AntigoneQuestions+Ideas_23

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ANTIGONE GUIDING QUESTIONS + IDEAS When you see the word Antigone in italics, this indicates the play . When you see it non-italicized like this— Antigone —this means the character. Please use these different forms in your essay. Names of plays and movies are always italicized in MLA style. ABOUT THE PLAY ❖ How many and what kind of conflicts do you see in this play? Which characters are in conflict? ❖ What sorts of loyalties do these characters have? At what points do they come into conflict with other loyalties or the loyalties of other characters? Do any characters take their views too far? ❖ Does Antigone care about the state at all? Does Creon care about the family or religion? ❖ Consider terms and ideas like justice, authority, power, legitimacy. How does the play reflect on or define these terms? Does the play give one or multiple view of justice, authority, etc? ❖ How do the various characters in Antigone establish and maintain their view of justice, authority, power, legitimacy, etc? How do they support their views and claims? ❖ How do people (today or throughout history) establish and maintain their view of justice, authority, power, legitimacy, etc? Are their methods similar or different to those found in Antigone ? ❖ What sorts of contemporary or modern-day ‘Antigones’ have you encountered in art, literature, history, or the news? What types of qualities make them ‘Antigones’? ❖ Can we learn anything from this play? If so, what lessons can the play teach us? ❖ Does Antigone care about the state at all? Does Creon care about the family, oikos, or religion? ❖ How could the Antigone be read in a ‘political’ way today? How has it been ‘political’ in various adaptations? ❖ What is civil disobedience? In what ways is Antigone being disobedient in this play? What motivates her disobedience—what are her goals, and why are they so important to her?

❖ Based on her statements and actions, do you consider Antigone to be a criminal or a hero? ABOUT ANTIGONE: THE CHARACTER Think about the heroic aspects of Antigone’s character, especially: ➢ Antigone’s focus on honor and nobility ➢ Her focus on action and deeds ➢ Her willingness to proclaim these deeds ➢ Her wish to die nobly ➢ How Ismene acts as a foil for Antigone as well as how Ismene represents more traditional female values and roles More about Antigone, the character: ❖ What is Antigone’s dilemma at the beginning of the play? What are her duties to her family, and what are her duties to her city? ❖ In what terms does Antigone understand her ‘crime’? Why does she say that she will “be a criminal—but a religious one”? ❖ Antigone is described with maternal imagery throughout the play (e.g. 425-430, as a mother bird who has lost its young). Why would Sophocles include these details if she herself will never be a mother? ❖ Whom does Antigone claim will be waiting for her in the afterlife? What actions has Antigone done in life that will enable her to see her loved ones? ❖ How does Antigone explain her reasoning that she would have taken this extraordinary action only for her brother? ❖ Why do you think that Sophocles would write about such a transgressive female? ❖ In what ways could Antigone have been frightening to an ancient Athenian audience? ❖ How would you define a hero in your own terms? How would you define a hero in terms of Homeric epic (the Iliad and Odyssey)? Does Antigone fit either of these paradigms? ❖ Can Antigone, as a female, be a hero? In what ways is Antigone heroic and not heroic? Be sure to create a definition for a hero before judging her. ❖ Based on her statements and actions, do you consider Antigone to be a criminal or a hero? Using the text, create a case for both categories. ❖ Why does the fact that Creon is Antigone’s uncle (and last living male guardian) complicate her dilemma? ❖ In what ways is Antigone like a masculine hero at the beginning of the play? How is she a doer of deeds and speaker of words?

❖ In what ways does Antigone behave or not behave like a traditional elite female? Why do you think that Sophocles would write about such a transgressive female? In what ways could Antigone have been frightening to an ancient Athenian audience? ❖ What other elements of Antigone’s character do you see? ❖ How does Antigone treat Ismene? Why does she act like this? ❖ Why might Haemon and Antigone never appear on stage together? Do we ever witness evidence of Antigone’s feelings toward Haemon? Is Haemon strange (culturally speaking) for having feelings for Antigone? ❖ Antigone is described with maternal imagery throughout the play (e.g. 425-430, as a mother bird who has lost its young). Why would Sophocles include these details, if she herself will never be a mother? ❖ Whom does Antigone claim will be waiting for her in the afterlife? What actions has Antigone done in life that will enable her to see her loved ones? ❖ How does Antigone explain her reasoning that she would have taken this extraordinary action only for her brother? Why not for children or a husband? ❖ Think about the ‘traditional’ masculine and heroic aspects of Antigone’s character in these scenes, especially: ❖ Antigone’s focus on honor and nobility (20-40) ❖ her focus on action and deeds (40-50) ❖ her willingness to proclaim these deeds (85) ❖ her wish to die nobly (95) ABOUT ISMENE: ➢ Her reminder to her sister that women “are ruled, by those who are stronger” ➢ Her reluctance to break the law ➢ How does Ismene act as a foil to Antigone? ➢ What are Ismene’s reasons for her behavior? ➢ How does Antigone treat Ismene? Why does she act like this? ➢ What happens to Ismene, do you think? Why do we never find out? ➢ How Ismene acts as a foil for Antigone as well as how Ismene represents more traditional female values and roles, including: ➢ Ismene’s reluctance to transgress the law (60) ➢ Her reminders that women “are ruled, by those who are stronger” (60- 70) ➢ Her emphasis on silence (85) ➢ Her unwillingness to abandon Antigone (95-100)

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ABOUT CREON: ➔ How would you characterize Creon? Is he a tyrant according to our modern definition? What good traits does Creon possess? ➔ Read Creon’s speech beginning at line 640. According to Creon, what is the ideal relationship between fathers and sons like? What is the ideal ruler like? What are his thoughts on gender? ➔ Starting around line 690, what sorts of things is Haemon attempting to suggest to Creon? How does Creon react to this advice? How do they include gender in their argument? How has Haemon’s attitude toward his father changed by the end of this scene? ➔ Creon changes his mind and intends to put the situation right again. Why is he too late to do that? ➔ How does Creon interact with the chorus and the sentry? Look especially at his language after line 280. What is the sentry’s attitude toward Creon? ➔ Read Creon’s speech beginning around line 475. What does Creon think about roles for women and men? Does his speech reflect beliefs common for fifth-century Athenians? ➔ Haemon enters the scene around line 630. What is his initial attitude toward his father? ➔ Creon changes his mind and intends to put the situation right again. Why is he too late to do that? ➔ Read Creon’s speech beginning at line 640. According to Creon, what is the ideal relationship between fathers and sons like? What is the ideal ruler like? What are his thoughts on gender? ➔ Starting around line 690, what sorts of things is Haemon attempting to suggest to Creon? How does Creon react to this advice? How do they include gender in their argument? How has Haemon’s attitude toward his father changed by the end of this scene? ➔ Has Creon’s character changed at all throughout this part of the play? Why or why don’t you believe so? ➔ Why does Creon choose the particular method of killing Antigone that he does? ➔ How do you feel about Creon at the end of the play? Have your feelings changed over the course of the play? Has Creon changed over the course of the play? Has he learned anything? What should we learn from Creon?

AntigoneQuestions+Ideas_23

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