Setting
Antigone: This city-state serves as the backdrop of the play.
What is Thebes?
Antigone: This is the name of the king of Thebes.
Who is Creon?
Murakami: This country is where Haruki Murakami was born and raised.
What is Japan?
Murakami: The narrator encounters his dream girl while in this city.
What is Tokyo?
Antigone: The group of citizens that provide commentary and sing poetic odes
What is the chorus?
Murakami: The story takes place in this month.
What is April?
Murakami: This is the name of the narrator.
The narrator remains nameless.
Antigone: The playwright of Antigone.
Who is Sophocles?
Antigone: Antigone tries to recruit Ismene to help her do what, to which she refuses.
What is Polynieces’ burial?
Murakami: When the narrator encounters the girl, he says his mouth is as dry as a desert.
What is a simile?
Antigone: This event takes place in Thebes before the play begins, leaving the city struggling.
What is a civil war?
Murakami: This is the name of the narrator.
The narrator remains nameless.
Murakami: Murakami often credits this country’s literature and music for influencing his writing style.
What is the United States?
Murakami: When the narrator first sees the girl, he notices she is carrying one of these.
What is a letter?
Antigone: The audience knows that Antigone buried her brother, but Creon is unaware.
What is dramatic irony?
Murakami: The narrator encounters the girl when passing this type of shop.
What is a flower shop?
Antigone: These are the names of Antigone’s parents.
Who are Oedipus and Jocasta?
Antigone: Plays like Antigone were performed to honor this Greek god.
Who is Dionysus?
Antigone: Creon is upset that his niece, son, and this woman have all committed suicide.
Who is Eurydice?
Murakami: What is the name for the story within the story?
What is metafiction/nested narrative?
Murakami: This Tokyo neighborhood is where the narrator passes the "100% perfect girl."
What is Harajuku?
Antigone: These are the names of Antigone’s brothers.
Who are Estoceles and Polynieces?
Antigone: Antigone was first performed in this century BCE.
What is the 5th century BCE?
Murakami: When imagining a perfect day with the girl, the narrator mentions that after lunch, he would like to go see a movie by this specific American director.
Who is Woody Allen?
Murakami: The entire text functions as an uninterrupted internal speech.
What is a monologue?