Be careful what you wish for.
ANTIGONE
A CURSE UPON YOUR FATHER AND YOUR
FATHER’S FATHER…
This is a story of a family with some problems.
 It all starts with Anitgone’s grandfather, Laius.
 When Laius’ father, Labdacus, the King of
Thebes, dies, Laius is raised by his mother.
 She rules Thebes as his regent.
 Laius’ cousins, Amphion and Zethus, usurp
the throne and plot to kill Laius.
 Laius is smuggled out of Thebes.

LAIUS’ REVENGE
Laius is given to Pelops, the King of Thebes, to
raise.
 Laius becomes the tutor of Pelops’ favorite
son, Chrysippus.
 Laius abducts Chrysippus and takes him back
to Thebes.
 Laius discovers that his cousins are dead.
 He claims the throne and holds Chrysippus
hostage.

UNHAPPY KING PELOPS=NOT GOOD
Pelops raises an army and demands the return
of his son, Chrysippus.
 He discovers Chrysipuus is already dead.
 Because Laius treated his host family so badly,
he and his house are CURSED.
 When Laius marries Jocasta, he is warned not
to have children with her.

THE CURSE: ROUND 1
Laius is warned that his son with Jocasta will
one day kill him.
 One night, Laius gets drunk—did Jocasta do
this on purpose?—and Oedipus is conceived.
 Uh-oh.

PLAYING IT FORWARD:
When Oedipus is born, Laius orders his ankles
pinned together so he cannot crawl.
 Jocasta gives baby Oedipus to a servant to
leave him exposed on a mountain to die.
 The sympathetic servant instead gives the
baby to a shepherd.
 The infant is raised by the King and Queen of
Corinth.

AND THEN ONE DAY…
A drunk tells Oedipus he is adopted.
 Oedipus confronts his parents; they deny
every word.
 Oedipus goes to the Oracle for advice.
 She tells him he will kill his father and marry
his mother. She does NOT tell him the truth
about his birth.
 In an attempt to prevent this fate, Oedipus
leaves Corinth.

YOU CAN RUN, BUT YOU CAN’T HIDE.
Oedipus decides, of all places, to go to, yes,
you guessed it, Thebes.
 On the way, he meets a dude in a chariot. They
fight over who has the right to go first.
 Oedipus kills Laius in self defense.
 The only witness, a slave, flees. Wouldn’t you?

PROPHECY 1, OEDIPUS 0
Oedipus continues on to Thebes.
 On his way, he encounters the Sphinx, who
has ruled Thebes quite harshly.
 She asks all travelers a riddle. If they can’t
answer it correctly, she kills them and eats
them.
 Add suspenseful music here.

THE RIDDLE
“What walks on four feet in the morning, two
in the afternoon, and three at night?”
 When Oedipus answers correctly (man), the
Sphinx is so startled, she kills herself and
throws herself into the sea, freeing the people
of Thebes from her evil reign.
 The people of Thebes are SO happy, they
appoint Oedipus king.

BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE…
In addition to kingship, the people of Thebes
give him the fair widow, Jocasta’s, hand in
marriage.
 They don’t know Oedipus killed Laius,
thinking the Sphinx killed him
 Oedipus and Jocasta marry and have four
children: Eteocles, Polynices, Ismene, and
Anitgone. (Hang on—we’re starting to get
there.)

JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS OVER…

Polynices and Eteocles are also cursed by their
father for showing him disrespect on two
occasions:
 They served
him using a silver table and a golden
goblet that had belonged to Laius. Oedipus had
forbidden their used.
 They served Oedipus a hip-joint rather than a
shoulder-joint of a sacrificed animal. Big dis.
THE CURSE, #2
Oedipus curses his sons Eteocles and
Polynices, saying that each will be killed by the
other.
 Have a familiar ring to it?

A PLAGUE
A plague descends on Thebes. The fields, the
women are barren.
 Oedipus goes to the prophet Tiresias. He thinks
he must avenge his father’s murder and hopes
Tiresias can identify his father’s murderer. He
hopes that doing so will please the gods and cause
the plague to end.
 Tiresias pleads with Oedipus to leave the identity
of Laius’ murderer a mystery. Sounds like a plan.

THE FALLOUT
Oedipus realizes in his conversation that he
killed his father, married his mother. Uh oh.
 He puts out his eyes.
 Jocasta kills herself. Not so good in a crisis.
 Polynices and Eteocles agree to alternate as
king.

DID YOU REALLY THINK WE WERE DONE?
Well, it sounded like a good idea. Eteocles
refuses to give up power after his year of
serving as king. He likes the job.
 Polynices raises an army and attacks Thebes.
 The Thebans defend themselves against an
invading army, but the two brothers—well,
you know the rest—kill each other.

THE UNHAPPY ENDING
Eteolces is remembered as the defender of
Thebes.
 Polynices is considered the attacker.
 Creon, who is Jocasta’s brother, is left to rule
alone, since his brother-in-law, Oedipus;
sister, Jocasta; and nephews Eteocles and
Polynices, are all dead.

HIT THE LIGHTS

NOW, lift the curtain and let Antigone begin.