Greek Tragedy
Vocabulary
Literary Elements
About Antigone
About Creon
100
A person of high rank who accepts his or her downfall with dignity.
What is a tragic hero?
100
Define "anarchist."
a person favoring the overthrow of the government.
100
An expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.
What is an allusion?
100
How does Antigone feel about death?
She welcomes it and is not afraid.
100
Creon's relationship to Oedipus.
What is Oedipus' brother-in-law (Jocasta's brother)?
200
The Greek god that drama was designed to worship.
Who is Dionysus?
200
Define "contempt."
the feeling that a person or a thing is beneath consideration, worthless, or deserving scorn
200
Name an event in the play that was SYMBOLIC of the anger of the gods.
The dust storm OR the failed sacrifice OR the fighting birds.
200
Give the purpose of an ode.
An ode is a chance for the chorus to comment on the action of the play, provide background information and give insight into themes.
200
Creon has contempt for his nephew Polyneices. Explain why.
What is because Polyneices attacked his home (Thebes) and is a traitor?
300
Aristotle claimed that tragedy must evoke these two things (must get both).
What is pity and fear?
300
Define "transgress."
Infringe or go beyond the bounds of (a moral principle or other established standard of behavior).
300
Explain why Teiresias' label as "the blind seer" is ironic.
He is physically blind but spiritually sighted.
300
Creon commits Antigone of a "double insolence" or crime. Name both her crimes.
What is 1) burying her brother Polyneices and 2) boasting about it?
300
The cause of Creon's tension with his son, Haemon.
What is Haemon is engaged to Antigone?
400
A short comic interlude between a cycle of 3 tragic plays.
What is a satyr?
400
Define "transcends."
To be or go beyond the range or limits of (something abstract, typically a conceptual field or division).
400
Words like Fate, Death and Fortune are capitalized in the text. What lit device does this represent? Why?
Personification. We view them as people and forces instead of as abstract ideas.
400
Ode 2 discusses Antigone as being “this last flower of Oedipus’ line.” How do the gods feel toward the children of Oedipus?
What is they continue to punish them for Oedipus' sin?
400
In scene 2 Creon says, “Who is the man here, she or I, if this crime goes unpunished?” Name the insecurity of Creon's character emphasized here.
What is he is afraid to look weak in the eyes of his people, particularly against a woman?
500
Provide a summary of the plot of Oedipus Rex.
Oedipus tries to outrun his fate. He does not succeed and ends up killing his father, marrying his mother and having 4 children with her (without being aware of it). Once aware, Oedipus' wife/mother Jocasta kills herself and he stabs his eyes out with her jewelry. He spends the rest of his life in exile.
500
Define the word "lamentation."
An expression of grief.
500
Haemon's comment to his father, "And her death would cause another" is an example of ________. EXPLAIN.
What is dramatic irony? The audience knows he means himself, while Creon believes Haemon is threatening to kill him.
500
In scene two Creon said of Antigone, “The inflexible heart breaks first, the toughest iron cracks first, and the wildest horses bend their necks at the pull of the smallest curb.” Then, in scene three, Haemon makes a similar statement about Creon. What could you say about the characters Antigone and Creon based on this quote?
Both are stubborn and they are more alike than they think.
500
Explain Creon's method of putting Antigone to death and why it is ironic.
He plans to bury her alive; she is being put to death for burying her brother (who Creon would not bury).
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