E ssential Questions – Antigone by Jean Anouilh
1.
Can Antigone be interpreted simply as a clash between idealism and realism?
2.
How helpful is it to interpret Antigone in the context of the occupation of France in the Second World War and French collaboration with the Germans?
3.
Analyze Anouilh’s deliberate use of anachronisms in the play and assess their usefulness for an understanding of the play’s message.
4.
‘The real hero of the play is Creon’ (Charles Mere). Do you agree?
5.
‘She wanted to die…Polynices was only an excuse.’ Is this view of Antigone by
Creon correct in your opinion?
6.
‘Ismene Eurydice, the nurse – Anouilh’s picture of “normal femininity” is hardly flattering to the female half of the human race’. Do you agree or disagree?
7.
Analyze the depiction of the ‘common people’ in Antigone (both the characters and their descriptions). How does it affect your interpretation of the play?
8.
‘The healthy and radiant characters of Ismene and Haemon count for nothing in the end. Anouilh’s vision of life could not be more misanthropic and his play is quite naturally in its right place among his “Black” series’. Discuss.
9.
Analyze the letter scene at the end of Antigone and assess its significance.
10.
What role does Death play in the text? Explain.
11.
Compare and contrast the physical appearance between Ismene and Antigone and discuss the role of gender stereotypes in a social system of your choice.
12.
Discuss the line, ‘Nothing is true but what is never said’. What is the value of silence and what is its role in Anouilh’s play?
13.
Creon uses ‘the mob’ as a scapegoat for his niece’s sentencing. What role does
‘the mob’ play in Anouilh’s text and what is the significance of Creon’s deference to them?
14.
Gender is a central concept in the text and determines the actions taken by its central characters. In what ways do Antigone and Haemon thwart the stereotypical gender roles assumed by other characters in the book?