Plot: Part 1
List the following events in the correct chronological order:
A. The assault on Thebes
B. The death of the brothers
C. The decree of Creon
D. The crime of Oedipus
D, A, B, C
According to the Choragos, what causes Creon’s destruction?
Pride/hubris
Haemon was engaged to what character?
Antigone
Creon, though not the titular character is the ______ of the play?
Tragic hero
Who was the blind prophet who talked to Creon?
Teiresias
In the Prologue, what does Antigone decide to do?
Bury Polyneices
Haemon believes authority in the land rests with whom?
The people
What is Antigone’s tragic flaw?
She does not obey; pride
Antigone’s obedience to a higher law pits her against Creon’s desire for order. This fighting between two forces/people is known as what within a work? (be specific)
External conflict OR man vs man conflict
Who was Antigone engaged to?
Haemon
What is Ismene most afraid of? (This is why she refuses to help Antigone.)
Disobeying the ruling authority/the law/Creon’s orders
How does Haemon threaten his father as he leaves in Scene 3 (2 things)?
That Antigone’s death will cause another and that he will never see Haemon’s face again (Suicide)
Why is Creon’s change of heart so pitiable?
He repented of his sin in vain/too late/tragic hero
Creon’s hamartia is pride/hubris; Antigone’s hamartia is an unyielding heart linked to her pride. What is hamartia?
Tragic flaw
What was the unavoidable aspect of any person’s life that by even trying to avoid it, you would fulfill it?
Fate/destiny
What is Antigone’s rationale why she disobeys Creon’s decree?
She believes in a higher law/divine law/the law of the gods.
Haemon’s request for mercy for Antigone mainly revolves around his plea for his father to do what (2 needed)?
Listen to reason, be flexible, listen to the people
In the end, what all does Creon lose (list at least 2)?
People he loves (Eurydice, Haemon), his reputation, his self-respect, his family (Antigone)
How is Ismene a foil for Antigone (give at least two foil characteristics)?
Antigone - brave, law of the gods, disobedient to Creon, loyal to family, strong, impulsive/fiery, rule breaker, proud
Ismene - cowardly, law of the government/land/etc, obedient to Creon, selfish, weak, rational, humble, womanly
Who was “the God” constantly referenced in the play, and who was that God married to?
God = Zeus
Married to = Hera
What is Creon’s rationale why he decrees that Polyneices not be buried?
He will not honor a traitor.
What are two reasons why Antigone feels she is being put to death?
Options:
Because she refuses to disobey the laws of the gods
Creon abusing his power
The curse of Oedipus
Burying her brother
Fate and destiny
Who was Antigone, Polyneices, Eteocles, and Ismene’s mother? (Also, Oedipus’ mother & eventual wife)
Jocasta
The nemesis is the consequences of the actions of a tragic hero. What are the two phases (in Greek) that precede this? Hint: 1. one is the point of no-return where the actions of the tragic hero has now made him vulnerable to his tragic fate, and 2. the other is when the tragic hero recognizes the flaws in his actions and how fate has trapped him (extra 50 points if spelled correctly)
1. Peripeteia and 2. anagnorisis
What type of government existed in ancient Greece (and, therefore, this play)? Thebes is an example of this.
City-state/polis