abstract illustration of the Oedipus story depicting the Sphynx, Jocasta, and Oedipus

The Oedipus Trilogy

by Sophocles

Start Free Trial

Antigone Lines 377 – 827 Questions and Answers

Download PDF PDF Page Citation Cite Share Link Share

Study Questions
1. What is the purpose of the first long speech by the Chorus?

2. What does the Sentry see?

3. What is the Sentry’s main concern?

4. Why does Creon intend to kill Ismene?

5. Why does Antigone reject Ismene by saying she prefers to die alone?

6. How does Ismene attempt to spare her sister’s life?

7. What kind of a leader is Creon?

8. Who is Haemon?

9. What advice does Haemon give Creon?

10. How does Creon receive Haemon’s advice?

Answers
1. The first long speech by the Chorus presents the audience with the intellectual issues that shape the play.

2. The Sentry sees the corpse of Polynices beginning to rot, and he and the other guards move it to higher ground on a bare, shelterless plain. While they are guarding the body, they see a dust storm so thick that the sky goes black even though the noontime sun was blazing overhead a moment ago. After the storm passes, the Sentry and the guards see a girl giving burial rites to Polynices.

3. The Sentry’s main concern is clearing himself of Creon’s suspicions and handing over the girl who was seen sanctifying the guarded corpse.

4. Creon intends to kill Ismene because he sees her as an accessory to Antigone’s crime.

5. Antigone rejects Ismene by saying she prefers to die alone because she did the work of administering burial rites alone.

6. Ismene attempts to spare her sister’s life by telling the king that an execution would deny his son a bride.

7. Creon leads by giving orders, not by listening. He demands complete loyalty, and punishes traitors with death.

8. Haemon is Creon’s son, and he intends to marry Antigone.

9. Haemon tells Creon that leaders who hear the whispers and murmurs of their people are better kings than those who listen only to their own voices.

10. Creon receives Haemon’s advice ungraciously, calling his son disobedient and rude for presuming to tell a king how to rule.

Get Ahead with eNotes

Start your 48-hour free trial to access everything you need to rise to the top of the class. Enjoy expert answers and study guides ad-free and take your learning to the next level.

Get 48 Hours Free Access
Previous

Antigone Lines 1 – 376 Questions and Answers

Next

Antigone Lines 828 – 1,213 Questions and Answers