Full Antigone Script PDF: here

Weekly Activities are marked in brackets by what week they were done in, and anything done in an outside Google Doc will be linked in the Summatives section.

Background Color Codes

Red = General Resources

Yellow = Analyses and Notes

Green = Weekly Activities

Blue = Historical Background (About Ancient Greece at the time)

Purple = Contextual Background (About the play itself)

Antigone is the protagonist of the titular play Antigone, and daughter of the King of Thebes, Oedipus. Her bloodline is considered cursed due to the incestuous marriage between her father and his mother (Oedipus and Jocasta) that resulted in the birth of Antigone and her three siblings, Ismene, Polynices, and Eteocles.

Analysis

Characteristically speaking, she is extremely headstrong and firm in her beliefs, unafraid to stand up to authority if she disagrees with them. She seems to view her father as a stain on their family, though is not ashamed to be his daughter. Following their argument about Polynices' death, she seems to have a level of resentment for her only remaining sibling, Ismene. (More TBA as the story progresses. I intend on using this section to discuss Antigone's character throughout the play.)

Summary & My Thoughts

• We first see Antigone and Ismene discuss the deaths of their two brothers, Eteocles and Polynices. While Eteocles was given a proper burial ceremony, King Creon of Thebes decreed that Polynices was not to receive any funerary processions.

• The two sisters argue about what to do in light of this announcement, with Antigone declaring that she is going to give her brother a proper burial, or die trying. Ismene tries to convince her otherwise, saying that she has gone mad.

• Antigone remains as unwavering as ever in her convictions, while the two sisters (each other's only remaining family) grow distant due to their opposing ideals, with Ismene not daring to stand up to the State and the patriarchal society.

  • An interesting set-up of the two as literary foils with opposing morals and goals; despite both living with their father's curse, the two approach life very differently.

    
    

The play itself was written by famous Greek playwright Sophocles, who also wrote renowned plays such as Oedipus Rex. It was written in either 442 or 440 BCE, and first performed at the Festival of Dionysus the same year.

Wikipedia Summary: "After Oedipus' self-exile, his sons Eteocles and Polynices engaged in a civil war for the Theban throne, which resulted in both brothers dying while fighting each other. Oedipus' brother-in-law and new Theban ruler Creon ordered the public honoring of Eteocles and the public shaming of Thebes' traitor Polynices. The play follows the attempts of their sister Antigone to bury the body of Polynices, going against the decision of her uncle Creon and placing her relationship with her brother above human laws."

Antigone: Protagonist

Ismene: Antigone's sister

Creon: King of Thebes, Antigone's uncle

Haemon: Antigone's fiance and Creon's son

Tiresias: Famed prophet

Main Cities: Thebes, Athens, Delphi (More here)

Vocabulary Words

Polis: A city state in Ancient Greece, usually one operating under a democratic system.

Augury: An omen of something to come in the future.

Parados: A Greek word meaning “passage” or  “entrance”, used in this context to refer to the prologue of Antigone in which we learn why and how Eteocles and Polynices died.

Malignity: Someone who is malicious and ill-willed.

Paean: A song of praise or triumph.

Hamartia: A fatal flaw which leads to the downfall of the protagonist.

Pathos: An intense moment which appeals to the audiences’ emotions.

Catharsis: A climactic moment in which a character’s emotions are all let out, usually through one or more tragic events.

He was a very wealthy man, who served in several positions of power such as one of the ten Athenian generals who led the campaign on Samos. He was also a commissioner involved in the Peloponnesian War, and lived through the Persian Wars as well. He died around age 90, and multiple of his descendants would go on to become playwrights as well.

• Material: About Antigone, About Sophocles, Antigone & Ismene Character Triangles

WEEK TWO: Extracts 2 & 3 Studies, Background on Greek Theater

• Material: About the Gods, About Dionysis, About The Dionysia, Creon Character Triangle

WEEK THREE: Extracts 4 & 5 Studies, Background on the Underworld, Background on Athenian Democracy, Hubris and Right vs. Wrong

• Material: About Athenian Democracy, About the Underworld, Hubris, Right vs. Wrong

WEEK FOUR: Extract 6 Study, Extracts 7 & 8 Study, Extract 9 Study

• Material: Creon vs. Antigone Who is Right? Chart, The Voices of Reason/Authority, Pathos & Tragedy, Audience Quickwrite

WEEK FIVE: Extract 10 Study, Extract 11 Study, Who Was Tiresias?

• Material: Extract 11 Study, Extract 11 Three Truths

WEEK SIX: Extract 12 Study, Extract 13 Study, Fate or Free Will?

• Material: Extract 12 Study, Extract 13 Study, Fate or Free Will? Response

God of: Wine, Fruit and Vegetation, Ecstasy, Fertility, Festivity, and Theater

Parents: Zeus & Semele (Daughter of Theban king Cadmus)

Followers: Cult of Dionysus

Celebrations: Dionysia, Lenaia (Festivals)

He had a remarkable cult following, strongly associated with satyrs and centaurs due to the high volume in them in the cult. The cult is known for performing many religious rituals and divinations that were seen as odd to others. Interestingly, Dionysus and his followers seemed to attract significantly more men than women with their artistic and erotic celebrations and ways of life.

• A large festival of the arts held in Athens to honor Dionysus, god of the arts, which focused on theatrical performances. It went from the 10th to 16th of the Elaphebolion month (Known as our March/April.)

• There were actually two types of Dionysia: the original version, Rural Dionysia, and City Dionysia (or Great Dionysia). These took part during different times of year.

Cultural Importance

• The Dionysia was considered the second most important festival in Ancient Greece, only behind Panathenaia (a multi-day celebration of the Goddess Athena), and saw the first performances of many famous Greek plays, including Antigone.

  • During The City Dionysia, there would be two playwrights who won ivy wreaths as a mark of their success, one for the tragedy genre and one for comedy. Many of the greatest Greek playwrights, such as Euripedes and Sophocles won several of these awards, which is part of what makes them so legendary.

• Historically, when the Cult of Dionysus brought the festival to Athens, the people (mainly men) rejected it, leading to them being cursed with infertility. This curse was only lifted when they accepted the festival and by extension Dionysus. This shameful behavior would be commemorated every year by processions carrying phalloi.

Summary & Recurring Figurative Language

• Creon speaks to his senators, making his positions clear and introducing some of his character to the audience. We also hear part of his reasoning and methodology surrounding the deaths of Eteocles and Polynices.

  • Polynices is once again described as a traitor who will be left to rot in the dirt, though this time out of clear malice. (As opposed to Antigone's anger and despair)

• Creon is very dedicated to his duties as King of Thebes, believing that a weak minded, fearful, or biased ruler would mean doom for the already cursed royal family.

  • He describes the State as "the ship we all sail in", as if it is his duty, and the duty of all his senators, to play their parts in making sure the boat stays afloat. Even with a decisive captain such as himself at the helm, a fragile boat like Thebes could be sunk by rogue actors, let alone the wrath of discontent gods.

  • While both Creon and Antigone speak of appealing to the gods and their wishes, they clearly disagree on what those ideals are: Antigone believes Polynices should be given an honorable burial and sent to the afterlife no matter what, while Creon believes a mortal struck down by Zeus himself does not deserve any honor in death.

• In the fifth century BC, the Athenians began performing historical epics such as Homer's Iliad on stage, marking the first time Ancient Greek stories had been acted out instead of narrated.

• Unlike the modern plays of today, Greek theater only featured 3 to 4 actors (all male, as women were not allowed to be actors) alongside a chorus that would essentially come in to sing and dance out a summary of what had just occurred from a secondary perspective.

  • Choruses were often depicted as groups of common people, showing their reactions to the actions of the main characters.

• All performers in Greek theater also wore masks, partially in order to separate the actor from the role they were playing, so that actors did not start to feel as though they were truly great rulers or even gods.

• The chorus would act as a large group merging together, with every member wearing nearly identical attire and speaking in complete synchronization.

The Audience's Perspective

• While these plays often invoked strong emotions, many Ancient Greek tragedies were also meant to leave the watcher pondering a difficult philosophical question. Instead of giving one conclusive answer as correct or incorrect, they would leave the audience to make their own decision.

Summary & Analysis

• After Creon's announcement to his senators, a foot soldier barges into the chamber, clearly in distress. In a long-winded tangent he tells the King that Polynices' body had been buried, and there were no tracks or clues as to who had buried him. He also assures Creon that none of the sentries on watch had done it or been bribed to keep quiet.

  • Despite this, after Creon exits the scene, the soldier says that he lied to the King's face, implying that he and the other guards had been paid off. (Likely by Antigone)

• Creon declares that whoever buried Polynices' body must have done it for money, and refuses to even consider the possibility that the gods could have been angered by his blatant disregard for tradition. Not only does he dismiss the idea, but he also claims that the gods (specifically "his god", Zeus) would never honor a traitor like Polynices.

  • The chorus, representing the audience, also expresses their concern over Creon's decree and how the burial may have been a "warning from the gods."

    
    

• Obviously fears any perceived attempts to sabotage the State or his grip on power, and is willing to uphold the law even if it means breaking centuries of tradition. Having already shown his distaste for leaders who are not confident in their policies, he clearly cannot backtrack his decree about Polynices and his death. Even though everyone else, including his senators are warning him against going through with this plan, Creon must continue to exert his authority by refusing to stand down.

• Creon displays extreme antipathy towards Polynices and those who he considers to be weak or corrupt, something he also displays in Extract Three. He goes on a furious rampage at the idea of someone burying Polynices' body, already convinced that the culprit is a money-hungry man. Not only is he completely unable to consider what factors could have led to Polynices being buried (such as grief and respect for traditions) or why anyone would cover it up, but he immediately believes that his idea of what happened is correct, and is unwilling to take criticism or change his mind.

The Soldier

• His primary fear in this Extract is being punished by the law for his involvement in the burial of Polynices, as he several times expresses how he and the other men all did not want to confess or be the bringer of bad news. Unlike Creon, his fears are extremely valid, as the King threatens to have him tortured and publicly executed if he does not find a suitable scapegoat for the him.

• It seems like the chorus (the general audience) have a degree of sympathy towards the soldier. While they don't understand the full situation, they still try to defend him by expressing their concerns. Creon continues to display antipathy towards anyone who tries to oppose him or his ideas, even in a respectful manner.

HONORS: Irony in Extract 4

• At the end of the Extract, the Soldier says to himself that he is glad he did not get caught. This is a blatant form of dramatic irony, in which the reader already knows that he was involved, even though the King does not, and remains convinced of his own theories.

  • There is also a sense of dramatic irony in the fact that Creon believes his culprit to be a greedy man, when we the reader know that Antigone (a woman) had simply buried Polynices out of familial love and respect.

• The soldier also displays multiple instances of verbal irony, such as when he says he "hurried here as slowly as [he] could" and when he jokes that his words might hurt Creon's conscience, despite the King repeatedly showing the audience that he has very little conscience.

• Hubris is a derogatory adjective used in Ancient Greek to describe people (typically mortals) who is extremely arrogant and prideful, resulting in them feeling like they are above laws and traditions that people are expected to adhere to. Essentially, these are mortals who think they are superior to even the gods and the laws they set for the world.

• In order to set of these mortals straight, the Olympians would send Nemesis, the goddess of divine vengeance. Her name means "to give what is due."

• Nemesis' punishment was inescapable, and she would often curse these arrogant people with bad luck, since it was believed that their hubris had come from excessive good luck and fortune.

  • Since the Greek gods believed that a person's luck should be balanced between good and bad, Nemesis and her twin sister Tyche would work to spread bad and good luck respectively to those with unbalanced scales.

• Obviously not wishing to incur the wrath of the gods, most mortals would stay in their lane and remain respectful to the gods. Like seen with the chorus in Antigone, bad omens were often seen as a warning from the gods.

Hubris in Antigone

• Creon is clearly displaying hubris by flagrantly disregarding the thousands of years of tradition surrounding proper burials and admission to the Afterworld. Even the members of his cabinet warn him that the gods may be trying to dissuade him from becoming too proud and full of himself, he refused to stand down, even using Zeus' name with confidence.

  • While Antigone is also showing arrogance and pride by proudly standing up to his decree, I would not consider her to be hubristic, since she is working to preserve the natural order of the world that Creon disrupted.

• Rivers of the Underworld

  • The Styx: The river of hatred and unbreakable oaths which circles the Underworld seven times.

  • The Acheron: The river of sorrow and pain.

  • The Cocytus: The river of lamentation and wailing.

  • The Phlegethon: The river of fire which may lead to Tartarus.

• The Elysian Fields: A part of the Underworld which was originally reserved for only descendants of the gods and legendary heroes, but eventually opened its doors to those chosen by the gods and those with noble souls thanks to Persephone's guidance.

  • Those who reside here will live happily and with abundance in the afterlife.

• Tartarus: The deepest pits of the Underworld where the most grave sinners are sent. They will be sentenced to cruel and unusual punishments for all eternity.

  • Some examples of these are: King Sisyphus being forced to push a boulder up a steep hill only for it to fall down right as he reaches the top, and King Tantalon being trapped in a lake whose waters would recede when he attempted to drink, and grape vines would retract when he attempted to eat.

How to Get There

1. The deceased are required to drink the waters of the River Lethe in order to forget the memories of their past lives, which prepares them for possible reincarnation.

2. In order to pay the fee Charon requires to cross into the afterlife, a loved one must place a coin (obol) on their loved one's eyes or below their tongues. Those who did not have the adequate fee would be left to wander between two worlds.

3. The gates to the Underworld are guarded by Cerberus, a three-headed dog who makes sure that all those who enter the Underworld do not leave.

• Athens employed a Direct Democracy, in which most policymakers were chosen by lottery (sortition) from a pool of volunteering citizens in order to avoid the forming of elite political factions.

  • This is different from the elected democracy we have in most Western countries nowadays, where the people will vote for a leader to represent them and their interests.

• These eligible citizens could attend the Ecclesia, political assemblies held a few times a month. In order to keep order within this ~6,000 strong crowd, there was a 500-member committee known as the Boule. They would be the ones to set agendas and evaluate proposals.

• There were also hundreds of jurors and magistrates who were able to handle any legal concerns a citizen might have.

  • Only positions that were considered to require significant expertises, like military generals, were chosen through election. This was not considered a "democratic" system, but rather an aristocratic one, however.

• Every year, members of the assembly were able to carve one fellow citizen's name onto a stone (known as an ostraca) and place it in a bowl. The person whose name came up most would then be ostracized, or forcibly removed.

Cultural Values in Athens

• It was seen as the 'duty' of all Athenian citizens to participate in civil discussions, and aristocratic nobles were looked down upon.

• In order to avoid any one individual from getting too powerful, citizens were able to work together and get a certain person ostracized. Though this could also be risky since personal biases could come into play, it was a method for the silent majority to prevent political elitism.

Risks & Benefits

• Despite the seeming openness of this system, many parties were completely excluded from participating in Athenian democracies, such as women, slaves, non-citizen foreigners, and those not young enough to serve.

  • This meant that only between 10 and 20% of the Athenian population were actually represented in this "democratic" system.

• Many people (including philosophers at the time such as Plato) have doubted how competent the majority of people would be when it came to governing an entire city-state. This is why democracy through elected officials is considered the more effective method of democracy in the 21st century.

  • Of course, this system also has major flaws, since people with powerful enough backgrounds are able to be elected regardless of their expertise in governing or respect for the people they serve.

• Antigone lays out her reasonings for burying Polynices, stating that she respects the natural laws more than Creon's manmade laws.

• This outrages Creon, who believes that his decrees being frivolously discarded would be tantamount to a collapse of the State's power. Since Polynices was a traitor who killed his brother, Creon thinks that it would be disgraceful to him to honor Polynices in death.

  • Antigone disagrees, saying that both men were her brothers who she loved, and both should be treated equally in death regardless of the rule of law.

• Antigone and Creon both call out the Senators for their inaction, with Antigone saying they agree with her but are too afraid to speak up, while Creon says they have essentially signed Antigone's death warrant by staying silent.

  • It seems clear that the Senators are siding more with Antigone, since their initial doubts were being confirmed tenfold by Creon's fervent displays of hubris.

EXTRACT EIGHT - Creon vs. Haemon

• Haemon comes to defend his fiance Antigone in front of Creon, though he is much more prepared and collected: unlike Antigone, who was acting on her emotion and sense of justice, Haemon made sure to tailor his arguments to the personality of his opponent, his father.

• Haemon shows much respect for his father and does not openly disregard his authority, something that pleases Creon greatly. He is able to admit his flaws and inferiority to his father, but holds his ground and rationally explains why he assisted Antigone in burying Polynices.

  • Haemon discusses how he admires his father a lot, but also asks him to reconsider and change his mind, as it is what an honorable leader such as Creon would do. He warns that being inflexible and unwilling to listen to criticism could be his downfall.

• While the chorus voice their agreement with Haemon's logical arguments, Creon dismisses him due to his age and inexperience. He is unable to see past the laws that exist in front of him, and completely unwilling to listen to anyone who has breached them.

• Haemon becomes much more heated at this point, as Creon becomes more open about his desire to become essentially a dictator who believes his policies are the end-all-be-all. He repeatedly accuses Haemon of just being Antigone's lap dog, spewing more misogynistic insults and refusing to listen to anything Haemon or his senators have to say to him.

1. "Am I a figure of fun to be treated like a child, insulted and humiliated as I leave you for ever? Then, forests and meadows, and our Theban river, glittering pathway, ceaselessly flowing from Dirce's death till now, flat lands thundering beneath our chariots, you must be my witnesses, my only friends and mourners, as, victimized by an unjust law, I go to my last home in the living tomb, to wait, while the slow darkness descends, cold and starving on my stony bed halfway between the living and the dead." (37)

You can feel Antigone's desperation in this quote, the frustration she has that even the people who stood by and watched as her death warrant was signed feel no remorse in her final hours. Antigone does not fear death, but she is too prideful to die without dignity. She wants to be remembered, respected, and mourned - all things that Creon will not allow her, and the chorus are too afraid to openly express towards her.

2. "In all my wanderings, gentlemen, this place has been my home. I was born in this city: and now I begin my last journey. I look up at the sun in its familiar sky and feel its warmth on my face only to say goodbye. [...] No wedding for me, no music, no guests in the room: my wedding gift is an eternity in a stone tomb, my dowry, for ever not-to-be, death my bridegroom." (35-36)

We get to see a more melancholic side of Antigone in this passage, as she mourns her beloved city and the life she will never get to live. It almost feels as though she has resigned, knowing that it was her fate from the beginning as a daughter of Oedipus.

3. "To pay respect to the dead is praiseworthy, an act of love, and religion must have its due: but no civilized State can eschew Authority. Laws must be obeyed, whether we approve or disapprove. If you refuse to sanction the power of the State by indulging your own obsession you connive at your own fate." (38)

You can feel the melancholy of the chorus, who want Antigone to die with dignity. Though they find what she did honorable, they are unwilling to stand up for someone who broke the law. There is a clear moral dilemma for the average Theban, who do not find Antigone's actions to be morally wrong, but must let her punishment go through to uphold the power of the law.

I was left with complex feelings as I watched this scene. Antigone did what she thought was right and gave her brother an honorable death. Yet in upholding the traditions of the natural order, she openly and knowingly defied the Authority of the State. Even as her execution approaches, she continues to stubbornly decry the law of King Creon himself. I am in no place to overlook the ways of the gods themselves, nor would it be fair for me to wholly dismiss her act of great love and sacrifice. But before anything else, I am an Athenian citizen who believes in the rule of law. I cannot simply dismiss her violations of state policy and egregious disrespect for its Authority. After all, it had always been her fate as a daughter of Oedipus to die a tragic death. It is a complicated dilemma that I am faced with, but as a mere Athenian mortal, my civic duty is clear: I must not intervene in her due punishment.

My Reaction

As someone with no attachment to the traditions of Athenian democracy and the Greek gods, this excerpt really reminded me that Antigone had known something like this would happen from the beginning. As a daughter of Oedipus, her end was always going to be cruel, but she held her head up high and acted without fear of death or punishment. While I can understand the moral dilemmas that would have existed at the time, I personally think it's unfair to execute a young woman simply for wanting to honor her brother in death. The legal system exists for a reason, but I do not think that law dictates or trumps over morality. The same goes for the gods and their ideas of fate, who punished Antigone simply for the crime of being born. Her feelings of anger and despair are absolutely justified, and she did not deserve to die whatsoever.

The role of Greek tragedies was to make the audience think, posing difficult questions about morality versus legality and the consequences that both of these paths can lead to. In the case of Sophocles’ Antigone, both Antigone and Creon are being punished for taking these opposing ideals to their logical extremes, which then leaves the audience to decide which party—if any—was truly in the right.

----

For the 5th century audience, what does Antigone reveal about ‘free will’ versus fate?

To the Greek audience of the fifth century BCE, Antigone serves as both a testament to the strength of human will, and a cautionary tale about how fate cannot and will not be defied. Though Antigone knows she will be fated to die a horrible death as the rest of her family had, she nonetheless chooses to do what she believes is right—she may be bound by fate in death, but she will not sit by idly and allow the sins of her father to control her in life.

• Antigone despairs in front of Creon and the chorus as she prepares for her death sentence locked away in a stone room. She talks in a bittersweet tone about finally reuniting with her parents and brothers, though her resentment over dying merely for the crime of burying her brother clearly makes her mad.

• There is a very interesting duality in how she acts, protesting her innocence and declaring that she has broken no moral law while also saying that her time is up. Even if Antigone knows that she is doomed to die, she is furious at the precedent that her death will set, with senators afraid to speak up to a hubristic King Creon.

• Tiresias was a long-lived, blind prophet of the city of Thebes. He was the son of the nymph Chariclo, and a key character in many Greek myths.

• He would be transformed into a woman for seven years after killing a copulating female snake, in which time he would get married and give birth to children. After turning back into a man, he ended up the mediator in a debate between Zeus and Hera about whether men or women found sex more pleasurable.

  • In some tellings, his answer (that women enjoy all parts of sex while men only one) infuriated Hera so much that she struck him blind, with Zeus granting him his clairvoyance and seven-generation long lifespan as an apology for his blindness.

  • However, some retellings claim that he lost his sight after accidentally seeing Athena bathing, and all of his unique abilities were gifted by her as an apology.

• Even in death he remained an important Greek figure, as he guided the legendary Greek hero Odysseus in escaping the Underworld many years after he had died.

Analysis

• Being an extremely influential prophet blessed (or cursed?) by the gods themselves, it is not surprise that Creon greatly respected Tiresias. Even if he acted haughty at first and questioned the legitimacy of a fortune teller's knowledge, Creon would eventually fold in doubt as Tiresias bluntly foretold the downfall of Thebes at Creon's hands.

  • While Creon could have dismissed this talk from anyone else as blasphemous, it was very telling from the beginning that Tiresias proactively came to Creon to give him advice.

• I believe that Sophocles' intention behind inserting Tiresias into the story here was to humble Creon in a sense. As the king of a powerful City State, he had become as arrogant as the gods themselves, and needed someone to put him in his place. While Tiresias initially just wanted to offer advice to a ruler in a precarious position, he had no choice but to scare Creon into reflection as the conversation progressed.

• Even though Tiresias only gave a more concrete version of the warnings that Antigone, Haemon, and his senators had already warned him about, he was the only one Creon listened to. I think the message here is that Creon is so arrogant that he can only trust the words of a renowned prophet who speaks in no uncertain terms of his State's collapse.

  • We already knew that the gods would be displeased, and that Creon was acting foolishly in refusing to reflect on his actions or back track even a little. In fact, almost all of what Tiresias told us was not new information - the difference is that Tiresias has the power of clairvoyance on his side, and can give a graphic description of what will happen to Creon.

  • Someone as arrogant as Creon could not simply accept words from his inferiors, and was even unwilling to accept these words from the famed Tiresias at first. In summary, Creon is a narcissistic coward who could only be scared into submission by Tiresias himself.

• Main Notes

• Themes in Antigone - Mind Map

• Character Analyses

• TEAL Practice 1

• TEAL Practice 2

Main Themes

• Respect in death is a basic human right that can and should not be taken away, lest you anger the gods of the underworld.

• There are times where legality and morality do not align, and it is up to each individual’s own sense of justice to choose which path they will take.

• Fate will run its course no matter what happens, but humans can choose how they will react to the inevitable.

• The natural order of the world is set in stone, and those who attempt to defy it will be punished.