Antigone
Antigone
– Dramatis personæ
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Antigone
Ismene
Creon
Hæmon
Eurydice
Teiresias
– Date: ca. 442 B.C.
– Not produced with O.T.
– Plot: Antigone buries
Polynices against
Creon’s will. Creon has
her buried alive, then
realizes his mistake too
late. Almost everybody
dies. The point: themis
vs. dike.
Antigone: Plot Summary
• I. Dialogue between Antigone and Ismene (1-99)
– A. Ant: Creon has decreed burial for Eteocles, none for
Polynices. No-one allowed to mourn him. Anyone caught
burying Polynices will be stoned. Will you help me bury
him?
– B. Ism: No, we women cannot resist the orders of
powerful men.
– C. Ant: I will bury him without you.
– D. Ism: You seek the impossible, but I love you anyway.
• II. Parodos: chorus of Theban elders overjoyed to
have won the battle (100-152)
Antigone: Plot Summary (cont.)
• III. Creon’s decree (153-222)
– A. Chorus introduce Creon (153-160)
– B. Creon’s speech (161-210)
» 1. The state is everything (162-191)
» 2. Reiterates his decree (192-210)
– C. Chorus give lukewarm approval (211-222)
• IV. Messenger speech 1 (223-331)
– A. Guard: some mysterious person has buried Polynices
(223-277)
– B. Chorus: could a god have done it? (278-279)
Antigone: Plot Summary (cont.)
– C. Creon
» 1. No! The gods couldn’t have cared for this traitor
(280-289)
» 2. It’s the work of traitors and their bribes (290-301)
» 3. All accomplices will be stoned, but the instigator
will be hanged (302-314)
» 4. To guard: find the criminals or I’ll assume you’re
guilty (315-331)
• V. Stasimon: “Ode to Man” (332-372)
• VI. Debate between Creon and Antigone (373-526)
– A. Antigone, Creon, and the guard enter (373-386)
Antigone: Plot Summary (cont.)
– B. Guard: We dug up Polynices, then caught Antigone reburying him (387-440)
– C. Creon and Antigone argue (446-526)
» 1. Antigone: the laws of the gods and the dead
demanded that I bury my brother
» 2. Creon: even in death, a traitor is a traitor. Ismene
too is guilty.
• VII. Ismene joins the debate (527-581)
– A. Ismene tries to share the “blame”
– B. Antigone refuses to share the “credit”
– C. Creon has them ordered inside. It seems both must die.
Antigone: Plot Summary (cont.)
– VIII. Stasimon 2 on the fate of the ruling house
(583-625)
– IX. Debate between Creon and Hæmon (626800)
• A. Chorus and Creon wonder where Hæmon’s
loyalties lie (626-638)
• B. Creon praises his son’s claim of loyalty (639680)
• C. Hæmon hints that there is civil unrest on
Antigone’s behalf (681-723)
Antigone: Plot Summary (cont.)
• D. They argue (724-763)
• E. Creon reveals to chorus Ismene will live (764780)
• F. Chorus attribute Hæmon’s speech to love (781800)
– X. Kommos between Antigone and chorus.
N.B. chorus’ approval (801-882)
– XI. Creon has Antigone led away to death (883943)
– XII. Stasimon 3 (944-987)
Antigone: Plot Summary (cont.)
• A. Acrisius (and Danaë) (944-953)
• B. Lycurgus (954-963)
• C. Phineus’ wife (968-984)
– XIII. Debate between Creon and Teiresias (9881090)
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A. The altars of Thebes are polluted (999-1033)
B. Creon accuses Teiresias of venality (1034-1047)
C. They argue (1048-1064)
D. Teiresias finally scares him (1065-1090)
Antigone: Plot Summary (cont.)
– XIV. Creon changes his mind (1091-1114)
– XV. Stasimon 4, calling on Dionysus for aid
(1115-1152)
– XVI. Messenger speech 1; heard by Eurydice
(1153-1255)
• A. Creon first buried Polynices (1192-1205)
• B. Going to Antigone’s tomb they heard Hæmon
weeping (1206-1219)
• C. Antigone had hung herself (1220-1225)
Antigone: Plot Summary (cont.)
• D. When Creon entered, Hæmon attacked him, but
missed (1226-1234)
• E. Hæmon killed himself (1235-1243)
• F. Eurydice leaves in silence (1244-1245)
• G. Frightened messenger follows her in (1246-1255)
– XVII. Creon mourns Hæmon (1256-1276)
– XVIII. Messenger speech 2: Eurydice has killed
herself (1277-1342)
– XVIX. Choral coda (1347-1353)