What themes of Antigone are still relevant today?
What you know
Critics have defined several features of western civilization that are is controversial today as they were 2500
years ago in Greek society, such as: To what extent can the military be independent of civilian control? Can
the government pass laws that make personal religious beliefs and customs illegal? Why, at the end of the
20th century, should we give a hoot in the first place about a brutal, misogynist society that rose to greatness
on the back of slaves? Because, they argue, it was the first place; for all the faults of ancient Greece, the
seeds of what Western civilization is today were planted there. "What we mean by Greek wisdom," they
explain, "is that at the very beginning of Western culture the Greeks provided a blueprint for an ordered and
humane society that could transcend time and space, one whose spirit and core values could evolve, sustain,
and drive political reform and social change for ages hence."
In class, we discussed the conflict between Creon and Antigone that raised the question: We expect our
government to pass and enforce laws that protect our safety, but “safety” is a very relative concept. Eating
junk food is unhealthy, but does the government have the right to ban me from going to McDonald’s? Does
the government have the right to outlaw burkas because they disagree with Muslim values and feel they are a
“threat” to society?
The Task
Your task will be to research newspapers to find a recent (past three years) article that suggests a conflict
similar to those explored in "Antigone", and then write an essay that compares the two. You will have to
include specific examples from both the article and the play. It will most likely be necessary for you to
research the topic further than your article in order for you to get a better understanding of the topic. Make
certain that you understand and present BOTH sides of the argument just as you should present both Creon’s
and Antigone’s perspective.
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Your essay should be 3 to 4 pages and follow MLA format (we will discuss in
class)
Use Times New Roman 12 font 1.5 -spaced
Your article and research must come from a reliable news source and be
documented.
(It can be an article reprinted on the web, or an article from a news website such
as the BBC, New York Times, etc...)
Link your article to Google Documents or attach to the essay
Essay will be due Monday, January 23rd
MARKING
Content: I expect you to demonstrate a clear understanding of your current event and not a “cut and
paste” of the details. You should make the connections to the characters and conflicts of “Antigone”
very clear.
Organization: This is a comparison essay so you should design a structure that connects the play with
the current event in a clear manner that doesn’t confuse or bore the reader.
Language: Use a formal language here but remember to be YOUR SELF! It is very important to
show a level of personal engagement with the task. Choose a topic in which you are interested and
you understand.
Many of the problems in understanding this play disappear when
you realise that Antigone is a very young girl. She is betrothed,
but unmarried. Athenian girls (yes, I know Antigone was a
Theban! There are theories that say the Theban setting of the
three plays is relevant, that Sophocles was portraying the "other"
society, but I don't think so)- Athenian girls could be betrothed
when very young indeed (any time after birth, in fact) - and
necessarily before menarche. Marriage could then be quickly
processed as soon as her periods began, and she was properly
marriageable (ie able to conceive).
Thus Antigone should be thought of as a 15 year old at most, and possibly as much
younger (12 or 13). Her behaviour - wild and defiant is not unheard of in girls of that
age. In fact it was recognised as a problem in Athenian culture, to be managed by a
strange custom. Young girls of good family were sent away from their families at this
pre-pubertal stage, either to the Sanctuary of Artemis at Brauron, or to the sister
establishment on the Acropolis, where they were known during this time as "bears"
(arktoi). An imaginative explanation for this custom emphasises the resemblance of
the young girl to a bear : she seems almost human (walking on hind legs, holding
things in paws), but is both wild and tame, both human and animal.
Thus I find it highly unlikely that the male Athenian audience will sympathise with
Antigone at the start of the play. She seems like a typical wild and undisciplined
child, defying her elders and making scenes! Having lost her parents, such behaviour
would seem even more natural. And so we don't take her too seriously when she
says she'll bury her brother's body, and tries to involve herself in polismatters which
don't concern a woman.
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~loxias/antigone02.htm