Antigone Questions and Answers
Antigone
Antigone Ode 2 Summary
The Choral Ode title "Ode II" takes place between lines 465 and 492, between scenes ii and iii. Choral Odes usually take place between scenes or divide scenes. The Chorus comments on what has just...
Antigone
In Antigone, what does Teiresias predict will happen to Creon and what mistakes does Teiresias say Creon has made?
In punishment for Antigone's decision to bury her brother, Creon orders her to be executed by way of entombment. This is the context which shapes this encounter to which your question refers....
Antigone
How does Antigone die?
Antigone commits suicide by hanging herself, but the roots of her death lie in following the moral law of the gods rather than the immoral law of her uncle, Creon. Creon has decreed death to anyone...
Antigone
What is the works cited entry for Antigone by Sophocles?
A works cited page is the Modern Language Association’s name for a reference page. Other citation styles, such as APA, would use the title References rather than Works Cited. Having a works cited...
Antigone
What happens to all the characters in Antigone?
Sophocles's classic play Antigone is considered a tragedy, where the main character suffers extreme sorrow and loss as a result of the protagonist's tragic flaw. Creon is considered the protagonist...
Antigone
Why does Antigone feel it is her duty to bury Polynices?
Antigone's primary reason for wanting to bury Polynices is that it's in accordance with divine law. Once someone dies, their body isn't supposed to be just left to rot out in the streets; they must...
Antigone
In Sophocles' Antigone, what does the Chorus mean in Ode 3, after Creon and Haemon's argument?
The third choral ode of Sophocles' Antigone begins at line 665, just before the fight between Haemon and Creon. It begins: Blessed are those whose life has known no woe! The main theme of this...
Antigone
What is the role of the chorus in Antigone?
In Antigone by Sophocles, the Chorus, which consists of a group of Theban elders who are advisers to King Creon, performs three important roles. First, they provide information about what takes...
Antigone
What are some words that would describe Haemon from "Antigone"?
One can view Haemon, Creon's son and Antigone's fiance, in different ways. Indeed, he shows several contradictory traits in the play. At first when he appears, he seems submissive and conciliatory....
Antigone
In Antigone, by Sophocles, what is the meaning of the fourth choral Ode?
Both the rewards and the difficulties of interpreting the fourth choral ode of Sophocles’ Antigone have been dealt with very fully by Reginald Pepys Winnington-Ingram in his book Sophocles: An...
Antigone
In Antigone, what are some lessons that we can learn from Antigone's act of bravery?
The lesson I learn from "Antigone" is that you have to be ready to accept the consequences of your convictions. Not only is she loyal to her brother and her religious beliefs, brave when...
Antigone
What are examples of dramatic irony in Antigone, particularly from the beginning of the play?
Dramatic irony is evident when the audience, or reader, is privy to information to which the characters in the play are not. In Antigone, much of the dramatic irony surrounds issues of gender and...
Antigone
What is the point of "Ode to Man" (p. 205)? What message is implied? Is man primarily good or bad?
The role of the "Ode to Man" in Antigone is primarily didactic; that is to say it is designed to teach an important message. Sung by the Chorus, the Ode reveals to the audience the full complexity...
Antigone
How does Haemon die in Antigone?
In Antigone by Sophocles, Haemon is the son of Creon and engaged to marry Antigone. Creon has issued a proclamation that any person caught burying Polyneices will be stoned to death, as he...
Antigone
What are Antigone's positive traits and what are her negative traits?
Antigone is considered one of Sophocles' most prominent works. A play of tragedy, Antigone was written around the year 441 BC. It is the third of a set of three plays. The set of three plays,...
Antigone
What is King Creon's decree in Antigone?
As king, Creon decrees that son of the former king, rebel Polynices, shall not be buried and shall rot in the open as an example to others that would think of taking action against the state....
Antigone
Why Does Antigone Kill Herself
Other Educators have explored the various reasons that Antigone might have committed suicide, and the extent to which her suicide reflects her beliefs and ideals. Antigone makes no mention of...
Antigone
What is the summary of ODE 3 in Antigone?
It is the job of the Greek Chorus to both participate in the events of the play and comment on these events. In Antigone, the Chorus is of Theban Elders, which suggests that they are the ones who...
Antigone
Compare and contrast Antigone and her sister Ismene, showing how the two contribute to the play and how Ismene is a...
Ismene is presented as the ideal of how a woman in Ancient Greek society was expected to be: passive, demure, and obedient. She understands why her sister Antigone behaves the way she does but...
Antigone
In Antigone, how does the mood of the chorus change during the play?
The Chorus in Antigone reflects the attitude of the citizens of Thebes. At first, the Chorus supports Creon’s position, as he is the King of Thebes and is trying to return Thebes to stability after...
Antigone
In Antigone, who does Creon think “buried” the body of Polyneices? Why did they do it?
In a classic example of shooting the messenger, Creon angrily threatens the sentry who informs him about Polyneices' burial, ordering him to find out who buried the body on pain of death. It's not...
Antigone
What are some important symbols in Sophocles' Antigone?
Antigone's stone tomb The tomb to which Antigone is condemned symbolizes her ultimate loyalty. She does not care about her uncle's laws—Antigone is loyal to her dead brothers. The tomb could also...
Antigone
What is a good thesis statement for an essay about the play Antigone by Sophocles?
An interesting way of thinking about theme in Antigone is through an analysis of the contrast between Antigone and Ismene. A defensible thesis statement could be: Antigone is a proto-feminist...
Antigone
What punishment does Antigone receive for disobeying Creon in Sophocles' Antigone?
Creon is in a notably difficult position in the play Antigone. The city of Thebes has undergone numerous misfortunes, including the death of Laius, a plague, the discovery that the city's savior...
Antigone
In Antigone, how does Haemon try to convince Creon to spare the life of Antigone?
At first, Haemon flatters the absolutist king Creon by declaring his complete loyalty to him and by extension the state. This was a smart move as it puts the king at ease and hopefully in a better...
Antigone
In Antigone, what are Creon's principles?
Thebes isn't a democracy. Creon is king and what he says goes. He's given a very specific order, and he expects it to be obeyed without question: Polyneices's body must be left to rot out in the...
Antigone
At the end of Antigone who does Creon blame for the events? Give textual support.
At the end of the tragic events, Creon blames his own hubris for his tragic end. As a result of his excessive pride and stubbornness, King Creon suffers the end of many a tragic Greek hero: he...
Antigone
What are three of Ismene's character traits?
Ismene in the youngest daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta, and the sister of Antigone, Polyneices, and Eteocles. Ismene appears as a child in Sophocles's Oedipus Rex and as a grown woman in Antigone...
Antigone
In Antigone, can you give me a quote that shows Antigone's stubborness?
Antigone's whole nature is stubborn. She is determined to honor both the memory of her brother, Polynices, and the higher law of the gods. Almost everything she says and does in the play is...
Antigone
What is the relationship between Antigone and Ismene?
To answer your question, one must consider the collective background of the story as well as the individual characteristics of each character. In Antigone by Sophocles, the two characters in your...
Antigone
What is the main theme of Antigone?
Scholars have explored and debated a number of themes for Sophocles's ancient Greek tragedy, Antigone, including fate versus free will, laws versus justice, moral law versus man-made laws, divine...
Antigone
What happens to Ismene at the end of Antigone?
That’s a good question, one that Sophocles does not answer for us in Antigone. Ismene’s final appearance in the play happens in the middle as she asks Antigone to let her share her fate, which is...
Antigone
In Sophocles' play Antigone, why does Antigone bury her brother the second time?
In the play, King Oedipus has died, leaving his two sons, Eteocles and Polynices, to battle over the throne. When both Eteocles and Polynices die in combat, Creon becomes the king of Thebes. As...
Antigone
What are some words that would describe Creon from "Antigone"?
Antigone is one of ancient playwright Sophocles' most famous works. A tragedy, the play Antigone was written around 441 BC. It is the third of three plays. The set of three plays, the "Theban...
Antigone
In Antigone, what did Polynices do to betray someone? Wasn't he king of the kingdom but went against his own...
Creon treats Polynices as a traitor, though whether he actually is a traitor is left ambiguous. Polynices was supposed to share the rule of Thebes with his brother, Eteocles, the two alternating...
Antigone
In Antigone, how does Haemon attempt to reason with his father?
Haemon tries to get Creon to see sense in order to make him realize just how potentially damaging his decision regarding Antigone could be. Haemon approaches his father in a suitably respectful...
Antigone
How is Antigone a tragic hero?
Antigone is a tragic hero in both the modern sense and the classic sense. She is a good person—probably the only person in the play willing to stand by her convictions—and she dies as a result....
Antigone
What is Creon's overall motivation in Antigone?
In Antigone, written by Sophocles in about 440 BC, Creon has become King of Thebes at the death of his nephews, Eteocles and Polyneices, who killed each other in a civil war over which one of them...
Antigone
Where in the story Antigone does Creon show his loyalty to his country? I am currently writing an essay about...
In his first speech, Creon aligns himself with a concern for the integrity of the state. "...I have nothing but contempt for the kind of Governor who is afraid, for whatever reason, to follow the...
Antigone
In What Ways Does Ismene Differ From Her Sister, Antigone, In Antigone?
Ismene is a clear foil to her bolder sister Antigone. Antigone lives by her moral convictions and the law of the gods. She is not afraid to stand up to male power to do what is right. Ismene, at...
Antigone
Which is more important to Sophocles, family or authority? Look at Antigone, Ismene, Creon, and Haimon and at what...
Antigone comes from a seriously dysfunctional family. Antigone's father, Oedipus, former King of Thebes, killed his father, Laius, who was King of Thebes before Oedipus. Oedipus didn't know that...
Antigone
In the Exodus of Antigone with what idea does the Choragos conclude?
The Exodus or closing lines of Antigone emphasize the play's overall theme and stress the cause of Creon's tragic downfall. The Choragos (in some translations also called "Leader" or simply...
Antigone
What is the external conflict between Antigone and Ismene?
The external conflict in Sophocles' Antigone between the title character and her sister Ismene is pretty straightforward, but it evolves slightly by the end of the play. In the beginning Antigone...
Antigone
Also in the speech between Haemon and Creon to free Antigone, what use of rhetoric are used (ethos, pathos, logos)?
The dialogue between Haemon and Creon begins with relatively long speeches in which both men claim to be using reason to support their arguments. As the quarrel intensifies, the lines become...
Antigone
What does Ismene mean when she says, "We are only women, we can't fight with men"?
When Ismene speaks of women's weaknesses and how this makes them incapable of fighting with men, she communicates a traditional view of women in society. Antigone has asked Ismene to help her break...
Antigone
In what ways does Creon develop or change over the course of the play Antigone?
Creon is a significant tragic character precisely because of the way he changes. At the opening of the play, he is in some ways an admirable man, trying to hold Thebes together after the curse has...
Antigone
In Ode 1 of Sophocles' Antigone, what portrait or concept of man is developed, and how?
Sophocles took a rather nuanced view of humanity, and Antigone epitomizes that perfectly, mostly in the speeches or comments of the character Creon, who assumes the throne upon the deaths of...
Antigone
Creon claims that the rule of the king must be obeyed even if it’s wrong in order to avoid anarchy and chaos. Does...
When considering this question, it's important to note that Antigone is the final play of Sophocles's Oedipus trilogy and takes part within a wider mythical context that the audiences of the time...
Antigone
How does Creon change throughout Sophocles's Antigone?
Creon seems to undergo an awakening of consciousness during the course of the play. This involves improved understanding of his duty to the gods and his family, with compassion toward his niece...
Antigone
In Scene 2 of Antigone, what does Choragos want in this scene?
In Scene 2 of Antigone, the Choragos, the leader of the Chorus, gives voice to both sides of the debate over whether Antigone deserves to die for having buried the corpse of her brother, Polynices,...
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