English 10 Honors, Mrs. Bloodgood 1
Greek Tragedy: Sophocles’ Antigone
Name: __________________________________________________________________ Hour: _________________
Objectives for Reading Antigone Independently:
1. Summarize a complex story.
2. Draw inferences, conclusions, or generalizations about Antigone and support them with textual
evidence and/or prior knowledge.
Reading Assignments:
Due: _________________ Read Antigone, Prologue through Scene 2, pages 815-834 ,and complete
independent reading guide questions 1-18 while you read.
Due: ________________ Read Antigone, scenes 3-5, pages 839-858, and complete independent reading guide
questions 19-35 while you read.
Building Background: Read pages 794-795, 808-809, 811 & 813.
1. What is a tragic hero? A tragic flaw?
2. How is theater of ancient Greece different from theater today?
3. Explain the format ancient Greek playwrights followed.
4. What is the difference between a protagonist & antagonist?
5. Note two significant facts about Sophocles, author of Antigone.
English 10 Honors, Mrs. Bloodgood 2
Greek Tragedy: Sophocles’ Antigone
Antigone, Prologue through Scene 2, pages 815-834
1. Reread Ismene’s speech on p. 816, lines 3754. Then retell the tragic history of Antigone’s
family in 3-5 sentences.
2. Summarize in 2 sentences what Ismene
thinks they should do about Polyneices’ body
and why.
3. What details in Antigone’s speech give the
reader reason to sympathize with Antigone
(816, lines 54-67)?
4. What might you say to Antigone about her
decision to disobey Creon and risk death
(817)?
5. Reread Parados (818) and summarize
Polyneices’ attack on Thebes in 3-4 sentences.
Remember that a summary should include only
the main points, not every detail.
6. How do Creon’s words in lines 42-49 (820)
show that he is Antigone’s antagonist?
7. Reread Creon’s speech (820-821) and
summarize his main points.
1.
2.
3.
4.
8. Speculate why the Sentry might hesitate
when reporting to Creon (821).
9. Summarize the sentry’s report through line
102 (821-822) in 1-2 sentences.
10. List 3 adjectives characterizing Antigone.
11. Summarize the main ideas in lines 10-24 of
the Chorus’ ode (824).
12. What laws does Antigone says she follows
in burying Polyneices (827)?
English 10 Honors, Mrs. Bloodgood 3
Greek Tragedy: Sophocles’ Antigone
13. What details in scene 2 (827) solidify
Antigone’s role as protagonist and Creon’s role
as antagonist?
14. What 2 crimes does Creon accuse Antigone
of committing (828, lines 102-115)?
15. Summarize the argument in lines 120-130
(829).
16. Hypothesize why Ismene now wants to
share the guilt for burying Polyneices (830).
17. Contrast Antigone & Isemene.
18. Summarize the main ideas in the
concluding ode (832).
19. Summarize lines 12-51 of Creon’s speech
(840) in 3-5 sentences.
20. What flaw in Creon’s character do lines 2829 reveal (840)?
21. Name the focus of Haemon’s speech on
page 841 in one word.
22. Explain Creon’s reasoning for refusing to
pardon Antigone (842).
23. What’s the message behind Creon’s words
in line 124 and why he says it in this way (843)?
24. How do Haimon’s words in line 125 warn of
the fateful consequences of Creon’s decision?
25. Summarize the conversation between the
chorus and Antigone in lines 1-20 (845) in 2-4
sentences.
Antigone vs. Ismene
English 10 Honors, Mrs. Bloodgood 4
Greek Tragedy: Sophocles’ Antigone
26. A. Which of Antigone’s virtues, or qualities,
is pointed out by the chorus on page 846?
B. What flaw in Antigone do they point out?
27. Reread Tieresias’ speech in lines 10-36 on
page 850. Notice how Tieresias delivers his
message to Creon. Identify the exact lines in
which Tieresias tells Creon that his actions as
king have affected all people of Greece.
28. Describe Creon’s tragic flaw. What ideas in
Creon’s speech to Teiresias reflect the king’s
tragic flaw (851)?
29. What does Creon say on page 852 that
reveals that he recognizes (anagnorisis) his
own tragic flaw?
30. What reversal of fortune has the
messenger come to announce on page 854?
31. In what sense might Creon’s loss of his son
be fitting punishment for his misjudgment
(856)?
32. Compare and contrast Creon’s situation
now with his position at the beginning of the
play (857).
33. What reversal of fortune has Creon
experienced (857)?
34. How does the big question—to what
extent does experience determine what we
perceive—connect to the play?
35. Who do you believe to be the tragic hero?
Antigone or Creon? What’s her/his tragic
flaw?