Interactive Oral: Cultural Background for Antigone
Each person will be involved in short oral presentations for each work. The goal of these
presentations is to teach your classmates about the historical/cultural background of the
novels in translation we read. An effectively researched presentation will allow for a deeper
understanding of the text. After presentations you all will write a short reflective piece
discussing how this historical/cultural information impacts your understanding of the text.
Remember, your job is to teach about your topic; your job is not to make the connections
between Antigone and the topic for your classmates—that happens in your reflective
statement.
For Antigone, topics include:
 Five key allusions found in the text—explain the story and relevance in Greek
culture
 Burial rites and norms around the year Antigone was written/performed
 Marriage practices and gender expectations in Antigone’s time. Consider age,
class/bloodline, education, etc.
 Names in ancient Greece or the Theban plays/ The role of prophesy in ancient
Greece
 Ancient Greek art and its connection to ancient Greek culture
 A basic timeline of military/war in ancient Greece, specifically the role of the Persian
and Roman influence
 Political structures in ancient Greece: political and cultural comparison between
Athens and Thebes during the year(s) Antigone was written and performed—focus
on how laws were enacted, how power was created, how the individual functioned
in society, powers of the state vs. individual, etc.
 Theater norms in ancient Greece/acting norms in ancient Greece aka how would
Antigone have been performed?
Remember, I want you to move beyond power point presentations to an activity that
engages the class and reveals the cultural significance of your topic. This can happen
in a variety of ways:
 A creative handout that you guide your peers through and/or have them
complete. Go beyond the “fill in the blank” method here.
 A physical activity that models or reveals the information.
 A skit or video that teaches your topic to the class.
 The use of an outside source: song, piece of art, poem, etc. that aids in
teaching your topic.
 The creation of an artistic piece: song, photos, artwork, poem, etc. that aid in
teaching your topic.
However you decide to present your material, remember your job is to teach your
peers and deepen their understanding of the material. Think about what helps you
remember information and what engages you as a learner. Also remember, you’ll
only have 10-12 minutes to present!
PowerPoint on Sophocles
Tuesday/Wednesday:
mark up speeches+chorus passage (make copies)
discussion questions: tuesday in class, wednesday in class or
small groups (matt's choice)--written responses as group,
reading time for next reading section--40 pages by Monday
Thursday/Friday--lab for research and development of an
activity to help with presentations--handout, skit/video,
reading+discussion, artistic creation that relates to topic,
outside source--song, poem, piece of art, etc. that reveals
cultural significance. No powerpoints this time.
Topics:
male/female roles in ancient greece
athens vs. thebes
key allusions in Antigone--stories only, not connections to
play (that's the work you do in your paragraph)
political structures in ancient greece
persian invasion of greece
burial rites in ancient greece/treatment of death
names in antigone
role of prophesy and curses in ancient greece
presentations will be on Thursday and Friday of next week
(we'll have read most of the play by then)