Antigone Study Guide. Pride Comes Before the Fall

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1 Pride Comes Before the Fall When Antigone learns that her brother Polyneices has been killed in battle, she refuses to heed the king s command that Polyneices s body should be left to rot. Putting her own life on the line, Antigone sets out to give her brother a proper burial, whatever the cost. When King Creon learns of Antigone s betrayal, will he forgive her, or will Antigone die for her cause? Be a Better Reader As you work through the study guide for Antigone, you will also practice these skills, which will help you when you read plays in the future, for school assignments or just for fun. 1. Describe how characters in a play are developed. 2. Describe the plot development and structure of a play. 3. Describe and analyze the role of setting in a play. 4. Identify and analyze the themes in a play. 5. Identify and analyze an author s purpose and perspective. 6. Explain how historical context affects readers understanding and appreciation of a play. Behind the Scenes Antigone is the third of three Theban plays written in Greece by Sophocles sometime around 441 B.C. While the play focuses primarily on the drama of the characters, there is a stark political message warning audiences of the dangers of tyrannical rule. Creon, the king whom no one felt they could oppose or openly speak their mind to, deeply regrets his stubborn decision by the play s final lines. At the time of the play s first staging, Athens had been democratic for generations, so the mindset of speaking against absolute rule would have fallen on sympathetic ears. Interestingly, French playwright Jean Anouilh adapted Antigone and staged the play during the Second World War, clearly speaking out about the tyrannical Nazi rule. The play became one of the most powerful in the French Resistance because Nazi censors foolishly believed Sophocles ancient message was simply academic and would have no dramatic effect on modern audiences. Sophocles messages of resistance and the power of the female voice still resonate with audiences thousands of years after its first staging.

2 The Plot When Antigone learns that her brother Polyneices has been killed in battle, and that King Creon dictates that anyone who attempts to bury Polyneices s body will be put to death, Antigone risks her life to ensure that her brother receive a burial ceremony, whatever the cost. As you read Antigone, fill in the boxes for each element of the play s plot.

3 The Characters In Antigone, Sophocles introduces the reader to one heroine against the world. Antigone fights for justice against her family, her friends, and her government. Use the space below to help organize your thoughts on each character. In the second column, write or type a description of the character. Be sure to include at least one direct quote from the play as evidence to support your description of that character. Character Antigone Character Traits Ismene Creon Haemon Eurydice Tieresias The Chorus

4 The Setting Sophocles sets his dramatic tale in the ancient land of Thebes, a land still ruled by gods and kings. Antigone is a drama, which means that from the opening page, the audience knows all of the characters are doomed, and this is reflected in the setting. Understanding the setting is one of the keys to understanding the play as a whole. Use the spaces below to describe the setting of Thebes and the events that take place there. In the first column, type or write direct quotes from the play phrases and sentences that are used to show what ancient life was like. In the second column, explain in your own words what these details show or suggest about the play s themes and characters. Remember your description should include details about the historical, political, and physical setting of Antigone. Direct Quote Related to Setting Your Explanation

5 Tracking Themes What is Sophocles trying to say about family values in his dramatic play, Antigone? The main themes in Antigone are related to loyalty and legacy. See if you can identify and analyze those themes. Step 1: What parts of the plot seem related to a possible theme in the play? (Think about the main conflict and how it get resolved or worked out.) Step 2: Which characters seem related to a possible theme? Which characters change, and what do those changes suggest about loyalty and legacy? Step 3: How does Sophocles use symbols to hint at the play s themes? What objects, people, or places stand for something bigger in the story? Step 4: What does the play s title suggest about the play s theme? Why do you think Sophocles chose to name his play after the protagonist? Step 5: Write about one or two of the play s main themes in your own words.

6 Talk About It What do you think about Sophocles s dramatic play Antigone? Has the play s message about tyrannical rule affected your opinion of loyalty? In the space below each question, write an answer based on your own experiences and your own understanding of the plot. Include some textual evidence or examples that helped you arrive at your answer. 1. Antigone is often noted as the play that first moralized the phrase pride comes before the fall. For which characters does stubborn pride lead ultimately to their demise? What conflicts could have been avoided for a happier ending, and what advice was given that was blatantly ignored? Textual Evidence: 2. Antigone is one of literature s first heroines, and Sophocles creates a complex character by having Antigone battle between two separate loyalties. To whom is Antigone loyal, and why does this cause conflict for her? What message does Sophocles seem to be sending his audience about obeying government through Antigone s loyalties? Textual Evidence:

7 Represent! Show what you know about Antigone and its message about family loyalty. Choose one of these projects to complete and share with your teacher, classmates, and others. Choice 1: Artistic Expression Many great plays have been re-created as graphic plays: a series of pictures telling the story. The Democratic Publishing House of New York City wants to publish a kid-friendly version of Antigone to help explain the dangers of tyrannical rule to middle-school students. Since you ve just finished reading Antigone, you re in a good position to advise The Democratic Publishing House on how to adapt the play in a way that appeals to young readers. If you know how to use pictures to tell a story, you re even more suited for this task: to create a graphic or animated version of Antigone to post on the Internet as either a photo slide show or a video. Your visual version of Antigone can be simpler and shorter, but the play s purpose and message should be just as clear in the slide show or video you create. The audience for your presentation will include teens assigned the play who have decided not to read it as well as students who did read the book but didn t get the message Sophocles hoped to send. If you decide to draw a series of images that tell the story, deliver your scanned images in a compressed folder (such as a zip file) and name the files in a way that shows the order in which the images should appear. If you create an animation, instead, compress your video to make it less than 10 MB, and upload your video file. Choice 2: Choice 2: Modernizing Sophocles Sophocles s language can be difficult to understand. The Modern Sophocles League fears that because of the difficulty in the language, modern teenagers will ignore Sophocles s ancient work in favor of literature that easier to digest. They hope to rewrite Antigone in easy-tounderstand language so that all readers can enjoy the beauty of Sophocles s stories. As The Modern Sophocles League sees it, you re a young person and you ve just read Antigone, which makes you the perfect person to write a hip new version of Sophocles s story in modern language. The audience for your updated version will be other modern teenagers, so vernacular and slang are encouraged. Your updated, edited version of Antigone will be simpler and shorter, but the play s message and meaning should be just as clear. You can deliver your script as a text document, or record and upload a video of you and your friends performing the updated play.