English
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Greek Drama: Antigone
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Name
Period
SAME MYTH, SECOND VERSE…
PART I: Using the annotation notes on our online in the textbook, complete the following
chart.
MYTHICAL
CHARACTER
Niobe
(page 27 line
671-676)
“How often I
have heard the
store of Niobe, /
Tantalos’
wretched
daughter, how
the stone / Clung
fast about her,
ivy-close: and
they say / The
rain falls
endlessly / And
rifting soft
snow; her tears
are never done. /
I feel the
loneliness of her
death in mine.”
Tantalos
(page 27 line
671-672)
“How often I
have heard the
store of Niobe, /
Tantalos’
SUMMARY
OF MYTH
She is the daughter
of Tantalus and she
was also the queen of
Thebes. Niobe had
14 children and she
mocked Leto for
only having 2
children, so he sent
his two sons Apollo
and Artemis to kill
her whole family and
they did, so she ran
to the mountains and
cried she turned into
stone and the rock
formed into a stream
from her tears. She
became the symbol
of eternal mourning.
Her children were
left unburied for 9
days because Zeus
had wanted to turn
all the people in
Thebes into stone as
well.
Tantalos is invited to
Zeus’ house and
Zeus tells him a
bunch of secrets,
which Tantalos
leaks. To try and
apologize, Tantalos
COMPARE
TO ANTIGONE
They both offend very
important person and face
divine curses and deal
with unburied love ones.
Antigone deals with her
unburied brother while
Niobe deals with her
unburied dead children.
They both have offensive
attitudes and behavior
towards their important
loved ones. As well they
both die in the end of the
myth because they lost on
their family so they were
in sorrow.
-
-
Creon and
Tantalos were both
kings that did
immoral things
Both kings were
cursed.
Both had to deal
CONTRAST
WITH ANTIGONE
-
-
Tantalos was a
favorite of kings,
Creon wasn’t.
Tantalos was
trying to please
the gods, Creon
was only trying
wretched
daughter…”
Danae
(page 29 line
738)
“All Danae’s
beauty was
locked away / In
a brazen cell
where the
sunlight could
not come: / A
small room, still
as any grave,
enclosed her.”
Dyras’ son
Lycurgos
(page 29 line
747)
And Dryas’ son
8 also, that
furious king,
Bore the god’s
prisoning anger
for his pride:
Sealed up by
Dionysos in deaf
chops up his own
son, boils him, and
tries to serve it to the
gods, which the gods
are horrified and
sentence him to
forever stand in a
pool in Hades. In this
pool, Tantalos is
TANTALIZED
(origin of word)
because whenever he
tries to get water the
water drains, and
there is a fruit over
his head that raises
whenever he tries to
reach it.
Mother of Perseus by
Zeus
Her father believed
her son would kill
him so he locked her
in a tower so she
couldn’t have kids.
Once her son is born
her father then puts
Perseus and Danae in
a bronze chest and
sets it on the sea.
They survived and
became the object of
unwanted affections
of King of Seriphos
*Be sure to look at
the nine Implacable
Sisters mentioned in
that antistrophe!
Lycurgus, King of
Thrace, banned
Dionysus and his cult
from entering his
lands. When
Lycurgus learned
that Dionysus was in
with death of son.
to please
himself.
-
-
-
Imprisoned in a
tower like
Antigone was in
the tomb
Both by kings in
stories warned of
death in families or
to self
Lycurgus, according to
Sophocles, was locked in a
prison of stone by
Dionysus as punishment,
similar to Creon
sentencing Antigone to
death in a cave.
-
Danae lived and
had a child
Creon is
Antigone’s
Uncle vs.
Akrisios being
Danae’s father
Lycurgus defied the
gods, banning Dionysus
and his followers from
his land. Antigone, on
the other hand, revered
the gods and believe it
was their will to give
Polynieces a proper
burial.
stone, His
madness died
among echoes.
Thrace, educating
people in the ways of
wine, he attacked
Dionysus and
imprisoned his
followers. Dionysus
cursed him to a life
of madness, causing
him to kill his wife
and son. The nine
Implacable Sisters
are the Muses.
Eidothea (page
30 line 759)
“How a king’s
new woman,
sick / With
hatred for the
queen he had
imprisoned, /
Ripped out his
two son’s eyes
with her bloody
hands”
*Look at her father,
god of the North Wind,
as well as the Fates.
Why would Ares grin
at this while this
shuttle plunged four
times, four blind
wounds crying for
revenge? What’s with
this shuttle and these
wounds???
Goes against greater rule
like Antigone by revealing
they need to give
sacrifices to Zeus
More violent than
Antigone
Daughter of the
shape-shifting god
Proteus, an early sea
god.
Cleopatra
(page 30 line
760)
“With hatred for
the queen he had
imprisoned,”
Daughter of Boreus,
the North Wind. First
wife of King
Phineus. Phineus
locked her awy in a
cave. Phineus’s
second wife,
Eidothea, acussed her
two sons of
attempted rape and
Both were locked away in
a cave and had family
members who were
blinded.
Cleopatra was released
from her prison alive.
tricked Phineus into
blinding them.
Cleopatra’s brothers,
Calais and Zetes,
freed her, put her
sons on Phineus’s
throne and set
Eidothea away to her
own land.
PART II: What do all of these characters have in common?
Part III: Look up these are allusions and provide a brief summary. Then write
down the connection you see between this reference and Antigone.
Mythical Character
Summary of
Myth
Persephone
(line 716)
O tomb, vaulted bride-bed in eternal rock,
Soon I shall be with my own again / Where
Persephone welcome the thin ghost
Daughter of
Zeus and
Demeter,
Persephone is
Connection to our
play: Why reference
this? How is it
significant? Think of
context and culture!
In this quote,
Antigone is talking
about her death and
Persephone’s
underground:
Acheron
(lines 664)
Now sleepy Death / Summons me down to
Acheron, that cold shore: / There is no
bridesong there, nor any music.
the goddess of
vegetation. At
one point, Hades
falls deeply in
love with her and
keeps her in his
castle until she is
forced to eat 6
pomegranate
seeds. This
curses her to
spend eternity in
the underworld
with Hade, but
when Zeus sees
Demeter’s
depression, he
sends Hermes to
strike up a deal
with Hades. They
came to the
agreement that
she would spend
six
months(spring
and summer) in
the underworld
and 6 months
(fall and winter)
on earth.
One of the rivers
of the
underworld ruled
dwelling in the world
of the dead serves
as a metaphor. It
also connects
Antigone’s fate and
hopelessness to that
of Persephone when
she is condemned to
spend eternity in the
underworld.
Antigone accepts
her death. Alludes to
her death.
by Hades where
souls are ferried
across. Known
as river of woe.
Hephaistos
I began the rites of burnt-offering at the altar, /
But Hephaistos failed me: instead of bright
flame, / There was only the sputtering slime of
the fat thigh-flesh / Melting:
God of
blacksmiths and
fire
He failed to start the
fire for the alter, a
bad sign. Allusion to
war and conflict.
Iacchos
(page 35)
O Iacchos son of Kadmeian Semele O born of
the Thunder! Guardian of the West Regent of
Eleusis’ plain O Prince of maenad Thebes and
the Dragon Field by rippling Ismenos. . . the
nymphs of Iacchos dance at the spring of
Castalia. . . oh come from
Parnasos:
*Be sure to
include Semele,
the Eleusis’ plain,
maenad Thebes,
the Dragon Field,
Ismenos, Castalia,
and Parnasos.
Kudos if you can
explain why his
female followers
Dionysus is distantly
related to Antigone’s
family. Many places
in Thebes have
sacred connections
to him. The
tragedies were
performed in honor
of him.
“Evohe
evohe.’
chant
Amphion
(line 901-902)
What is his

Basically he
Men of the line of Kadmos you who live Near
Amphion’s citadel:
citadel?


Pallas
(line 928)
As I was unlocking the gate of Pallas’ shrine,
His citadel
is a castle
of some
sort in
Thebes –
Cadmea
He was
the son of
Zeus, who
founded
Thebes;
later
married
Niobe,
who after
insulting
the
goddess
Leto she
killed their
children.
Some say
he killed
himself
after this
and others
say he
was killed
with his
children.
Athena, often given
the epithet “Pallas”,
just founded
Thebes
*Why would Eurydice
need her help?
Eurydice’s name means
For I needed her help today
is the Greek goddess
of wisdom, courage,
inspiration,
civilization, law and
justice, strategic
war, mathematics,
strengths, strategy,
the arts, crafts, and
skill in ancient
Greek religion and
mythology.
“wide justice” and she
seeks help from
Pallas, another name
for the goddess
Athena, who is
goddess of justice and
wisdom which is the
guidance Eurydice is
seeking.
Hecate and Pluto
(line 940)
To the outer plain where Polyneices was lying,
No friend to pity him, his body shredded by
dogs. We made our prayers in that place to
Hecate And Pluto, 18 that they would be
merciful.
Pluto- Other Name
for Hades, the
effects of the
death, and the lord
of the dead; the
actual death force
is Thanatos, think
‘final destination’
Hecate- goddess
of magic,
witchcraft,
crossroads and
decisions.
Symbols are
torches, dogs &
keys and daggers.
Considered to be
honored by
deathless gods
Death plays a large
role in all 3 plays. The
1st play is caused by
the death of Lysus, the
2nd is about the death
of Oedipus, the 3rd
play is because of the
death of Polynices
Moon of Jupiter
named after a
priestess that Zeus
had a relationship
with.
Why reference Io Fire?
Asking for power and
help.
They were
female chthonic
Deities of
vengeance, so it was
Io Fire
(page 35 lines 896)
Io Fire! Chorister of the throbbing stars! O
purest among the voices of the night! Thou
son of God, blaze for us!
The Furies
(lines 848 page 33)
Goddess of
decisions,
Antigone’s decision
leads to her
downfall, Hecate
emphasized as only
child while Antigone
emphasizes respect
towards brother,
both are guardianlike
And the Furies and the dark gods of Hell Are
swift with terrible punishment for you.
deities of
vengeance, and
sometimes
referred to as
“infernal
goddesses”.
They emerged
when Cronus
castrated his
father Uranus
and emerged
from the drops of
blood. They
bring fury upon
people who
upset the
balance of host
to guest or
parents to child.
their responsibility to
reign down with
terror on Creon for
the pain he caused
both of his
daughters and his
dead son,
Polynieces.
Teiresias is
predicting what the
Furies will do, which
ends up becoming
reality at the end
with Creon’s guilt.