| He made a law saying not to bury Pericles | What have we learned about Creon before he appears onstage? |
| He is quick to anger and he has to blame somebody | What is revealed about his character in this scene? |
| Eteocles trying to save the city and he was a patriot; Polyneices betrayed the city and tried to kill its people | What reason does Creon give for his ruling concerning the bodies of Polyneices and Eteocles? |
| Respectful and understanding | How does the Chorus react? |
| That he is innocence and is only dilivering news. | The Guard is an ordinary person, even somewhat humorous. What does he want Creon to think about him? |
| Men can do anything they set their mind to | In Ode 1, the chorus comments about man. Restate in your own words what the chorus believes are man’s “wonders” and his limitations. |
| They think a man has done the deed and they disobeyed the law and will be put to death. | How does the ode comment on the problem of the play as it has been developed so far? |
| Antigone was caught burying her brother, Poluneices. | Since Greek dramas usually do not move from one setting to another, many of their important actions take place offstage.What major event has taken place before this scene opens? |
| He has the sentry describe the entire scene. | How does Sophocles help the audience picture what had happened? |
| She is following the god’s laws. | How does Antigone defend her actions? |
| Creon (choragus is the leader of the chosud which is made up of 15 city elders. | Look back at the comments of the chorus in this scene. Does the chorus seem to side with Antigone or with Creon? Explain. |
| Ismene wants to join her sister in death | How has Ismene changed since we first saw her? |
| Antigone says no way. She mocks her (makes fun of her); she is cold toward her. | How does Antigone treat her? |
| Antigone and Ismene-wrath of the gods is going to destroy Antigone because she is the daughter of Oedipus. | What grave fears for Oedipus’ children does the chorus express in Ode 2? |
| Times of joy will be followed by times of sorrow. If you have joy, pain will follow. | How would you explain the ancient wisdom of the last line on Ode 2 found on page 216? “Man’s little pleasure is the spring of sorrow.” |
| a. He is respectful to his father He uses reason in his arguments with his father. He says he can help his father. He can hear things from people that Creon can’t. | Haimon is caught in a conflict of loyalties in this scene. What methods and arguments does he use to try to persuade Creon to change his mind? For example, how does he appeal to his father’s self-interest? |
| Creon rejects Haimon’s arguments and refuses to bend. | How does Creon react to Haimon’s arguments? |
| Believes women are inferior to men | What attitudes does Creon seem to take toward women? |
| Urges each man to listen to the other. Finds validity in both arguments. | What function does the chorus have in this scene? Whose side, if any, are they on? |
| Ode 3 is about love- the power of love. The chorus thinks that Haimon’s love for Antigone has clouded his jugdement. | A. What is the subject of the chorus’ comments in Ode 3? |
| Antigone, Creon, and hiamon. Aphrodite. | Who is the girl in the line “A girl’s glance working the will of heaven”? Who is the father in the line “Strike between father and son”? Who is the son? To whom is the ode addressed? |
| She will at lease die with honor | What comfort does the Chorus offer Antigone in this scene? |
| Probably the chorus is being serious; the old men do not know how to comfort the young princess as she faces death. | On page 226, does Antigone think that the Chorus is making fun of her? (“You laugh at me. Ah, friends, friends,”) Do you agree or isagree? |
| She seems more human and more frightened | As Antigone faces her death, does she seem in any way changed from the way she was in previous scenes? Explain. |
| put her in a cave with food, but Creon will not be directly responsible. | Antigone is not to be stoned to death as originally planned. What change has been made and why does the form of her punishment suit Creon? |
| All were imprisoned | In Ode 4, the Chorus alludes to three Greek myths that were familiar to the ancient Greek audiences. How are the fates of the characters of these myths related to Antigone’s fate? |
| Danae- imprisoned in underground bronze room by her father king acrisius- visited by zeus- result- perseus, king Lycurgus- son of bryas- king of the Edonians- imprisoned by Dionysus- then blinded by Zeus, Cleoparta- imprisoned by husband Phineus (king of Thrace) in order to marry new wife. New wife blinded the first wife’s two sons. | Who are the three mythological characters whose stories are discussed by the chorus in Ode 4? |
| Creon accuses Teiresias of being bribed. | Creon has refused to yield to the arguments of Antigone and Haimon, and at first he refuses to listen to Teiresias. Of what does he accuse Teiresias? |
| Creon will not listen to anybody; he will not admit he is wrong. He is quality of hubris- excessive pride. | Teiresias tells creon that the only crime is pride (stubbornness) How has Creon shown that he is guilty of pride (stubbornness)? |
| He finally believes Teiresias (unlike Oedipus whi did not believe Teiresias). | Why does Creon finally give in? |
| The choragus says that he has never known when Teiresias was wrong. | What part does the Chorus play in Creon’s decision? |
| The chorus backed Creon in Scene 2; They backed both Creon and Haimon in Scence 3. They back Antigone and Haimon in Scene 5. | How has the Chorus changed throughout the play? |
| The Chorus speaks from Sophocles in all four odes as well as at the end of Scene 5. “god moves swiftly to cancel the folly of stubborn men.” | Where in the play do you think the chorus speaks for Sophocles himself? |
| The messenger delivers what happened; Sophocles used the messenger to tell the audience what happens to Antigone, Haimon ,and Eurydice. | Violence is certainly a part of Greek drama, but it was never portrayed onstage. How does Sophocles tell us what happens to Antigone, Haimon, and Eurydice? |
| Creon has changed from proud/arrogant and foolish to humble and wise (a dynamic character) | How has Creon changed since the beginning of the play? |
| He learns that his pride (his tragis flaw) caused his downfall. His punishment is that while others died he must live a long life with the knowledge that he caused the deaths of Antigone, Haimon, and Eurydice. | What does he finally come to recognize? |
review questions for Antigone
February 15, 2020