1. Who is Antigone's father?
Antigone’s father is Oedipus. (p.59, line 2)
2. Who is Antigone's sister?
Antigone’s sister is Ismene (p.59. line 1)
3. What are the names of Antigone's brothers?
Antigone’s brothers are Polynices and Eteocles. (60.26-31)
4. How was Eteocles treated after his death?
After Eteocles died, he was buried with full military honors—which means he was buried as a hero. (60.28-31)
5. How was Polynices treated after his death?
Creon made it illegal to bury or mourn Polynices. He is being treated as an enemy of the state, rather than a hero like his brother. (60.30-33)
6. Who commanded that Antigone's brothers should be treated differently?
How is he related to Antigone?
Creon, Antigone’s uncle, made this command. (60.36-37)
7. What command/law has Creon made about Polynices? What is the punishment for breaking Creon's law?
Creon has commanded that Polynices should not be buried or mourned, and that his body should be left out and exposed, so that the dogs and birds can eat him. He is doing this to dishonor Polynices’ corpse. The punishment for mourning or burying Polynices’ corpse is death. (60.32-43)
8. What does Antigone want Ismene to do with her? Why does she want to do it?
Antigone wants Ismene to help her bury Polynices body. She wants to do it because he is her dear brother, and also because she doesn’t think that Creon has a right to forbid her from burying her brother. (61.51-60)
9. Why doesn't Ismene want to help Antigone? List three reasons.
Ismene doesn’t want to help Antigone because first of all, she is afraid of the death that they will die—she doesn’t want to suffer. Secondly, she doesn’t believe that it is their position to rebel, since they are women and in Greek society women must follow the men, and finally, she says that it is not right for them to rebel against the laws of the king—instead they must submit to whatever the king commands. (62.70-77)
10. After Ismene refuses to help Antigone, how does Antigone's attitude toward her sister change?
Antigone becomes cold towards her sister and she even says that she will hate her sister. After Ismene refuses, Antigone tells her that she doesn’t even want her to help anymore. (63.83-85, 64.101)
11. What does Antigone say her death will be if she is punished for burying her brother?
Antigone says that if she dies, her death will be a glory. This is unusual because glory (kleos) in the Greek world, is something that can only be gained by brave deeds done in battle—it belongs to heroes (MALE HEROES), not to women. (63.85-86)
12. Why does Antigone feel justified in disobeying the law that Creon made? Whose laws does she think she is following?
Antigone feels justified in disobeying the law that Creon made because first of all, Polynices is her brother and she believes that it is her religious duty to bury her dead family member. She doesn’t believe that it is within Creon’s power to make a law that contradicts the laws of the gods. She actually believes that to leave him unburied would be an outrage against the gods. (63.85-92)
13. What does Ismene think about Antigone's "quest" to bury her brother?
Ismene thinks that Antigone’s quest to bury her brother is impossible and hopeless. She says to her “you are in love with impossibility,” and also tells her that she is wrong. (64.103-108)
14. Compare and contrast the characters of Antigone and Ismene.
Antigone is willing to sacrifice everything according to what she believes is right. She is stubborn and rash, which resembles her father Oedipus a lot. Ismene, on the other hand, is the typical Greek woman. She is content to be under the power and command of men, and fears what it would be like to be outside of that protection. She would rather live in ignorance and comfort, which resembles her mother Jocasta a lot. All in all, Antigone views herself as a hero, preparing to go into battle, while Ismene simply views herself as a woman and nothing more.
15. According to the Chorus in lines 117-172, what does Zeus hate with a vengeance?
Zeus hates the proud boasts of mighty men. He also hates all bravado/arrogance. (65.140,141)
16. Whose downfall and defeat does the Chorus sing of in lines 117-139?
The chorus sings of the downfall and defeat of Polynices and the foreign army that he commanded. (65.117-139)
17. According to the Chorus, who is "the Dragon none can master"?
The Dragon none can master is the city of Thebes. (65.137)
18. According to the Chorus, why were Polynices and his army defeated?
The Chorus believes that Zeus destroyed Polynices and his army because they were proud and too confident in their ability to defeat Thebes.
19. Why is Creon now the king of Thebes?
Creon is now the Thebes because he is the only living male relative left in the royal line. Oedipus’s sons are dead and women are not allowed to rule, so Creon had to be the king. (67. 186-193)
20. According to Creon, how can you know a man completely?
Creon believes that you can know everything you need to know about a man according to the way that he rules his people and makes laws for his city. It is through the way that he rules that you can really learn his character, his principles, his sense of judgment. He says that once you experience this, then you can better sense what kind of man he is. (67. 194-197)
21. Who is worthless, according to Creon?
Creon believes that any ruler who refuses to make the right laws out of fear is worthless. He thinks that any ruler who keeps his lips locked (who does not utter decrees and commands the people clearly) is a worthless leader. (67. 200-202)
22. What is more important to Creon, his country or his friends?
To Creon, anyone who places their individual loyalties above their loyalties to the state/country is useless to him— he thinks it’s unforgivable for a man to place the good of a friend above the good of the country. (67. 203-205)
23. Compare Creon's value system with Antigone's value system.
Antigone and Creon’s value systems are opposite to one another. Antigone believes that loyalty to the ancient religious traditions (the laws of the gods) and loyalty to family should be upheld, no matter what the cost, while Creon believes that the laws of man and the laws of the city should be put first before all other things.
24. What does Creon say about safety, friendship, and his country?
Creon believes that it is a country that provides safety. He says that if a country is safe and running smoothly, then that means that the citizens of the land have the luxury of forming friendships and relationships. (68.210-214)
25. What command does Creon make concerning the burial of Polynices?
Creon commands that Polynices should not be buried or mourned because he attempted to attack Thebes in the civil war and thus betrayed the city. Creon wants his corpse to be exposed to the elements, wild dogs, and birds of prey. He also wants the corpse of Polynices to serve as an obscene example to the citizens of what a traitor to the state deserves. (68.222-231)
26. What kind of man does Creon value the most?
Creon values any man who is loyal to the government and a patriot of the state. He says he will treasure that man in life as well as death. (68.232-235)
27. What has Creon done to keep people from burying Polynices?
Creon has posted guards near the body of the corpse and he has also made the punishment for burying Polynices very severe. (69.240-248)
28. What news does the Sentry bring to Creon? Describe the Sentry's attitude toward Creon.
The Sentry informs Creon that somebody has performed funeral rites on the body, which means that although the body is not technically buried, it has been buried in the eyes of the Greeks. The Sentry is terrified of Creon and afraid of the way that Creon will react to this news. (70,71.268-279)
29. Summarize the Sentry's story about how they discovered that funeral rites had been performed on the body (that the body had been "buried"), what their reaction was, and why this particular man is the one bringing Creon the news.
The Sentry, who was one of the guards, says that the guards discovered what had been done in the morning. He said that there was no sign of anyone burying the body, yet that they also could see that there was a fine covering of dust sprinkled over the body, just as if someone had performed burial rites on the body. When the guards realized this, they were all suspicious of one another, thinking that someone had done it in the night or that someone had done it because they had been bribed, but eventually they all realized that no one there had done it. Finally, after they had realized this, they were filled with fear when they realized that they must tell Creon. They drew lots to see who would be the bearer of bad news, and this sentry was the one who had the bad luck to bring Creon the bad news. (71.281-72.313)
30. How does Creon respond when he hears the Chorus Leader's suggestion that the gods "buried" Polynices' body? Why does he think this is not possible?
Creon becomes furious when the Chorus leader suggests that, and asks him whether he is insane. He cannot imagine how the gods would care for Polynices since in his mind, Polynices was a traitor and had committed an unforgivable sin against the city. (73.318-327)
31. According to Creon, who "buried" the body of Polynices? Why did they do it?
Creon believes that perhaps a rebellious citizen has bribed somebody to bury the body in an act of defiance and resentment towards Creon’s leadership and command of the city. (73.328-334)
32. How does Creon threaten the Sentry? What does this reveal about his style of leadership?
Creon tells the Sentry that if he is not able to find the man who committed this crime, then he will torture him and make him long for death. This reveals that Creon is willing to do anything in order to achieve what he desires, and also reveals that he may not simply be a king, but also a tyrant who takes his power too seriously. (74.344-356)
33. What is the theme of the second Choral ode on lines 375-425?
The theme of the second Choral ode is the might and accomplishments of man and how man has developed throughout history to survive and thrive in this world—how he has become the master of animals in both domesticating them and hunting them, how he has conquered both the sea, the land, and the elements, and how he even has formed civilizations and governments…. And also how despite all of these accomplishments, man is still incapable of mastering death and how death comes quickly to a city where the laws of man do not mesh with the laws of the gods. The chorus says that the city will thrive if man makes laws pleasing to the gods.
No comments:
Post a Comment