Antigone

Question 1

What is Antigone’s Harmatia?

Answer 1

Her fixation on martyrdom and personal honour leads her to death

Question 2

What is Creon’s Harmatia ?

Answer 2

Dictatorial obsession for Polis law leads to destruction of Oikos

He has an inflexible attitude towards authority

Question 3

How is Antigone hubristic?

Answer 3

Excessive desire for glory causes her to shun Ismene

Transgressive in viewing herself as the bride of death and comparing herself to divine figures like Niobe

Question 4

How is Creon hubristic?

Answer 4

He conflates law of polis with divine law

He is excessive in tyrannical use of power

Question 5

What is the Peripeteia in Antigone?

Answer 5

Teiresias prophesies imminent destruction of Oikos and informs Creon

Question 6

What is the Anagnorisis?

Answer 6

Creon laments that he is responsible for the deaths of Antigone, Haemon and Eurydice

Question 7

What is the Agon ?

Answer 7

Antigone argues that she was justified in defending divine laws of burial

Creon argues that this was not justified we the Gods don’t value traitors

Question 8

Who is Tiresias?

Answer 8

Blind prophet who prompts Creon’s Anagnorisis

Question 9

What happens in the prologue?

Answer 9

Antigone asks for ismene’s help in burying Polynices. Ismene refuses and Antigone rejects her

Antigone tells Ismene of the emergency decree

Question 10

What is the emergency decree?

Answer 10

New law made by Creon

Polynices is not allowed to be buried or mourned

Punishment is being stoned to death

Question 11

Why does Antigone want want to bury Polynices (4)

Answer 11

Divine law dictates corpses should be buried

Family ties and loyalty to brother

To redeem polluted Oikos

GLORY

Question 12

Why does Ismene not want to help Antigone?

Answer 12

She does not want to break state law

She stresses that they are only women

She is confined by patriarchal values

Question 13

How does Antigone reject Ismene in the prologue?

Answer 13

She says even if Ismene changes her mind she does not want her help

She will hate her for her silence

Question 14

What does Ismene say to show she is crushed by the Patriarchy?

Answer 14

“We must submit in this and things still worse”

Question 15

What does Antigone say in the prologue about glory?

Answer 15

“I will suffer nothing as great as death without glory”

Question 16

What happens in the parados?

Answer 16

The chorus thank the gods Polynices is defeated and they want to celebrate

Metaphor of Polynices
“Eagle screaming winging havoc over the land”

Question 17

What happens in episode 1? (6)

Answer 17

Creon presents his ethos

1) you are nothing if you put personal relationships before the state
2) leaders should not be Afraid of implementing laws. If he does be is worthless

He stresses the need for loyalty from the chorus
They react with a tentative “I suppose”

He tells of what he will do to Polynices

Sentry enters and says body has been buried.

Leader of the chorus questions whether it could be the work of the gods

Creon gets mad and threatens sentry with death and torture

Question 18

Who are the chorus

Answer 18

12-15 old citizens of Thebes

Question 19

Why does Creon not bury Polynices ?

Answer 19

State law

To set an example to citizens to consolidate and showcase his power

Question 20

How is Creon excessively paranoid ?

Answer 20

He threatens the sentry with torture and RAHHH

He assumes he has been bribed

Question 21

How does the sentry reveal Creon’s Harmatia?

Answer 21

“It’s terrible when the one who does the judging judges all wrong”

Question 22

What happens in the first stasimon?

Answer 22

The chorus sing an ode to man

They stress that people who live by the god’s laws and the state laws are the happiest
This relates to the two extremes of Antigone and Creon

Question 23

What happens in episode 2

Answer 23

Antigone is brought before Creon and confesses she buried her brother. She was found trying to bury her brother again

Creon and Antigone engage in an Agon

Ismene claims she helped but Antigone rejects her

Question 24

What evidence do we get in episode 2 that Antigone buried Polynices for personal glory

Answer 24

She was found by the body. She went back deliberately to be caught to get glory. She had already buried him.

She rejects the help of Ismene to have all the glory herself

Question 25

What happens in the second stasimon?

Answer 25

Chorus reflect on terrible fate of Antigone and the divine curse of Oikos

Question 26

Why does Ismene say she did it as well in episode 2?

Answer 26

To die with her sister

Question 27

What form was the Agon in?

Answer 27

Stichomythia

Question 28

What happens in episode 3?

Answer 28

Haemon argues with his father as he loves Antigone

Creon decrees that Antigone be entombed alive in a cave

Question 29

Why is Creon sentencing Antigone to death ironic

Answer 29

Reverse polis of polis law!

Doesn’t bury the dead but will bury people alive

Question 30

How does Haemon try to sweet talk Creon?

Answer 30

Says the people think Antigone should be rewarded not punished

He tries to tell him to relax and change his mind

Question 31

Why is there a communication breakdown between Haemon and Creon?

Answer 31

Creon does not understand Haemon

He takes his declaration of love for Antigone as a threat

“Then she will die… But her death will take another”

Question 32

How does Creon demand obedience from Haemon?

Answer 32

Are you angry or do you love me no matter what I do

Subordinate to your father’s will in every way

Question 33

What happens in the third stasimon?

Answer 33

Chorus sing about the power of love and how it drives people mad

Question 34

What happens in episode 4?

Answer 34

Antigone is brought out and laments her fate

She says “look at me”
-wants to be seen as a martyr
says she is going to wed the Lord of the dark waters and compares herself to Niobe who was turned to a rock

Chorus remind Antigone of being hubristic !

Question 35

What happens in the fourth stasimon?

Answer 35

Chorus compare Antigone’s fate and imprisonment to Danae, Lycurgus and Cleopatra

Question 36

What happens in episode 5?

Answer 36

Tiresias the blind prophet tells Creon he has made a mistake
“No birds dry out an omen clear and true”

Creon is resistant
-says he will never bury the body not even if Zeus’ Eagles rip the corpse
TRANSGRESSIVE
- he then gets paranoid and says Tiresias is doing this for money and has been bribed

Tiresias says great hatred rises against Creon
Creon then agrees to get Antigone out of the tomb

Question 37

What happens in the fifth stasimon?

Answer 37

Chorus invoke the God who protects Thebes -Dionysus

Question 38

What happens in the exodus ?

Answer 38

Messenger reveals Antigone killed herself

Haemon clung to her and killed himself

It then reveals Eurydice killed herself and cursed creon

Creon has an Anagnorisis
“All the guilt is mine… I admit it all”