You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Note: I liked it. I think it's beyond the rating system for obvious reasons, so I'll give it a neutral 3/5. I read the Paul Woodruff translation.
Antigone's family is cursed. Prior to the events of the play, Oedipus kills his father (Laius) and marries his mother (Jocasta). He has four children: Antigone, Ismene, Polynices, and Eteocles. Oedipus blinds himself after learning of the incest. After Oedipus leaves Thebes with Antigone caring for him, the two brothers fight over the royal throne that had been seized by Creon. Eteocles fights to defend the city from Polynices, who was aided by Argos, and they kill each other in a one-on-one duel. Eteocles was granted a noble burial, and Polynices was left to rot as eternal punishment for bringing war upon Thebes. Ismene discourages Antigone from burying her brother; she insists on following the rule of men. Antigone, in response to Ismene falsely confessing to committing the crime later on, tells her to save herself: "Because you chose life, and I chose death." Antigone consistently proves herself as a beacon of nobility. She upholds respect of her family even when so many forces oppose her.
But to the earlier events of the play. Against the will of Creon, Antigone finds her brother Polynices' corpse ripped by dogs and plucked by vultures. Every character in the play who gazes upon it describes their horror of the act. Antigone, knowing that there is a death sentence for anyone who attempts to bury him, does it anyway--she completes all the burial rites that will assure his arrival to the underworld. Otherwise, his soul would eternally wander--a terrible, unjust, and cruel fate, and, most importantly, not one that Creon is morally allowed to incur (proved later).
Antigone, headstrong and arrogant to the authority of the king and confident in her delivery of justice to her slain brother, is devastated that she will be executed with no one to support her. Creon imprisons her in a tomb with barely enough food to survive to avoid the "curse of homicide," making it appear that she is the one who chooses to die. Which Creon knows she would rather do than live in misery. Haemon breaks into it by moving stones, and the tragic events follow.
This play touches on the power of men and women. Creon repeatedly argues throughout the play that giving into Haemon's, the Watchman's, Ismene's, Tiresias', and, of course, Antigone's demands to fairly bury the corpse is shameful because he would be admitting to being bested by a woman. And a young one at that. That is the strongest reason he uses to oppose Antigone, in that she is a woman and therefore must submit to his order, divine law be damned. He only reverses his decision once Tiresias told him his son would also die, but it was too late for Antigone and Haemon by then.
The play's primary purpose is the compare two types of justice--human justice, or justice of the law, versus divine justice. Creon, by upholding law, but not the divine law of burial, practices hubris. He is punished for his sin by the deaths of his treasured son (prophesied by Tiresias, whom he insults) and wife. Eurydice expresses before she fatally stabs herself that by his actions both of their sons died. Antigone was Haemon's betrothed and, excluding Ismene, was the last remaining of the royal house of Thebes. Therefore he protests against his father, although he seems to usually have a very obedient attitude towards him.
Antigone provides a lot of insight into Greek tragedy. I can't help but make parallels with Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. He might have been inspired by it, who knows. Romeo: Haemon. Juliet: Antigone. Lady Montague: Eurydice. But that's off topic. Antigone is a powerful story. Ismene discourages her sister from standing up for herself, but Antigone rebels against the men anyways. Haemon is filled with hatred because his father defied the true rule of justice. The men who watch Polynices' corpse are frightened and exhausted by Creon's insistence of bribery and the power of money, dodging the truth. Creon tries to hide behind the excuse of money corrupting men instead of looking at the issue face-to-face, and in this way, he attempts to distract himself. He lashes out at the chorus for their notice of divine work; he insults Tiresias the prophet because he, like the others, is not opposed to tell Creon the tough truth. As a result, tragedy ensues. And Ismene? She is never mentioned past Antigone's death. I suppose her soul died with hers.
But to the earlier events of the play. Against the will of Creon, Antigone finds her brother Polynices' corpse ripped by dogs and plucked by vultures. Every character in the play who gazes upon it describes their horror of the act. Antigone, knowing that there is a death sentence for anyone who attempts to bury him, does it anyway--she completes all the burial rites that will assure his arrival to the underworld. Otherwise, his soul would eternally wander--a terrible, unjust, and cruel fate, and, most importantly, not one that Creon is morally allowed to incur (proved later).
Antigone, headstrong and arrogant to the authority of the king and confident in her delivery of justice to her slain brother, is devastated that she will be executed with no one to support her. Creon imprisons her in a tomb with barely enough food to survive to avoid the "curse of homicide," making it appear that she is the one who chooses to die. Which Creon knows she would rather do than live in misery. Haemon breaks into it by moving stones, and the tragic events follow.
This play touches on the power of men and women. Creon repeatedly argues throughout the play that giving into Haemon's, the Watchman's, Ismene's, Tiresias', and, of course, Antigone's demands to fairly bury the corpse is shameful because he would be admitting to being bested by a woman. And a young one at that. That is the strongest reason he uses to oppose Antigone, in that she is a woman and therefore must submit to his order, divine law be damned. He only reverses his decision once Tiresias told him his son would also die, but it was too late for Antigone and Haemon by then.
The play's primary purpose is the compare two types of justice--human justice, or justice of the law, versus divine justice. Creon, by upholding law, but not the divine law of burial, practices hubris. He is punished for his sin by the deaths of his treasured son (prophesied by Tiresias, whom he insults) and wife. Eurydice expresses before she fatally stabs herself that by his actions both of their sons died. Antigone was Haemon's betrothed and, excluding Ismene, was the last remaining of the royal house of Thebes. Therefore he protests against his father, although he seems to usually have a very obedient attitude towards him.
Antigone provides a lot of insight into Greek tragedy. I can't help but make parallels with Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. He might have been inspired by it, who knows. Romeo: Haemon. Juliet: Antigone. Lady Montague: Eurydice. But that's off topic. Antigone is a powerful story. Ismene discourages her sister from standing up for herself, but Antigone rebels against the men anyways. Haemon is filled with hatred because his father defied the true rule of justice. The men who watch Polynices' corpse are frightened and exhausted by Creon's insistence of bribery and the power of money, dodging the truth. Creon tries to hide behind the excuse of money corrupting men instead of looking at the issue face-to-face, and in this way, he attempts to distract himself. He lashes out at the chorus for their notice of divine work; he insults Tiresias the prophet because he, like the others, is not opposed to tell Creon the tough truth. As a result, tragedy ensues. And Ismene? She is never mentioned past Antigone's death. I suppose her soul died with hers.
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
We were doing a new unit using Antigone and Persepolis and I read The Woman in Black for to complete the projects for our second independent read.
A Classic Greek Play
Antigone
Projects used:
Adapted from Novel Units: Antigone Teaching Guide
The Oedipus Story
Persepolis Movie Questions
Irony in Antigone
Foils in Antigone
Antigone Structure-Summary Diagram
Persepolis/Antigone Pardon Essay
Allusions in Antigone
Why I love this book:
I've always enjoyed the many aspects of this play as they are the first time ever to be seen. I like that when I read it the first time I really thought that Antigone was a strong, proud woman who stood up for her beliefs. I liked that upon reading it again I recognized that both Antigone and Creon could have changed their fates by listening to one another and I realized that while I didn't want to be Ismene, Antigone really isn't someone to emulate. She just seems stubborn and bull-headed. I wasn't really impressed by Haemon either.
A Classic Greek Play
Antigone
- First heroine in literature
- Classic display of hubris
Projects used:
Adapted from Novel Units: Antigone Teaching Guide
The Oedipus Story
Persepolis Movie Questions
Irony in Antigone
Foils in Antigone
Antigone Structure-Summary Diagram
Persepolis/Antigone Pardon Essay
Allusions in Antigone
Why I love this book:
I've always enjoyed the many aspects of this play as they are the first time ever to be seen. I like that when I read it the first time I really thought that Antigone was a strong, proud woman who stood up for her beliefs. I liked that upon reading it again I recognized that both Antigone and Creon could have changed their fates by listening to one another and I realized that while I didn't want to be Ismene, Antigone really isn't someone to emulate. She just seems stubborn and bull-headed. I wasn't really impressed by Haemon either.
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Excellent! Loved it! Fantastic work on the tragedy and the illustration of power going to a man's head!
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
intellectually so crazy to contemplate oedipus being your dad and like that’s your daily life. it sucks for everyone. “O what a father’s house was that from whence I drew my life forlorn!”
imagine the cause is some ancestral load which thou art bearing. tough stuff. or does it make things easier? did the 4 siblings ever play games as kids ☹️☹️☹️
anything about loving a siblimg does truly make me crash out so that really carried: “In your trouble I do not blush to claim companionship of what you have to endure.” WOW ouch
but for instance i am looking covetously at the anne carson translation and wondering if it will blow my mind more.
imagine the cause is some ancestral load which thou art bearing. tough stuff. or does it make things easier? did the 4 siblings ever play games as kids ☹️☹️☹️
anything about loving a siblimg does truly make me crash out so that really carried: “In your trouble I do not blush to claim companionship of what you have to endure.” WOW ouch
but for instance i am looking covetously at the anne carson translation and wondering if it will blow my mind more.
classic, i love the commentary on human nature and how its sooo applicable through time. its cool to think about. also sophocles writes some SAD SHIT like bro are u okay. ALSO i read the Paul Woodruff translation which i cant really tell if i liked or not, a lot of it felt too casual.