery did Oedipus make?

 

 

6.      What punishment did Oedipus receive, and what did he inflict upon himself?

 

 

Definitions of Greek Tragedy—After reading p. 739, give a definition for each of the following terms.

 

1.      Tragedy

 

 

 

2.      Catharsis

 

 


Antigone Study Guide

 

Character Descriptions—Give a brief description of these characters.  Describe their family relationships, their personalities, their beliefs, and their functions in the play.

 

1.      Antigone

 

 

 

2.      Ismene

 

 

 

3.      Creon

 

 

 

4.      Haimon

 

 

 

5.      Eurydice

 

 

 

6.      Teiresias

 

 

 

7.      Chorus

 

 

 

8.      Choragos

 

 

 

9.      Sentry

 

 

10.  Messenger

 

 

 

 

 

Plot Summary—Briefly explain what happens in each section of the play.

Prologue

 

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Parodos

 

 

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Scene 1

 

 

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Ode 1

 

 

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Scene 2

 

 

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Ode 2

 

 

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Scene 3

 

 

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Ode 3

 

 

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Scene 4

 

 

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Ode 4

 

 

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Scene 5

 

 

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Paean

 

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Exodos

 

 

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Themes—Antigone deals with many underlying assumptions.  Explain each of these assumptions and give specific lines from the play that demonstrates each theme.

 

1.      Families suffer due to the mistakes made by their ancestors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.      Stubbornness, arrogance, and pride are harmful emotions that often lead to terrible consequences for the people who exhibit them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.      Traditionally, women are regarded as the weaker gender; however, often they too possess strength and courage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.      A person must decide whether to follow the laws of the government or the laws of morality, and often those two laws conflict.