Prologue and Parados Questions:
1. In their first scenes together, Antigone and Ismene are foils, characters who have contrasting or opposite qualities. How would you characterize each sister? Does Sophocles seem to side with one sister over the other? Explain in detail.
2. In verbal irony, what is said is the opposite of what is meant. Where does Antigone use verbal irony in her scenes with Ismene? How does this make you feel about Antigone?
Scene One and Ode One:
3. Dramatic Irony is a situation in which the audience knows something that a character does not. What dramatic irony do you sense each time Creon refers to the “man” who has buried Polyneices?
4. On the basis of Scene One, how would you characterize Creon’s strengths and weaknesses as a leader? Is he a believable character? Why, or why not?
Scene Two and Ode 2
4. What would you say is the greatest force motivating Antigone in this scene – pride, love, or principle? Explain your response.
5. The Chorus makes an allusion, or reference, to the Oedipus myth. Look back at those pages. Why does “God’s vengeance” loom over the House of Oedipus? What human fault dos the Chorus say is responsible for this “curse of heaven”?
Scene Three and Ode 3
6. At this point in the play, do you think that both Antigone and Creon should be more yielding, or do you believe that there are some principles that a person cannot compromise? Explain your opinion.
7.
8. Why do you think Creon changes his mind about how to punish Antigone? How can he believe that he can absolve himself, or the state, of the death?
Scene Four and Ode Four
8. How is Antigone’s tone in this scene different from her tone in earlier scenes? Do you think the change results from circumstance or from a change in her character? Explain.
9. How do you feel about the Chorus’s opinion that Antigone is responsible for her own death?
Scene 5, Paean, and Exodos
10. Why is it ironic that the prophet Teiresias is blind?
Longer Reponses:
7. Find lines from the play that you think are especially important. Then, state what you think is the main theme in the play – what does it reveal about human life? How do you feel about the theme?
8.
At the end of this tragedy, Eurydice blames Creon for the disastrous turn of events. Creon accepts her curse, saying, “I alone am guilty.” What do you think of Creon’s statement of sole responsibility?
