NAME: _________________________________________
Per#:_____________
Topic: Introduction to Antigone by Sophocles
Questions /
Main Ideas
Notes
Where did
drama begin?
Drama began in ancient ________________ with a religious ceremony called
the _____________________, during which masked men danced, sang songs,
and rejoiced in the harvest.
The songs told stories of the god _________________________, the god of
_______________, ___________________________, __________________,
and ___________________________________. He became the patron god of
the Greek stage.
What was the
chorus?
Who was the
leader of the
chorus?
Which three
poets /
playwrites
helped
develop
drama?
In 534 BC, a poet named ____________________________ created a character
who was separate from the chorus of singers. This was the first ____________.
The great poet ___________________________ (525 – 456 BC) added a second
______________, which led to more interesting dialogue and conflict on stage.
_______________________________ (496-406 BC) added a third
___________________, and the chorus became more of a background
narrator.
What was the
function of
the chorus?
1
NAME: _________________________________________
Where did
the chorus
come from?
Per#:_____________
The chorus was most likely a survivor from the original rituals of the Dithyramb.
During Sophocles’ time, the chorus also played a number of roles, such as a city
crowd.
For Sophocles, the chorus was an Athenian __________________________,
representing the average citizens of Athens.
How does the
chorus relate
to
contemporar
y theater?
Greek
theaters
Greek
theaters
The Greeks watched plays in large outdoor ____________________________.
The seats rose in a semicircle around the ground-level stage.
Painted _________________________ could be hung in the back.
The actors wore large ________________________ that helped the audience
members – even those in the back – identify the characters.
The ______________________ also helped amplify their voices for the
audience.
What were
the plays
about?
What is a
tragedy?
What is the
protagonist
of a tragedy
called?
Traits or
qualities:
A ______________________ possesses the following traits:

_______________________________________________________
2
NAME: _________________________________________
Per#:_____________

_______________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________
What is
hamartia?
What is
hubris?
What is fate?
3 Common
Themes
Dramatic
Structure
Ancient Greek playwrites followed a format:
________________________: presents background on the conflict.
________________________: opening song, followed by the first scene
________________________: additional songs, followed by more scenes
________________________: thanksgiving to Dionysus
3
NAME: _________________________________________
Per#:_____________
________________________: the final scene
Dramatic
Structure
The chorus performed the songs, while the actors performed the scenes. Odes
typically followed this structure:
During the ______________________ (the first part of the ode), the chorus
move / dance from right to left.
They moved in the opposite direction during the _______________________, a
verse answering the __________________________.
Sometimes the ode ended with an ______________________________, an
added song.
Why follow
this
structure?
Background
story to
Antigone
The Chorus helped divide the play into scenes, as the Greek stage did not have
______________________________ or ______________________________.
To understand this play, you must know the myth of _____________________.
Laius and Jocasta, the king and queen of Thebes, desperately wanted a child to be
their heir. The Oracle at Delphi told Laius he would have a son, but the son would
kill him. When his son was born, Laius ordered a servant to nail the baby to a
mountain and leave him there to die. Instead, the servant gave the boy to a
shepherd, who turned over the baby to the king of Corinth, Polybus.
When the baby, Oedipus, grew up, he also sought advice from the oracle. He was
told to avoid his homeland because he might be a danger to his family. Oedipus, not
wanting to hurt Polybus, decides to leave home forever and travels down the road
toward Thebes.
Meanwhile, a plague has attacked the city of Thebes and a Sphinx (woman’s head and
lioness’s body) is wreaking havoc on the people. The only way to end the plague is to
answer the Sphinx’s riddle so the curse is lifted. Laius is traveling toward to oracle to
seek help and encounters Oedipus at the crossroads. The fight over who has the right
of way, and Oedipus kills Laius.
Back in Thebes, they’ve heard that Laius is dead and the people are panicking about
finding a proper ruler since there is no heir. Creon, Jocasta’s brother, offers up the
queen’s hand to the first person who can solve the riddle of the Sphinx.
Guess who shows up in Thebes? That’s right – Oedipus arrives in what is a “foreign”
city to him (but really his homeland), and right away, he is able to answer the riddle.
(What animal walks on four feet in the morning, two feet in the afternoon, and three
feet in the evening? The answer: a human crawls on all fours at the beginning of its
life, walks upright on two feet as an adult, and uses a cane during the twilight years.)
4
NAME: _________________________________________
Per#:_____________
Oedipus marries Jocasta (not realizing that she is his mother!!!) and they have four
children: Polynices, Eteocles, Ismene, and Antigone.
The plague continued to ravage Thebes, though, so much time and effort was spent
trying to find out what they might have done to anger the gods. King Polybus, old
and dying, sends a messenger to Thebes asking his “son” to come and visit. Oedipus
refuses, remembering the words of the Oracle. The messenger is the same man who
gave the baby to Polybus years ago, so he finally reveals the truth to Oedipus.
Jocasta is ashamed and kills herself. Oedipus gouges out his eyes and roams the
earth until the gods take pity on him and sweep him away from the earthly life.
(Note: Antigone travels with him.)
At the
beginning of
Antigone…
Polyneices and Eteocles, both sons of Oedipus, decided to share the throne.
Eteocles would rule for one year, and then Polyneices, etc.
After one year, Eteocles refused to give up the throne to Polyneices. They fight
and kill one another.
Creon, their uncle, is now king.
Creon decides that Eteocles will receive a proper burial, but Polyneices is
treated as an enemy of Thebes. He will not be buried.
The
characters of
Antigone
Antigone
Ismene, Antigone’s sister
King Creon, Antigone’s uncle
Queen Eurydice, Antigone’s aunt
Polyneices, Antigone’s brother
Eteocles, Antigone’s brother
Haimon, Antigone’s fiance and cousin
Teiresias, a blind prophet
Chorus
Summary
5