Antigone

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Antigone
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Antigone

• Dramatis personæ
• Antigone
• Ismene
• Creon
• Hæmon
• Eurydice
• Teiresias
• Date ca. 442 B.C.
• Not produced with O.T.

• Plot Antigone buries Polynices against Creons
  will. Creon has her buried alive, then realizes
  his mistake too late. Almost everybody dies. The
  point themis vs. dike.

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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)

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Antigone Plot Summary (cont.)

• III. Creons decree (153-222)
• A. Chorus introduce Creon (153-160)
• B. Creons 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)

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Antigone Plot Summary (cont.)

• C. Creon
• 1. No! The gods couldnt have cared for this
  traitor (280-289)
• 2. Its 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 Ill assume
  youre 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)

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Antigone Plot Summary (cont.)

• B. Guard We dug up Polynices, then caught
  Antigone re-burying 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.

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Antigone Plot Summary (cont.)

• VIII. Stasimon 2 on the fate of the ruling house
  (583-625)
• IX. Debate between Creon and Hæmon (626-800)
• A. Chorus and Creon wonder where Hæmons
  loyalties lie (626-638)
• B. Creon praises his sons claim of loyalty
  (639-680)
• C. Hæmon hints that there is civil unrest on
  Antigones behalf (681-723)

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Antigone Plot Summary (cont.)

• D. They argue (724-763)
• E. Creon reveals to chorus Ismene will live
  (764-780)
• F. Chorus attribute Hæmons speech to love
  (781-800)
• X. Kommos between Antigone and chorus. N.B.
  chorus approval (801-882)
• XI. Creon has Antigone led away to death
  (883-943)
• XII. Stasimon 3 (944-987)

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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
  (988-1090)
• 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)

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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 Antigones tomb they heard Hæmon
  weeping (1206-1219)
• C. Antigone had hung herself (1220-1225)

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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)