Study Guide Antigone

Study Guide prepared by
Catherine Bush
Barter Playwright-in-Residence
Antigone
Adapted from Sophocles’ play by Catherine Bush
*Especially for Grades 8 and up
By the Barter Players, touring January-March 2016
(NOTE: standards listed below are for reading Antigone and seeing a performance as well
as completing the study guide.)
Virginia SOLs
English – 8.2, 8.4, 8.5, 8.7, 8.9, 9.1, 9.3, 9.4, 9.6, 9.8, 10.1, 10.3, 10.4, 10.6, 10.8, 12.1, 12.3,
12.4, 12.6
World History & Geography to 1500 – WHI.5
Theatre Arts – 8.4, 8.5, 8.10, 8.12, 8.16, 8.17, 8.18, 8.20, 8.22, 8.25, TI.4, TI.8, TI.9, TI.10,
TI.11, TI.12, TI.13, TI.17, TII.6, TII.9, TII.11, TII.12, TII.15, TII.16, TII.21, T3III.7, TIII.8,
TIII. 9, TIII.12, TIII.17, TIV.12, TIV.13
Tennessee /North Carolina Common Core State Standards
English/Language Arts - Reading Literature: 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.7, 9-10.1, 9-10.2, 9-10.3, 9-10.6,
11-12.1, 11-12.3, 11-12.4, 11-12.7
English Language Arts – Writing: 8.1, 8.2, 8.4, 8.7, 8.9, 9-10.1, 9-10.2, 9-10.4, 9-10.6, 9-10.9,
9-10.10, 11-12.1, 11-12.2, 11-12.4, 11-12.6, 11-12.10
Tennessee Fine Arts Curriculum Standards
Theatre 6-8: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.6, 3.2, 5.1, 5.2, 6.2, 7.1, 7.2, 8.2
Theatre 9-12 – 3.2, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 6.2, 7.1, 7.2
North Carolina Essential Standards
Theatre Arts – 8.A.1, 8.AE.1, 8.CU.2, B.C.2, B.A.1, B.AE.1, B.CU.1, B.CU.2, I.C.2, I.A.1,
I.CU.1, I.CU.2, P.C.1, P.A.1, P.CU.2, A.C.2, A.A.1, A.CU.1, A.CU.2
Setting
Ancient Greece. Various locations in and around the Royal House of Thebes.
Characters
Antigone – daughter of Oedipus the late King
Ismene – Antigone’s sister
Eteocles – Antigone’s brother
Polynices – Antigone’s brother
Creon – Antigone’s uncle, now King of Thebes
Haemon – Creon’s son, Antigone’s fiancé
Euridyce – Creon’s wife
Tiresias – a blind prophet
Hades – god of the underworld
Citizens of Thebes
Note: Cast Size and Doubling of Actors
In this production of Antigone we will be using only six actors, with some actors
playing more than one role. Doubling of actors requires distinction between
characters. In this production, characters will be distinguished by costume, voice
and other physical character traits.
Vocabulary Words
banished
supremacy
vanquished
doom
proclamation
rite
ignoble
contend
quest
havoc
maw
glut
grapple
carrion
obscenity
culprit
instigator
decree
immorality
dominion
breakers
furrows
succumb
interrogate
impudence
supersede
insolent
adversity
reprisal
viper
begrudge
anarchy
eloquence
degenerate
accomplice
blatant
incite
appease
defilement
plunder
Aphrodite
Dionysus
reverence
intervene
unsanctified
prophecy
tyrant
resolve
flourish
afflict
futile
nymph
Biography of the Playwright – Sophocles
Sophocles (495-405 B.C) was one of the great playwrights
of the golden age of Greek Drama. The son of a wealthy
merchant, he was able to study all of the arts. In 468 B.C. he
competed in the City Dionysia – a festival held every year at
the Theatre of Dionysus in which new plays were presented.
Sophocles took first prize, defeating none other than
Aeschylus himself. More than 120 plays were to follow. He
would go on to win eighteen first prizes. One of the great
innovators of the theatre, Sophocles was the first to add a
third actor. Prior to this, the Greek theatre consisted of a
Chorus and two Actors. One actor played the lead and the
second actor played all the other roles. Sophocles also
abolished the trilogic form in which Aeschylus, for example,
had used three tragedies to tell a single story. Sophocles chose to make each tragedy a
complete entity unto itself. Of Sophocles’ more than 120 plays, only seven have survived
in their entirety, including Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, The Women of Trachis, and
Electra. Sophocles passed away shortly after the production of Oedipus at Colonus in
405 B.C.
Biography of the Adapter– Catherine Bush
Catherine Bush has been Barter Theatre’s playwrightin-residence since 2007. Her produced plays include:
The Other Side of the Mountain, The Quiltmaker,
Comin’ Up A Storm, Wooden Snowflakes, Tradin’
Paint, Where Trouble Sleeps, Walking Across Egypt,
I’ll Never Be Hungry Again (book & lyrics), The
Frankenstein Summer, unhINGEd, The Executioner’s
Sons, The Controversial Rescue of Fatty the Pig, and
Just a Kiss, which was a finalist for the 2007 Steinberg
Award presented by the American Theatre Critics
Association. Plays for Young Audiences: Cry Wolf!,
Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, The Scarlet Letter, The
Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Legend of Sleepy
Hollow, All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth, My Imaginary Pirate, The Call
of the Wild, The Princess and the Pea, Aesop’s Fables, The Red Badge of Courage.
Frosty, Rudolph, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Mother Goose: The Musical, ‘Twas the
Night Before Christmas, Jingle All the Way, and Old Turtle and the Broken Truth.
www.catherinebushplays.com
Synopsis
The play opens after King Oedipus has been banished from Thebes. His two sons,
Polynices and Eteocles, fight for the right to his throne, with Eteocles eventually
taking control. Polynices flees to Argos and raises an army there, attacking Thebes
in order to regain the crown. Thebes withstands the attack, but Polynices and
Eteocles are both killed, each by the other’s hand, fulfilling the curse placed on
them by their father, Oedipus.
That night, Antigone tells Ismene that their uncle, Creon, has claimed the throne
for himself. Moreover, Creon has ordered that Eteocles, who died defending the
city, is to be buried with full honors, while the body of Polynices, the invader, is
left to rot. Creon has also declared that anyone attempting to bury Polynices shall
be publicly stoned to death. Outraged, Antigone reveals to Ismene a plan to bury
Polynices in secret, despite Creon’s order. When Ismene refuses to defy the king,
Antigone angrily rejects her and goes off alone to bury her brother.
The next morning, Creon learns that someone
has attempted to bury Polynices and demands
that the guilty one be found. When he discovers
that Antigone, his niece, has defied his order,
Creon is furious. Antigone argues that Creon’s
order goes against against the laws of the gods.
Enraged, Creon declares that she will be put to
death.
Haemon, Creon’s son who was to marry
Antigone, advises his father to reconsider his decision. The father and son argue,
Haemon accusing Creon of arrogance, and Creon accusing Haemon of unmanly
weakness in siding with a woman. Haemon leaves in anger, swearing never to
return. Creon orders Antigone to be sealed in a tomb to die of starvation.
The blind prophet Tiresias warns Creon that the gods disapprove of his leaving
Polynices unburied and will punish the king with the death of his own son. After
rejecting Tiresias, Creon reconsiders and decides to bury Polynices and free
Antigone.
But Creon’s change of heart comes too late. Antigone has hanged herself and
Haemon, in desperate agony, kills himself as well. On hearing the news of her
son’s death, Eurydice, the queen, also kills herself, cursing Creon.
Alone, in despair, Creon accepts responsibility for all the tragedy and prays for a
quick death. The play ends with a somber warning from the chorus that pride will
be punished by the blows of fate.
A Brief History
Barter Theatre was founded during the Great Depression by Robert Porterfield, an enterprising
young actor. He and his fellow actors found themselves out of work and hungry in New York
City. Porterfield contrasted that to the abundance of food, but lack of live theatre, around his
home region in Southwest Virginia. He returned to Washington County with an extraordinary
proposition: bartering produce from the farms and gardens of the area to gain admission to see a
play.
Barter Theatre opened its doors on June 10, 1933 proclaiming, “With vegetables you cannot sell,
you can buy a good laugh.” The price of admission was 40 cents or the equivalent in produce, the
concept of trading “ham for Hamlet” caught on quickly. At the end of the first season, the Barter
Company cleared $4.35 in cash, two barrels of jelly and enjoyed a collective weight gain of over
300 pounds.
Playwrights including Noel Coward, Tennessee Williams and Thornton Wilder accepted
Virginia ham as payment for royalties. An exception was George Bernard Shaw, a vegetarian,
who bartered the rights to his plays for spinach.
Today, Barter Theatre has a reputation as a theatre where many actors performed before going on
to achieve fame and fortune. The most recognized of these alumni include Gregory Peck, Patricia
Neal, Ernest Borgnine, Hume Cronyn, Ned Beatty, Gary Collins, Larry Linville and Frances
Fisher. The list also included James Burrows, creator of Cheers, Barry Corbin, and the late Jim
Varney
Robert Porterfield passed away in 1971. His successor, Rex Partington, had been at Barter in the
1950s as an actor and in the 1970s as stage manager. Rex returned as chief administrator from
1972 until his retirement in 1992. In March 2006, he passed away.
Richard Rose was named the producing artistic director in October 1992. In that time, attendance
has grown from 42,000 annual patrons to more than 163,000 annual patrons. Significant capital
improvements have also been made. Including maintenance to both theatres, and in 2006, the
addition of The Barter Café at Stage II and dramatic improvements to Porterfield Square.
Barter represents three distinct venues of live theatre: Barter Theatre Main Stage, Barter Theatre
Stage II and The Barter Players. Barter Theatre, with over 500 seats, features traditional theatre
in a luxurious setting. Barter Stage II, across the street from Barter Main Stage and beyond
Porterfield Square, offers seating for 167 around a thrust stage in an intimate setting and is
perfect for more adventurous productions. The Barter Players is a talented ensemble of actors,
producing plays for young audiences throughout the year.
History is always in the making at Barter Theatre, building on legends of the past; Barter looks
forward to the challenge of growth in the future.
WORD SEARCH
Find the following words below: Antigone, Thebes, Ismene, burial rites, Creon,
curse, Polynices, Eteocles, Oedipus, underworld, Chorus, Euridyce, Tiresias,
prophesy, Hades, Argos, Haemon, Ancient Greece, Sophocles, Barter Theatre
E
C
E
E
R
G
T
N
E
I
C
N
A
H
Z
P
O
L
Y
N
I
C
E
S
N
R
T
B
A
S
J
S
Z
U
I
F
S
N
S
C
A
A
E
E
W
B
O
M
W
N
U
K
E
J
S
R
S
N
M
L
Z
G
A
H
P
D
L
B
C
T
B
E
O
O
D
Y
R
F
I
S
C
E
U
E
N
Q
B
G
N
L
R
A
D
E
O
C
S
R
E
E
W
E
I
T
K
W
E
D
H
H
S
T
I
W
N
V
H
T
I
V
O
A
P
O
R
H
E
A
M
O
E
T
N
R
D
H
O
R
O
E
W
W
L
P
X
R
M
A
E
I
S
U
Q
A
E
K
H
R
C
C
W
L
S
S
E
S
W
T
E
E
N
Q
I
P
O
R
K
D
I
O
N
R
C
U
R
S
E
T
Z
D
E
E
H
A
F
E
C
Y
D
I
R
U
E
J
A
V
T
O
S
J
N
P
R
O
P
H
E
S
Y
S
Z
N
E
N
O
True and False
Write T if the statement is True and F if the statement is False.
1. ____ Antigone is the daughter of Euridyce.
2. ____ Creon ordered the burial of Eteocles.
3. ____ Ismene and Haemon are engaged to be married.
4. ____ Ismene asked Antigone to help her bury Polynices.
5. ____ Tiresias is a blind prophet.
6. ____ Sophocles only wrote 7 plays.
7. ____ Dionysus led the army of Argos against the city of Thebes.
8. ____ Polynices and Eteocles were each killed by the others’ hand.
9. ____ Antigone knowingly violated Creon’s decree forbidding Polynices’ burial.
10. ___ Tiresias prophesied the death of Euridyce.
11. ___ Upon the death of Antigone, Haemon killed Creon.
12. ___ Euridyce committed suicide by hanging.
13. ___ Sophocles was the first playwright to add the third actor.
14. ___ Barter Theatre used to accept farm produce as payment to see a show.
Matching
Draw a line connecting the person in the first column with the corresponding description in the
second.
1. Antigone
a. refused to help Antigone
2. Creon
b. took first prize in the City Dionysia
3. Ismene
c. father of Polynices and Eteocles
4. Tiresias
d. engaged to Haemon
5. Sophocles
e. son of Creon
6. Polynices
f. the Queen
7. Haemon
g. newly crowned King of Thebes
8. Oedipus
h. a blind prophet
9. Euridyce
i. led the army of Argos
Questions/Activities
“It’s all Greek to me…”
Individually or in groups, research one of the
following Greek topics:
Temple Architecture
Ancient Olympics
Philosophies of Aristotle, Socrates & Plato
The Classical Period
The Acropolis
Alexander the Great
Athens
Sparta
The Parthenon
Homer
Archimedes
Corinth
Thebes
Greek Mythology
Present your findings to the class!
“No man alive is free from error…”
tragedy: A drama or literary work in which the main character is
brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow, especially as a consequence
of a tragic flaw, moral weakness, or inability to cope with unfavorable
circumstances.
1. Using the definition above, explain why Antigone is a tragedy. Cite passages
from the play to support your reasoning. Which character has a tragic flaw?
Antigone? Creon? Haemon? What is this tragic flaw? Discuss.
2 How would you describe the character of Creon? What sort of a person is he?
How does he define leadership? Make a list of the character traits that are
dominant in his personality.
Compare and Contrast!
Pick one of the current world leaders below:
Vladimir Putin
David Cameron
King Abdullah
Write a paper comparing and contrasting his dominant
character traits with those of Creon’s. Be sure to include
how time and place might affect their differences.
3. Antigone is Creon’s niece and is engaged to Creon’s son, yet Creon is
determined to put her to death for the good of Thebes Do you think Creon is
justified in his desire to end Antigone’s life? Discuss. Now imagine you are
Euridyce, Creon’s wife; write a paper persuading Creon to spare Antigone’s
life.
4. Polynices was killed leading an enemy Argos against Thebes. Do you think
Creon was just in declaring Polynices a traitor? If so, was Creon justified in his
actions (denying him burial, etc.)? How would the United States government treat
an American who led an enemy attack against the country? Was Polynices, as the
elder brother, entitled to his father’s crown? If so, wasn’t he justified in trying to
regain it? Antigone felt she was obeying a “higher law” by rebelling against
Creon’s decree and burying Polynices. Are people in modern day America allowed
to break a civil law because it goes against their religion? What happens to those
who bomb abortion clinics or refuse to serve gays? Do you think this is just?
Discuss separation of Church and State in this country. Did the Ancient
Greeks live by this same dictum? Discuss.
5. Antigone lived in Thebes, located in
ancient Greece. Study a map of ancient
Greece. Locate the cities of Thebes, Athens,
Argos, Sparta, and Corinth. Compare a map
of ancient Greece with a map of Greece
today. Are these ancient cities still there?
Polynices led an army out of Argos – how
far is Argos from Thebes? What was their
method of transportation in those days? How
has Greece changed in 2500 years? Discuss.
Research pictures of what Antigone might
see today if she went back to Thebes. Make
a collage of these pictures entitled
“Antigone Today.”
6. How would knowing the geography and history of Ancient Greece better help
you understand this play? How does knowledge of Greek mythology make the play
more accessible? Discuss how the various subjects studied in school often
overlap.
7. Characters in a play or a book always have a reason for doing what they do. This
is referred to as their “motivation.” What motivates Ismene to refuse to help
Antigone? What motivates Creon to change his mind?
Make a list of the characters in Antigone. Next to each name write that
character’s primary action in the play and their motivation. Cite passages
from the play to support your reasoning. Did interactions with the other
characters change or alter their motivations? If so, how did this affect the plot?
8. Define “protagonist.” Who is the protagonist of Antigone? Why? Discuss.
9. How many actors performed this play for your school? What did the actors
change, besides their costumes, to become new characters? A touring show
requires minimal props, sets and lighting. How were the various locations in the
play represented without these accoutrements? Discuss.
10. How different might this play be if it was performed in a theatre? Pick a scene
from Oedipus and design a set for it. Keep in mind time, place and location. Is it
on the battlefield? In the palace courtyard? Is it day or night? Also consider the
entrances and exits of your characters. How do they enter the scene? How do they
exit? Draw a picture of what your set should look like. Then make a model of it
and present it to your class, explaining how it will work when built.
11. Write a critique of The Barter Player Production of Antigone. Be sure to
include descriptions and analyses of the individual performances, the
directing/staging choices, and the design elements (costume, set, props, sound).
Why do you think some of these artistic choices were made? How would you have
done it differently?
Back in the good ol’ days…
Antigone is believed to have been written and produced around
441 B.C. Using the internet, research how the original
production would have looked – set, costumes, acting style, etc.
How does it compare and contrast to The Barter Player’s
production?
13. What was your personal response to The Barter Player’s production of
Antigone? Were you entertained? What did this play teach you about the human
experience? Discuss.
14. What do you make of the various situations at the end of the play (the suicide
of Antigone, Haemon, and Euridyce)? Why are the outcomes so tragic and
extreme? If this play were set in your hometown today how might the outcomes
differ? What other alternatives might the characters choose? Were these
alternatives considered a choice by the ancient Greeks? Why or why not? Discuss
how important time and place are in story-telling. If you could set this story in
any time or place, what would it be? Working in small groups, pick a scene from
the play and set it in your school, present day. Rewrite it using the language
common to you and your friends as dialogue. Present your scene to the class. How
effective was the setting, place and language to the story and themes of Antigone?
Is this play still relevant today?
15 The climax of a play is defined as the point of highest dramatic tension or a
major turning point in the action. Where is the climax in this play? Discuss.
16. Imagine you are asked to cast a film version of Antigone. Knowing what you
do about the characters, who would you cast to play Antigone? Ismene? Creon?
Tiresias? Haemon? Euridyce? Find pictures of the actors you think would serve the
story best and make a presentation to the class as to why they are best to play the
various parts.
Suggested Reading/Links
Other plays by Sophocles
Oedipus Rex
Oedipus at Colonus
Electra
Ajax
The Women of Trachis
Philoctetes
Four Famous Ancient Greek Dramatists: Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides,
Aristophanes (Annotated) by Henry W. Ruoff
Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes by Edith Hamilton