Antigone Pre-reading

Antigone by Sophocles

World Perspectives in Lit - Wesley

Day 1 Pre-reading guide: 

Directions: Complete this on separate sheet of paper. It must be handwritten. It’s due tomorrow. 15 points possible, based on thoroughness and quality of responses. Use your time in class today productively.  

1.)   Notes…page 6 – According to the editors of this book, what are three of the key questions that this play raises?

2.)   Notes – page 6…According to the editors, what does the play prompt us to consider regarding our relationship to family?

3.)   Reading Pointers p 7-8

a.      What do the editors suggest we pay close attention to in the Reading Pointers for Sharper Insights? List at least three things that they suggest we pay close attention to?

b.      What does Antigone seem to value most in life?

c.      What matters most to Creon?

d.      What do we learn about Ismene in Notes (p 6) ad Reading Pointers (pp 7-8)?

4.)   To help you understand the complex family and societal relationships and past events that are so key to the play, read “Setting” (p 9) and the Dramatis Personae (p 10) and Mythological Background (55-56). Then, draw a family tree and/or character map to help you figure out how the characters are related to one another in terms of family or political/societal dynamics.

5.)    Read “The Importance of Burial in Greek Religion”.  Burial of the dead is a huge issue in this play. This section also talks about limitations on women in ancient Greek society. What, for you, were the three or four most important take-aways from that section? Provide page #’s for each.

6.)   This play is a Greek Tragedy and therefore it has a Chorus. You may ask, What is a Greek Tragedy?; What is a chorus?  Read pp 68-70 to learn more about each.

Write down four take-aways about Greek Tragedies and Chorus (and page #’s). Make sure that at least two take-aways are related to the Chorus.

Looking Ahead...

Essay Prompt: What would give you more meaningful satisfaction and happiness if you were deeply wronged in life: revenge or forgiveness? 

Answer the above question in an essay that will be written in class during your final exam period.

As part of your response, in addition to your own well-explained thoughts, you need to synthesize information from a minimum of three classroom sources: