| Who wrote the tragedy Antigone? | Sophocles |
| What city does the story take place in? | Thebes |
| When did Sophocles write Antigone? | 441 BC |
| Who is the ruler/King of Thebes? | Creon, uncle of Antigone |
| Who is Creon’s son? | Haemon |
| Who is Haemon engaged to marry? | Antigone |
| What is the name of Antigone’s sister? | Ismene |
| What is Antigone’s personality? | She is stubborn; dark haired; strong willed; serious |
| What is Ismene’s personality? | She is a pleaser; prettier and happier than Antigone |
| Who are Eteocles and Polynices? | Antigone’s brothers |
| Which brother stayed in Thebes and fought to protect it? | Eteocles |
| Which brother raised an army in Argos and fought to conquer Thebes? | Polynices |
| What happened to the brothers? | They killed one another in a battle for Thebes |
| Who was named King of Thebes? | Creon |
| What did Creon decide regarding Eteocles’ death? | He should be buried with full honors for fighting for Thebes |
| What did Creon decide regarding Polynices’ death? | That his corpse should be allowed to rot unburied and dishonored since he was fighting against Thebes. |
| Who decides to break the law and disobey Creon by giving Polynices a proper burial? | Antigone |
| Antigone says that she will be obey a law more important than Creon’s law. Whose law will she obey? | The law of the gods |
| Who first informs Creon that someone has illegally buried Polynices? | one of the guards |
| What does Creon first say will be the punishment for this illegal burial? | Antigone will be stoned to death |
| What is the Chorus? | They are the 14 old men of Thebes who speak as one character |
| When Antigone refuses to back down from burying Polynices, Creon decides to change her punishment to what? | He decides she will be walled up in a tomb and allowed to starve to death, rather than stoned to death. |
| Why does Creon change the punishment? | Creon believes that if Antigone is allowed to starve to death, he and the state are not really killing her, and the gods will not be angry with him. |
| When the people of Thebes hear about Antigone’s proposed punishment, what do they think? | They think Creon is being too harsh, and that he should allow Antigone to bury her brother. |
| Whom does Antigone ask to help her bury Polynices? | Her sister, Ismene. |
| Why does Ismene refuse to help Antigone bury Polynices? | Ismene says it is not for women to go against the laws of men–they aren’t made to fight against the state |
| What is the major conflict of this play? | the law of the state (man’s law) vs the law of individual conscience (god’s law) |
| Who asks Creon to pardon Antigone and let her live? | Creon’s son, Haemon |
| Why does Haemon say his father should allow Antigone to be free? | Haemon tell Creon all of Thebes is on the side of Antigone |
| Why does Creon refuse to listen? | Creon says the mob will not dictate his actions–he is the king |
| Who is the blind prophet that Creon always listens to and has helped Creon rule Thebes safely? | Tiresias |
| What does Tiresias tell Creon about the latest signs from the gods? | Tiresias says that no sacrifices to the gods are being accepted–nothing is catching on fire; the birds are quiet–something is very wrong in Thebes. |
| What does Tiresias tell Creon he should do? | Tiresias says Creon should let Poynices be buried properly–it is wrong to kill a man twice. |
| When Creon refuses to listen to Tiresias, what does Tiresias say will happen? | Tiresias says the gods will take “a corpse for a corpse”–Creon will lose a loved one. |
| After Tiresias leaves, what does Creon finally decide while talking to one of his lieutenants? | Creon decides to give Polynices a proper burial, then rush to the tomb and free Antigone. |
| Who is Eurydice? | The wife of Creon and mother of Haemon–the queen of Thebes |
| Who tell Eurydice what happened in the final scene? | The messenger |
| When Creon and his men came upon the body of Polynices, what did they do? | They gave it a proper burial |
| When they entered Antigone’s tomb, what did they hear and see? | They heard Haemon crying and they saw that Antigone had hanged herself with linens. |
| What does Haemon do when he sees his father Creon in the tomb? | He screams at his father and draws his sword as if to kill Creon, then turns the sword on himself and takes his own life. |
| After Eurydice hears the tragic news, what does she do? | She goes into the house to be by herself, then stabs herself with a dagger and dies. |
| How does Creon’s punishment fit his crime? | Antigone despaired that in dying she would never have a husband or a child–Creon loses his wife and his child as well. |
Antigone
February 14, 2020