Antigone Antigone Dramatis person Antigone Ismene Creon Hmon

Antigone

Antigone – Dramatis personæ • • • Antigone Ismene Creon Hæmon Eurydice Teiresias – Date: ca. 442 B. C. – Not produced with O. T. – Plot: Antigone buries Polynices against Creon’s will. Creon has her buried alive, then realizes his mistake too late. Almost everybody dies. The point: themis vs. dike.

Antigone: Plot Summary • I. Dialogue between Antigone and Ismene (1 -99) – A. Ant: Creon has decreed burial for Eteocles, none for Polynices. No-one allowed to mourn him. Anyone caught burying Polynices will be stoned. Will you help me bury him? – B. Ism: No, we women cannot resist the orders of powerful men. – C. Ant: I will bury him without you. – D. Ism: You seek the impossible, but I love you anyway. • II. Parodos: chorus of Theban elders overjoyed to have won the battle (100 -152)

Antigone: Plot Summary (cont. ) • III. Creon’s decree (153 -222) – A. Chorus introduce Creon (153 -160) – B. Creon’s speech (161 -210) » 1. The state is everything (162 -191) » 2. Reiterates his decree (192 -210) – C. Chorus give lukewarm approval (211 -222) • IV. Messenger speech 1 (223 -331) – A. Guard: some mysterious person has buried Polynices (223 -277) – B. Chorus: could a god have done it? (278 -279)

Antigone: Plot Summary (cont. ) – C. Creon » 1. No! The gods couldn’t have cared for this traitor (280 -289) » 2. It’s the work of traitors and their bribes (290 -301) » 3. All accomplices will be stoned, but the instigator will be hanged (302 -314) » 4. To guard: find the criminals or I’ll assume you’re guilty (315 -331) • V. Stasimon: “Ode to Man” (332 -372) • VI. Debate between Creon and Antigone (373 -526) – A. Antigone, Creon, and the guard enter (373 -386)

Antigone: Plot Summary (cont. ) – B. Guard: We dug up Polynices, then caught Antigone reburying him (387 -440) – C. Creon and Antigone argue (446 -526) » 1. Antigone: the laws of the gods and the dead demanded that I bury my brother » 2. Creon: even in death, a traitor is a traitor. Ismene too is guilty. • VII. Ismene joins the debate (527 -581) – A. Ismene tries to share the “blame” – B. Antigone refuses to share the “credit” – C. Creon has them ordered inside. It seems both must die.

Antigone: Plot Summary (cont. ) – VIII. Stasimon 2 on the fate of the ruling house (583 -625) – IX. Debate between Creon and Hæmon (626800) • A. Chorus and Creon wonder where Hæmon’s loyalties lie (626 -638) • B. Creon praises his son’s claim of loyalty (639 -680) • C. Hæmon hints that there is civil unrest on Antigone’s behalf (681 -723)

Antigone: Plot Summary (cont. ) • D. They argue (724 -763) • E. Creon reveals to chorus Ismene will live (764780) • F. Chorus attribute Hæmon’s speech to love (781800) – X. Kommos between Antigone and chorus. N. B. chorus’ approval (801 -882) – XI. Creon has Antigone led away to death (883943) – XII. Stasimon 3 (944 -987)

Antigone: Plot Summary (cont. ) • A. Acrisius (and Danaë) (944 -953) • B. Lycurgus (954 -963) • C. Phineus’ wife (968 -984) – XIII. Debate between Creon and Teiresias (9881090) • • A. The altars of Thebes are polluted (999 -1033) B. Creon accuses Teiresias of venality (1034 -1047) C. They argue (1048 -1064) D. Teiresias finally scares him (1065 -1090)

Antigone: Plot Summary (cont. ) – XIV. Creon changes his mind (1091 -1114) – XV. Stasimon 4, calling on Dionysus for aid (1115 -1152) – XVI. Messenger speech 1; heard by Eurydice (1153 -1255) • A. Creon first buried Polynices (1192 -1205) • B. Going to Antigone’s tomb they heard Hæmon weeping (1206 -1219) • C. Antigone had hung herself (1220 -1225)

Antigone: Plot Summary (cont. ) • D. When Creon entered, Hæmon attacked him, but missed (1226 -1234) • E. Hæmon killed himself (1235 -1243) • F. Eurydice leaves in silence (1244 -1245) • G. Frightened messenger follows her in (1246 -1255) – XVII. Creon mourns Hæmon (1256 -1276) – XVIII. Messenger speech 2: Eurydice has killed herself (1277 -1342) – XVIX. Choral coda (1347 -1353)