Antigone and Her Impact on Greek Art and Culture

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Antigone and Her Impact on Greek Art and Culture

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Antigone

Questions and Answers

Question: Judging by the play Antigone ended the author Sohpocles had his own opinion regarding the law. What did Sophcles say?

Answer: He said that ideals of law existed and that we ought to compare real laws to these.

Question: Could Antigone be considered a feminist? Why or why not? What were some of her feministic characteristics?

Answer: Antigone was definitely a feminist. She was not satisfied with the rule of men. She thought there was a higher law that the deities would provide. She was not content to just talk. She followed up her thoughts with action.

Question: Did Antigone seek to be a martyr or was that just a bi-product of her actions?

Answer: Antigone sought justice and became a martyr because it was denied.

Question: was Antigone or Creon the hero in "Antigone"?

Answer: Antigone was the heroine.

Question: can i see art

Answer: Images associated with the story of Antigone:

Question: what was she the god of

Answer: Antigone was not a goddess; she was a real person who lived in Thebes about 1300 BCE. The greek playwrights were not happy making up characters and preferred to used stories that had been handed down over the years. There were a number of stories about Antigone because her father was Oedipus and she was a heroine in her own right. We do not know how true the stories were because we cannot compare them to anything that was written down during her life. We do know from archeological discoveries that life at the time Antigone lived was quite different from life 800 years later when her stories were first written down.

Question: why did they dress that way

Answer: The Ancient Greeks had to spin their own thread, weave their own cloth, and sew their own clothes. The clothes that they wore were graceful but easy to weave and sew.

Question: was Antigone breaking the laws of the gods by not following the human law? What did the gods think about Antigone burrying her brother when Kreon made his point clear to leave the body alone?

Answer: Antigone thought she was doing what the gods desired and history has agreed with her. The gods seem also to have agreed with her if you judge by what happened after she was condemned. Such is the message of the last Chorus of the play: 

"If any man would be happy, and not broken by Fate,
Wisdom is the thing he should seek, for happiness hides there.
Let him revere the gods and keep their words inviolate,
For proud men who speak great words come in the end to despair,
and learn wisdom in sorrow, when it is too late."

Question: Could you send me some info. on all ancient greece

Answer: Not really. If you go to the menu directory you will find many pages on ancient Greece. The resources section will direct you to still more material. Ancient Greece has been a favorite subject down through the ages and much has been written.

Question: creon and antigone fight

Answer: Not really. Antigony defies Creon, who is the King of Thebes.

Question: what is her piety towards her dead brothers?

Answer: Antigone says: "As for me, I will bury him; and if I die for that, I am content. I shall rest like a loved one with him whom I have loved, innocent in my guilt. For I owe a longer allegiance to the dead than to the living; I must dwell with them forever. You, if you wish, may dishonor the laws which the gods established."

Question: I need info about Eris. All things say is she is goddesses of discord ang started the Trojan war.

Answer: She was personified as an ugly hag. The deities did not like her and left her out of their parties. At the wedding of Peleus and Thetis she got back at them by throwing a golden apple in their midst. The apple was incribed "for the fairest." This started a quarrel among the three main goddesses, Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena as to who was the fairest. They applied to Zeus to judge, but he wisely deferred and sent them to visit Paris. Paris was serving as a shepherd on the slopes of Mount Ida near Troy. His father, Priam, the king of Troy, had sent him there because it had been foretold that he would be the destruction of Troy. What happens next is the "Judgement of Paris" which is detailed at: Click here.

Question: what role did antigone play in natural law versus man made law?

Answer: Our notion of natural law is based on the work of the early Greek philosophers, such as Thales and Parmenides. The playrights may have been aware of this but probably did not affect it. Both groups were more dependent on religious concepts of an earlier time. Religions generally have the idea that deities are the cause of natural phenomena. What was unique about the Greeks was their idea that even the deities were limited in what they can do. At first the limitation was physical in that deities could act in certain locations or sacred realms. Later the realms became more qualitative, as Athena was the goddess of wisdom, and Poseidon was the god of the sea. The deities had to trade powers to get some things done. Later when the deities were restricted further by logic, the notion of Natural law arose and there was some question of whether the deities were needed at all.

The notion of divine law in Antigone is somewhat intermediary in this process. The compulsion that Antigone feels to bury her brother is an ethical one with a divine source. The fact that her brother will soon decay is not an ethical compulsion but a natural law. Antigone compares flawed human law to the ideal of justice, with the assumption that the law of the gods is perfect. Natural law is a compulsion, but it has no moral source, and it is not necessarily ideal. Antigone is compelled to act by her own understanding of the situation. In the case of Natural Law both Ismene and Antigone would have done the same thing irregardless of their understanding. But the notion that Natural Law is somehow ethically correct is a very seductive notion. Aristotle is more difficult to understand because he often makes this assumption.

Question: what acts of hubris did Antigone committ?

Answer: In the play Ismene says: "The impossible should not be tried at all" and Antigone responds: "If you say such things I will hate you, and the dead will haunt you!--But leave me, and the folly that is mine alone, to suffer what I must; for I shall not suffer anything so dreadful as an ignoble death." But even though she knows she will be a heroine, she cannot be condemned. A person should not be condemned for the pride in knowing that what they are doing is right.

Question: What are some of the important functions of the chorus in a Greek tragedy?

Answer: The chorus can provide the view of the gods, the overview, the poetic view, the contrasting view, the view of the crowd, background, the history, etc.

Question: I have been trying to ask these five questions and nobody has answers. If there is any way you could answer any of these for me it would be very appreciated.

1.What are some of the important functions of the chorus in a greek tragedy?

In Antigone the chorus is the voice of the gods who look down from heaven and see all.

2.What are Antigone's strengths and weaknesses and does Sophocles portray her in a positive or negative way?

Sophocles portrays her as a tragic heroine. Her strength is her conviction. Her weakness is her mortality.

3.What is the purpose of Creon's suffering in Antigone?

You deserve to suffer when you do something really stupid and then rationalize it as good just because you are king. The last line of the play says: "For proud men who speak great words come in the end to despair, And learn wisdom in sorrow, when it is too late."

4.What major theme does Sophocles introduce in the opening scene of Antigone?

Antigone says: "I owe a longer allegiance to the dead than to the living; I must dwell with them forever."

5.How does the scene of Antigone in which Creon delivers his edict serve to introduce him as a tragic hero?

He is not a hero. Antigone is the hero.

Question: What clothes did Phidippides wear?

Answer: Read about him at: Click here

Runners in Ancient Greece are always pictured naked. A picture of two messengers follow: Click here

Question: I was told that Nyx is goddess of the night in Greece. Is it right? I'd like to know more about Nyx's story.

Question: The Ancient Greeks did not believe that the gods created the Universe. Rather they believed that the Universe created the gods. Night was there at the beginning when Heaven(Uranus) and Gaea(Earth) united to produce the Titans, the race of gods before Zeus. Nyx is a personification rather than an individual personality.

Question: What three qoutes show Humanism in Antigone

Answer: Humanism is a mode of thought or action which centers on distinctly human interests or ideals. Ismene, in her argument with Antigone, appeals to humanistic logic to sway her sister. She says "Think how we shall perish, more miserably than all the rest, if in defiance of the law we brave the King's decree and the King's power. No, no, we must remember we were born women, not meant to strive with men. We are in the grip of those stronger than ourselves, and must obey them in this and in things still more cruel." Antigone responds, "You, if you wish, may dishonor the laws which the gods have established." This indicates that Antigone wishes to base her judgement on devine interests rather than merely human ones.

Question: How was Antigone different from other noble women of that time?

Answer: Antigone stands out among women of all time. She and her sister Ismene were loyal and effective daughters who took excellent care of their crippled father and eventually brought him a measure of peace and contentment. She realized the importance of the spiritual quality of life and met her fate resigned and content that what she had done was morally right. Her example has set a standard for all future generations. She was an exceptional women in her own time and for all time.

Question: What was the role of the Chorus in Antigone? How does it affect the reading of the play?

Answer: The chorus provides the voice of the gods that look down from heaven and see all. It provides a voice of reason in a world gone mad with emotion.

Question: Is Antigone the tragic hero?

Answer: Antigone is the tragic heroine.

Question: Where can i get apicture of the Greek Drama "ANTIGONE

Answer: Click on the links referenced above.

Question: What are some good quotes that could be used in writing and essay depicting the differences of Antigone and Creon, in Sophocles play Antigone????

Answer: For Creon: "Let him revere the gods and keep their words inviolate, For proud men who speak great words come in the end to despair, and learn wisdom in sorrow, when it is too late."

Arete can best be translated as excellence. The attitude of Antigone fits this description in the speach she make to her sister: "I wll not urge you. No, if you wished to join ve now I would not let you. Do as you think best. As for me, I will bury him; and if I die for that, I am content. I shall rest like a loved one with him whom I have loved, innocent in my guilt. For I owe a longer allegiance to the dead than to the living; I must dwell with them forever. You, if you wish, may dishonor the laws which the gods have established."

Question: How would you compare Antigone's role as a woman to the roles of other women in Greek literature such as Jocasta and Medea.

Answer: All three were involved with tragedy. Where Medea made tragedy through her willfulness, Jocasta was swept over by it. Antigone faced it. Of the three Antigone was most transported by the tragedy into an ideal realm. For this reason, she is the most heroic. Her goal was ideal and the tragedy that she faced was one of human ignorance. This, truely, is a model for the future. But what about her role as a woman? She was not an obedient woman. Both she and Medea defied the rule of men, but she had an ideal goal that would ultimately benefit the community. Medea was more personal. Antigone was more tragic because her life was cut short, but her goal was more ideal so her heroism was more valuable.

Question: What was Antigone's physical appearance like?

Answer: Antigone was a strong but refined women of ordinariry build. No one knows what she looks like because she lived more that 700 years before anyone could have sketched her. She wore clothin more of the Mycenean culture than of the classical Greek because that was the time that she lived. This meant that she wore a flounced skirt, a girdle, and a vest, rather than a chiton or pelops.

Question: how were the roles of men and women in sophocles' antigone?

Answer: At the beginning of the play Ismene says to Antigone: "No, no, we must remember we were born women, not meant to strive with men." Later the chorus defines what this striving involves: 

With his bit in the teeth of the storm and his faith in a fragile prow,
Far he sails, where the waves leap white-fanged, wroth at his plan.
And he has his will of the earth by the strength o his hand on the plough.

The birds, the clan of the light heart, he snares with his woven cord,
And the beasts with wary eyes, and the stealthy fish in the sea;
That shaggy freedom-lover, the horse, obeys his word,
And the sullen bull must serve him, for cunning of wit is he."

When she is about to go to her tomb Antigone lists the things she will miss by dying, and so outlines women's role: "No bridal bed, no bridal song have been mine, no joy of marriage, no children at my breast;...."

Question: i need some pictures of a woman in every day close and amap of greece

Answer: Click on the menu directory below and click on clothes.

A map of ancient Greece, with the old names, is available at: Click Here

The Hellenic Ministry of Culture has a map at: Click here.

Question: what were womens rights and responsibilities of women in classical greece.

Answer: They had no rights. For details see politics in the Menu directory below. Their responsibilities were to bear and raise children.

Question: What are the arguements for creon vs antigone beliefs?

Answer: All creons arguments were pretty superficial and conservative. He wanted to punish the already dead agressor so he ordered the body mistreated.When Antigone defied him, he condemned her for not following his command.

Questions: what was Ismene and Antigone in the play

Answer: Ismene and Antigone were the sole surviving daughters of Oedipus and Jocasta. They had just been notified that their two brothers had killed each other, one atacking Thebes and the other defending it. Creon, the king of Thebes, demanded that they celebrate the defending brother, and leave the other brother to rot.

Question: What is the central conflict in Antigone"

Answer: It is the conflict between human law which makes sense at the moment, and divine law, which is true for all time.

Question: How does the quote "Man is the measure of all things" relate to greek art?

Answer: Ancient Greek art is almost exclusively illustrations of human activity. There are few landscapes, flower arrangements, views of architecture, and other scenes common in other cultures.

Question: relationship with father

Answer: Antigone was devoted to her father and took very good care of him. He was blind so this was a difficult task. She became involved with politics only after her father died and no longer needed her care.

Question: Do you know anything about the ethical and moral values of Antigone, and can you relate this to Ancient Greek life?

Answer: Antigone provides reasoned arguments for her actions. Her reference to the gods indicates the ideal source of her arguments. This is consistent with Aristotle's notion that "For if the gods have any care for human affairs, as thay are thought to have, it would be reasonable both that they should delight in that which was best and most akin to them (i.e. reason) and that they should reward those who love and honor this most, as caring for the things that are dear to them and acting both rightly and nobly."

Question: how was antigone heroic?

Answer: Antigone was heroic because she was both courageous and noble. She chose to disobey a human law because it was mean-spirited and contrary to the wishes of the deities. It is noble to realize when human laws are unjust and unfair. To flaunt and disobey the unjust law is courageous because you run the risk of being punished. In fact Antigone was put to death.

Question: Compare and contrast Creon and Antigone regarding their attitudes toward affairs of the state and loyalty to the family and humanitarian principles.

Answer: Creon has a simplistic view of affairs of state. He thinks that the person in charge is always right and does not need to consult anyone else. He is a family man, but he is only concerned about his family. Antigone takes a more long term view. Antigone is attached not so much to her family as the ideal 'family'. She uses her reason to arrive at a colclusion that is ideal rather than humanitarian.

Question: When and during what time era was Antigone written?

Answer: Antigone was written by Sophocles in 441 BCE. The supremacy of Pericles lasted from 461-429 BCE. The first Peloponesian war lasted from 460 to 446 BCE. The second Peloponesian war started in 431 and lasted until 404.

Question: What are Atigone's leadership qualities?

Answer: Antigone lead by example rather than by command. She knew what she was doing was difficult so she relieved others of the responsibility of following. But when she was done she had left an example that everyone could follow.

Question: what is the role of women?

Answer: Iamene says: "we were born women, not meant to strive with men." so women are given a more submissive role. And yet Antigone is not content to be submissive to human law when it conflicts with divine law.

Question: How are Medea and Jocasta representative of the women of their time?

Answer: All we have are the stories which the classical Greeks wrote down. We assume that they must have filled in details from their own society but in general the stories were about people who lived before the Trojan war. The Greek authors did not like made up stories so they mad stories about these ancient peoples. But all they had were epics and myths that had been retold by word of mouth. What they did then was to take the main themes from the old stories and fill in details from their own society. For example, Medea and Jocasta were probably very contrained in their action by religious ritual. Yet, during the classical period most of this ritual is gone. Women like Medea and Jocasta must have been freer to act than the classical women because of the way they behaved. According to recods the women in the classical period were confined to their homes, while neither Medea nor Jocata had this restriction.

what was role of chorus in Antigone

In Antigone the chorus is the voice of the gods who look down from heaven and see all.

Question: Is Antigone a tragic hero or Creon refering to Aristotle's theory and why?

Answer: "According to Aristotle the tragic hero evokes our pity and terror if he is neither thoroughly good nor thoroughly evil but a mixture of both. The tragic effect is stronger if the hero is more moral than we are. The tragic hero suffers a change in fortune from happiness to misery because of a mistaken act which he performs due to his hamartia-'error of judgement'- one form of hamartia is hubris-'pride' which leads the tragic hero to ignore or violate a divine warning or moral law. The tragic hero evokes our pity because he is not evil and his misfortune is greater than he deserves, and he evokes our fear because we realize we are fallible and could make the same error." Antigone is the heroine. Creon gets what he deserves.

Question: What is the conflict Antigone have with Zeus, Creon, Ismene, and the law

Answer: "And a thing abhorred by Zeus is the boastful tounge of the haughty" and so her brother died. Creon "...published to the city that none shall bury him, none shall mourn him;...." Ismene says "We are in the grip of those stronger than ourselves, and must obey them in this and in things still more cruel." And Antigone says "As for me, I will bury him; and If I die for that, I am content."

Question: can u please gice me a brief outline on the play, the characters and general story line?

Answer: The answer to the previous question works for this one.

Question: Where can I find pictures of the play "Antigone?"

Answer: Click on the links earlier in the page. I will be producing a Greek play in the near future and I will have better pictures then.

Question: what is the theme of sophocles' Antigone

Answer: Justice.

Question: From whose perspective are we seeing this story from in ode 3

Answer: This part starts out "But what is this? -- what portent from the gods is this? I am bewildered, for surely this maiden is Antigone." It is easy to interpret this as the perspective of the deities.

Question: How is the Greek idea of fate portrayed in Antigone?

Answer:

Question: is antigone the tragic hero?

Answer: yes

Question: What is Antigone's position against Creon? What principle is operating here?

Antigone is obeying the law of the divine which is above the law of any man like Creon.

Question: In what way does politics relate to this play?

Answer: The play deals with the consequences of arbitrary laws passed by governing agencies. The play is a warning to politicians not to be arbitrary, but to consider the laws that are passed.

Question: How would you describe Antigone's character. (use some quotes from the story if possible)

Answer: Read above

Question: I read it all and didn't find any information that I was looking for and I still am wondering how you would characterize Antigone using quotes from the story.

Answer: Here are some quotes from the drama:

Question: What is Haemon's role in the play?

Answer: Haemon loved Antigone and wanted to marry her. When his father condemned her to death he committed suicide. This is part of Creon's punishment for forcing a stupid law on his city.

Question: who or what was antigone?

Answer: Antigone was the daughter of Oedipus, King of Thebes, who lived before the Trojan war.

Question: would antigone be a great role model to women today?

Answer: Very few men or women would be able to live up to Antigone's standards. Those that can make the world a better place.

Question: Antigone is portrayed as a martyr and heroine for her comittment to upholding the ideal laws. Though she was viewed as the ideal women in the play, what were Sophocles' views on women and womens rights? Was he making a statement in support of womens rights/equality? Or was Sntigone the ideal in the play but a woman who would have been ostracized by Sohpocles and the men of his time?

Answer: I do not think Antigone is portrayed as an ideal woman even though she was a heroine. I doubt the Sophocles had any views on women's rights. What he did was to take a story from ancient times and make it into a drama. The story, no doubt, had a moral message, but we do not know what it was. We do know the stories which the Classical Greeks told came from a different time when women were freer to act, and incidently, freer to suffer. Men in Sophocles time did not ostracize women, but they did talk about them rather than talk with them. As today men wanted women to do things for them and women wanted men to do things for them. But for the most part we only see what the men wanted because they were more literate and wrote things down.

Question: what are creon's arguments

Answer: Punish the bad dead people by defiling them and once this is law, obey it.

Question: How was Creon a tragic character?

Answer: He made bad decisions that later made him suffer.

Question: What was the impact that the character had on the female society?

Answer: In ancient Greece dramas were part of a male religious festival which women normally did not attend. Also they were not works of fiction but rather stories which had been handed down for about 800 years. In the Greek society they were more a reflection of what the Greek men believed. Any effect on women came later when the play was widely read by women. In 19th century America, for example, the play was widely read by women, and seems to have shaped the ideas of feminism in this country.

Question: what are the many conflicts throughout the play?

Answer: These make for points of interest.

Question: where can i find essays of "antigone" ?

Answer: Many of the different versions of Antigone will have different essays as an introduction.

Question: What is the feeling expressed most in the chorus?

Answer: The beauty of the chorus is emphasized by the sonorus and melancholy meditations about the nature of man, the victory of Thebes, the family curse, the mythological parallels to Antigone's fate, and Dionysus, the source of the woes of Cadmus' house.

Question: who is the tragic hero in antigone

Answer: Antigone.

Question: where can i find an outline on the storie?

Answer: Sophocles' Antigone

Question: I am doing a project on Antigone for school, i need five facts and am haveing a hard time finding them, could you give me a site or five facts like when born, died, what did in life? thank you for your time.

Answer: Five facts from Antigone about Antigone:

  1. Antigone was the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta.
  2. Antigone and her sister Ismene took care of their father after hes blinded himself.
  3. Antigone had two brothers, Polyneices and Eteocles, who killed each other.
  4. Antigone buried her brother Polyneices even though she was forbidden by law to do this.
  5. Antigone was condemned to death, but she killed herself.

Question: is antigone a hero or villain

Answer: Heroine.

Question: Write an eassy useing seven criteria to prove whether or not antigone is a tragic hero in the Greek sense.

Answer: The necessary material is above.

Question: when and where was antigone first produced?

Answer: Antigone was first produced before 442 BCE in Athens.

Question: summary of Antigony

Answer: Click here

Question: When Antigone and Creon are arguing, what is Antigone's manner towards him. Is she outright defiant and proud, not backing down from her actions? I would like to know if because of women's low position, is she respectful towards Creon, perhaps a bit afraid of him, or is she outright proud and defiant, not backing down?

Answer: Because Creon is king anything besides submission is defiance. Respect to a king means submission. But Antigone finds strength to resist Creon in her sporitual values.

Question: Can you give me examples of how the play Antigone reveals the culture of Ancient greece?

Answer: In line 22 Antigone says "Eteocles, they say, he has laid in the earth with due observance of right and custom, that all may be well with him among the shades below." This means that the culture believed that proper burial of the body meant the soul could rest, while improper burial meant an unrested soul, that would either be itself tormented, or would torment others.

Question: How does Antigone compare to Creon?

Answer: Antigone was an ex-princess guided by spiritual matters. Creon was a new king guided by the desire to organize quickly.

Question: What was the purpose of the Dionysian Festival when judging Antigone?

Answer: The purpose of the Dionysian festival was to demonstrate the spiritual in the life of men, and Sophocles certainly does this.

Question: How is Antigone similar/different from other heroines in Greek plays and mythologys?

Answer: Antigone's courage is supreme and completely voluntary. She chooses what is right and makes no compromise with reality. This heroism is unique in literature.

Question: How are dramatic techniques such as irony, fatal flawand fate used in Antigone?

Answer: This is a good topic for a student research paper. It is easily answered by reading the play.

Question: how does the role of women in ancient greece relate to "Antigone"?

Answer: Antigone does not fit the standard expectation.

Question: Is there a qoute about guilt?

Answer: "She denounced you as being guilty Both of the death of he who died before, and of this other one."

But at the end of the play is this: "Judgement is the greater part of good fortune Just as it is necessary not to be disrespectful to the gods - For the great words of the excessive boaster Are repayed by great blows And this, as one grows old, teaches judgement."

Question: What three qoutes show humanism in Antigone?

Answer: Humanism assumes that man is the measure of all things.

One quote: "as for me, I shall bury him Since it is beautiful to die doing such a thing: I shall lie by he whom I love who loves me, ..."

and there are others.

Question: Antigone describes a conflict between oikos, or household , and polis, or the city state. Which is more important according to the play?

Answer: This question misses the point I think. Rather focus on the contrast between what is and what ought to be. Familial love is spiritual, but allegiance to the state can be spiritual too. Creon has not put the state in this context though.

Question: who really suffers in the play antigone

Answer: Creon, Ismene, and the city of Thebes.

Question: What is the mainstream view of women in early greece? who represents it in this story?

Answer: One would expect the mainstream view of women to come from women, but Antigone was written by a man, for men. It is true that the women around Sophocles probably modeled for him, but he is still a man. But the characters described lived some 800 years before Sophocles. How could this have been an accurate description of women then?

Question: where can i find pictures of the play antigone

Answer: When the play is performed in Kent OH I will publish the pictures.

Question: What happened to Ismene after "Antigone?"

Answer: There is story about Tydeaus attacking Ismene and her lover and Ismene was killed. But this story would have come before the play Antigone.

Question: Is there any modern art inspired by this play?

Answer: Antigone has been widely inspirational, but I have no specifics. Routou wrote a tragedy in 1638. Alfieri wrote a tragedy in the 18th century. J. Anouilh wrote a drama in 1944.

Question: do you know the writer who translated Antigone into French during WWII, adding many anti-Nazi references?

Answer: See: Click here

Question: Do you agree that the personalities of Antigone and Oedipus may also be the victims of 20th century society? Can you support the arguments for or against with examples from contemporary dramatic literature?

Answer: Both characters are very relevant, but Antigone was a heroine, not a victim. Oedipus was a victim of his own belief in Fate. He could have made better choices as to how to deal with his past.

Question: what comentary has antigone made about a womens place in the greek world, and a womens place in the western world?

Answer: Even women, who do not strive with men, can be heroes.

Question: How were Antigone and Creon alike?

Answer: They both operated on principles.

Question: What makes her so desirable

Answer: Her service and her principles.

Question: Was there any use of irony in this play

Answer: Irony is an incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs. In Drama an effect is achieved by leading the audience to understand an incongruity, while the actors remain ignorant. One example of an irony is that a princess like Antigone is expected to marry well, but even though she acts nobly, she is condemned to death and killed.

Question: conflicts

Answer: The main conflict is between human law and divine law.

Question: what was creons view of leadership

Answer: Laws of the king must be obeyed.

Question: i needa picture of god eris

Answer: Click here

Question: Who is more of a tragic character Creon or Antigone and why?

Answer: When the play was over Antigone was dead while Creon could still consider his life.

Question: How did she go against the norms?

Answer: Her sister, Ismene, said that women must obey men who are stronger, but Antigone disobeyed and broke the law.

Question: do you have any facts on greek playwrights

Answer: The most famous Greek playrights were Aeschylus, Aristophanes, Eripides, and Sophocles.

Question: How does the greek drama Antigone display Arete' (human excellence)?

Answer: Antigone seems to be a pretty excellent person.

Question: How.did.Angigony.display.individualism

Answer: She thought things out for herself.

Question: What ways do the female confront and flaunt the law

Answer: Antigone found a human law which was contrary to her notion of a divine law. She violated the human law and obeyed the divine law. She did not resist prosecution but argued for divine law during her trial. She accepted her fate as a result.

Question: What is the theme of the play?

Answer: The superiority of divine law.

Question: what is the influence of the gods on the course of events that take place in the play "antigone"

Answer: The deities inspired Antigone to take her stand.

Question: What is the signifance of freedom in Antigone?

Answer: The real question is to what extent are we free to choose the things we are fated to do. Was Antigone's death fated or did she choose it when she choose to disobey the law? The fact is that every life is packed with predispositions that seem to determine our future. The choices are never as big as we would like. But even small choices can be important and can have large consequences in the world. Would the world have been a better place had Antigone chosen not to disobey the law. As it is many have been inspired to go beyond their fate and accomplish much by the example that Antigone has set.

Question: What is antigone's suffering?

Answer: Antigone has reached a point in her spiritual life were she is beyond suffering.

Question: where can i find arete in Antigone the play?

Answer: Antigone has spiritual strength which transcends any concept of physical strenth. Her arete is in her spirit.

Question: Can you give me 3 differences between creon and antigone.

Answer: Creon is a man, a king, and very practical. Antigone is a woman, a princess, and very spiritual.

Question: Is Creon a "good ruler"

Answer: Creon is a bad ruler.

Question: How does Creon compare to Odysseus as king?

Answer: Odysseus is a wise and heroic king. Creon is a very inexperienced king who gets messed up right away.

Question: Does Creon live up to Plato's ideal of the best ruler?

Answer: Hardly.

Question: compare and contrast the role of women in roman and greek drama

Answer: I know nothing about Roman drama.

Question: more pictures of all her roles?

Answer: Antigone was not a popular art subject.

Question: Compare and contrast Antigone and her sister Ismene. Please make direct reference for the text to explain/defend your statements

Answer: It is only necessary to read the first two pages of the play to answer this question. Antigone and Ismene are both extraodinarily kind and gentle women. But Antigone has reached a state of spirituality which exceeds that of her sister and the vast majority of people living and dead.

Question: Although Oedipus is not a character in the play "Antigone," he is a major force in Antigone's life/death. How is the fate of Antigone affected by her father? Give evidence from the play to support your response.

Answer: Antigone grew spiritually as a result of her father's mistakes. She says "I owe a longer allegiance to the dead than to the living; I must live with them forever."

Question: Concerning feminism, what are the differences between Antigone and her sister, Ismeme?

Answer: Ismene was an extrordinarily devoted women, but Antigone had spiritual strength which surpased her and inspired modern femininists.

Question: what is antigone realism

Answer: Antigone was an idealist, but for Plato this was real.

Question: How would you present the characters of Antigone and Creon on stage?

Answer: I am working on Medea for Dec. 1, 2, 3. Antigone will be later. But the play is quite simple requiring little in the way of costume or sets. Today I would cast Antigone as a woman and Creon as a man, but originally two men were used.

Question: Dicuss the theme of Loyalty in Antigone

Answer: Antigone seems more loyal to the dead than the living, but her real effect is on the yet unborn.

Question: how did antigone die?

Answer: She hung herself because she had no idea that Creon would recant and she did not want to suffer.

Question: why is this play required in some law schools?

Answer: The play is about law.

Question: can you give me a chart of all the mythological references in the play Antigone and what each represents?

Answer:

more later.

Question: we must consider the historical context in order to fully understand and appreciate a play." Show to what extent you think this is so in the play Antigone.

Answer: Fortunately, Antigone can be read a many levels and it is not necessary to fully understand this play in order to appreciate it. But, as with other great works of literature it benefits from a deeper analysis. For example the following quote from line 79: "I am going to heap the earth above the brother whom I love" could be interpreted as being an example of familial love. But in those times it was believed you would be haunted if you did not properly bury your loved ones. This makes Creon's law even more cruel.

Question: was kreon over antigone not just as king over subject, but as man over woman?

Answer: This was not as important as that she was his niece and she was betrothed to his son.

Question: do youthink that antigone's actions are a way of resentment towards creont becauste of his abuse of political power?

Answer: Not really. She just did what she thought was right.

Question: is creon right or wrong?

Answer: Both. That is what provides tension in the play.

Question: is the portrayal of women negative in antigone or we are reading too many contemprary issues in the play

Answer: The beauty of the play is that it is so primitive that it will allways be relavant. The fact that you are reading too many contempory tissues is not bad.

Question: How is the role of women in greek society reflected in the play Antigone

Answer: Not very well. Antigone is not typical of Greek society. But there are suggestions that can be studied.

Question: Why did Creon quote "Suffering is the only school teacher"?

Answer: Some people only notice pain.

Question: how is hubris used in the play antiogone

Answer: Creon has it all.

Question: Where is fate shown in the play, and how is it important to the play

Answer: Ismene has a good attitude for fate when she says: "Sister, sister! -- if we are caught in this web, what can I do to loose or tighten the knot?"

Question: where can i find pictures of the play antigone

Answer: Click on the links above.

Question: what arguments support creon? besides the law?

Answer: Though Creon is the law, he supports his possition with believeable arguments which are easy to find if you read the play.

Question: critical analisys

Answer: A critical analysis of the play Antigone might include the following points:

Question: how was antigony an individual?

Answer: She thought for herself, was willing to defend her reasoning, and she did what no one else was willing to do.

Question: What acts of hubris did antigone commit?

Answer: Antigone was not involved with hubris.

Question: where can i find a picture of the character sentry in the play antigone?

Answer: Click here. The second from left figure could be a sentry.

Question: What quotes demonstrate that Antigone is going against the powerful ruler Creon?

Answer: These quotes are obvious to anyone that reads the play. And the play is so important that everyone should read it.

Question: What was the financing of Antigone back then?

Answer: Antigone was presented as a part of a religious festival financed by the cult of Dionysus.

Question: What about the costume and masks like and what were they made out of?

Answer: The masks were carved of wood and the costumes were their everyday clotes woven of linen or wool.

Question: how were the actors picked ou for the parts

Answer: The actors had to project their voices very loudly, and they also had to be able to remember their parts.

Question: What kind of music was used back then?

Answer: Lyre and flute music.

Question: What exactly was the art og antigone?

Answer: Anstigone is a drama that has stood the test of time and is still an important play to read. At this point it is important to figure out just what is good about Antigone so it can be incorporated into other things. But exactly what that is remains a matter of discussion.

Question: discuss the idea of fate as it is expressed in Antigone. Are Antigone and Creon the helpless victims of fate, or do they freely choose their own destinies?

Answer: The Greeks' concept of fate is one of the great contributions of of their culture to modern thought.

When Patroclus in the Iliad (Book, XVI) is about to die he says to Hector: "Hector, vaunt as you will, for Jove the son of Saturn and Apollo have vouchsafed you victory; it is they who have vanquished me so easily, and they who have stripped the armour from my shoulders; had twenty such men as you attacked me, all of them would have fallen before my spear. Fate and the son of Leto have overpowered me, and among mortal men Euphorbus; you are yourself third only in the killing of me. I say further, and lay my saying to your heart, you too shall live but for a little season; death and the day of your doom are close upon you, and they will lay you low by the hand of Achilles son of Aeacus."

Agamemnon speaks about his mistake: (Iliad: Book, XIX)"Then Agamemnon spoke, rising in his place, and not going into the middle of the assembly. "Danaan heroes," said he, "servants of Mars, it is well to listen when a man stands up to speak, and it is not seemly to interrupt him, or it will go hard even with a practised speaker. Who can either hear or speak in an uproar? Even the finest orator will be disconcerted by it. I will expound to the son of Peleus, and do you other Achaeans heed me and mark me well. Often have the Achaeans spoken to me of this matter and upbraided me, but it was not I that did it: Jove, and Fate, and Erinys that walks in darkness struck me mad when we were assembled on the day that I took from Achilles the meed that had been awarded to him. What could I do? All things are in the hand of heaven, and Folly, eldest of Jove's daughters, shuts men's eyes to their destruction. She walks delicately, not on the solid earth, but hovers over the heads of men to make them stumble or to ensnare them.

This is the background against which the fate of Antigone must be judged. The ancient Greeks were aware of the fact that some natural events could be predicted while others were affected by choice. The question is which events are in each category.

Question: how did antigony kill herself?

Answer: According to Sophocles she was burried alive and she hung herself while buried, but there are other stories. Another story is that Haemon secreted her away and only later killed her in a double suicide after their son was grown.

Question: what word is based upon the title

Answer: Perhaps you mean antagonist? But this is from anti- against and agone meaning contest.

Question: What was the nature, function and relation of god in antigone

Answer: There is much to learn about spirituality in Antigone because this is a central issue in the play. But you cannot ignore the larger question of What is the nature, funtion and relation of god. I use the lower case only to be more general. In fact in the case of Antigone one must speak of gods and goddesses. Most, but not all the references are to Zeus, but Hephaestos is referenced in 124. And Helios is referenced in 105. Victory (Nike) is mentioned in 149.

More substantive things are said of Zeus

There are general statements about the gods:

A god is often viewed as a personification of some abstract force of nature, such as a whirlwind, which even in our science-based culture has much poetic meaning. But god is also related to the sense of personal experience and those things that cannot be explained with science. Another aspect that we owe to the Greeks is an ideal perfection which contrasts with our ordinary experience. The deities become a pure abstraction out of our flawed and messy experience. The fact is that the deities were a very real part of the ancient Greek experience that made experience for them a coherent whole. Religion is not so different for us today.

Question: What are the ultimate values of greeks from reading Antigone

Answer: line 1348 - "If any man would be happy, and not broken by Fate, Wisdom is the thing he should seek, for happiness hides there. Let him revere the gods and keep their words inviolate,..."

Question: What was occurring in Athens at the timethe play was written ?

Answer: The play was written in the time between the first and second Peloponesian wars. Athens had just founded a colony at Thurii in southern Italy and Thucydides (son of Melesias) had just been ostracized.

Question: I have to do an essay comparing Antigone and Medea. I state that "Both Antigone and Medea, two tragic characters, risk their lives by going against the King Creon. The only differentce is one is seeking revenge [medea] while the other is seeking something more righteousness-justice." SO, i was wondering if you could help me find how to portray Antigone and justice (quotes?facts?) thanks! [+ if you happen to know anything about medea too] Thanks a lot!!

Answer: Medea gives Creon little respect and defeats him easily. Antigone actually risks her life. Both women have powerful wills but Medea has powerful abilities. Medea is after justice also, but because there were no suitable laws, she must be satisfied with revenge. Antigone is very rational in her action while Medea is very emotional. Antigone helps many but hurts herself. Medea helps many also, but she hurts some too.

Question: What do you think the most honest character in the play was and why?

Answer: I am grateful to Antigone for what she did.

Question: What god made the law that a body must be buried or it is to walk the earth for eternity?

Answer: In the Christian religion God creates the heaven and the earth, but for the Greeks Heaven and Earth created the gods and goddesses. Ultimately the nature of things traces back to that creation. What you are asking about is not so much a law as the nature of reality. The Greeks thought it was a law of the gods because they observed it as a fact of reality.

Question: what are the arguments creon vs antigone

Answer: Creon's arguments are practical but superficial while Antigone argues in a spiritual mode.

Question: what was the role of antigone in the play?

Answer: Antigone is the tragic heroine who promotes the cause of the gods.

Question: Discuss the conflict of youth and age in Antigone and how it is the central theme of the work?

Answer: This question is difficult because the main theme of the work seems to be carried by the last two sentences: "If any man would be happy, and not broken by Fate, Wisdom is the thing he should seek, for happiness hides there. Let him revere the gods and keep their words inviolate, For proud men who speak great words come in the end to despair, and learn wisdom in sorrow, when it is too late." According to this the theme is wisdom and pride. But of course wisdom is associated with age, and so there is a connection. But in the play Antigone is young and wise while Creon is old and ignorant. Both characters had pride, which causes the conflict.

Question: Is this play feminist or anti-feminist?

Answer: I cannot claim to know much about feminism but many women have been encouraged in their lives by the example of Antigone.

Question: Is Antigone a tragedy by Aristotle's definition? Why or why not?

Answer: This is a good term paper topic becuase you get to read Antigone and Aristotle's Poetics.

Question: What elements were present on the stage when the antigone was played ?

Answer: Men dressed in street clothes presented the play with masks. No set was required.

Question: Could show me a diagram or description which shows where the actor and chorous perform on the stage ?

Answer: The stage is an open space before the house of Creon. The house is at the back with three doors in it. On the right the city is to be supposed; to the left is the Theban plain with hills rising above it. All action is in the middle of the stage with the chorus around it.

Question: I would like to know if you could send me all the information you have on the pagan goe NIGHT

Answer: It is religious prejudice to refer to the deities of the Ancient Greeks as pagan. The period that I cover is prior to the Christian period and the Greeks had no knowledge of Christianity. They thought that their worship was correct and verified by their experience. If you realise this then a study of the Greek religion has much more meaning. The Greeks were quite intelligent and many of their observations on religion are extremely important and not something that can be set aside as ignorance.

Nyx was goddess of the night. She was not mentioned by Homer or Hesiod. Pausanius metions that she was the mother of the Nemeses and the nurse of sleep and death.

Question: Both creon and antigone seem to be the tragic characters. Who is the real tragic character in the story and why?

Answer: Both are tragic. To resolve this you must establish a valid definition of tragedy and then show, using examples from the play, who fits the best. The ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle provided a definition in his Poetics.

Question: what is some conventions used in the play and what are there importance?

Answer: Conventions are symbols and ways of understanding. The stage is a convention for a plain. A mask is a convention for a personality. Read the play to identify conventions. Conventions are used to help the viewer understand the action. Details of each convention can be provided.

Question: what is the role of the messenger in the story?

Answer: The messenger describes action that cannot be acted.

Question: Themes of Antigone and a full description of each

Question: Choral odes often generalize a given problem specific to the play's action into a statement about human life as a whole. Is that the case here? If so, then is the chorus alluding to Antigone, or to Creon, or to both?

Answer: Both

Question: Can you explain how the male is regarded as superior and the female is regarded as submissive in Antigone?

Answer: Line 61 Ismene says: "No, no we must remember we were born women, not meant to strive with men. We are in the grip of those stronger than ourselves, and must obey them in this and in things still more cruel."

Question: how did this play or other ancient greek plays actually affect the people living at the time it was written?

Answer: Not only is Antigone one of the greatest works ever written, it is referenced in Aristotles's Poetics another of the greatest works ever written. Further effects are difficult to document. Kitto makes some interesting comments (p 233): "In the Frogs of Aristophanes Aeschylus is made to attack Euripides for his 'immorality'; Euripides, he says, has put on the stage such abandoned sluts 'that decent women have hanged themselves'" and "The ancient Life of Aeschylus tells the story that the Chorus if Furies in the Eumenides, was so terrific that boys died of fright and women had miscarriages."

Question: what were the roles of antigone and ismene as women

Answer: Antigone was the antagonist and Ismene was the realist.

Question: why does antigonye think that she is obeying the laws of the gods by defying creon?what role do the gods play in this play?

Answer: Greek drama was performed for a religious festival and has the character of explaining Greek religion to the audience. But religion, to the Greeks was not a belief system, as it is to us. Rather it was a matter of getting along in the world, about knowing the nature of things. Burial is a spiritual matter that had long been associated with the deities but was based on observations of what the deities expected. Certain kinds of burial were found to be beneficial to the community and were felt to find favor with the deities. What Creon did was to ignore these practices and make a human law that was contrary to them. Antigone was thus following the accepted practice of the community, while Creon was rejecting it in this case. Later in the play the blind priest Teiresias says to Creon (line 1025): "Yield to the dead, I counsel you, and do not stab the fallen; what prowess is it to slay the slain anew?" He is stating that the deities have sided with Antigone.

Question: where can i find information on productions of Antigone?

Answer: We will be doing Antigone in Kent sometime soon. In the mean time:

Question: How old was Antigone when she got killed?

Answer: My guess is about 16.

Question: what would feminists view antigone as?

Answer: Feminism is outside my area.

Question: What was the names of Oedipus' parents?

Answer: Jocasta and Laius were the parents of Oedipus. This same Jocasta was the wife of Oedipus and their children were Eteocles, Polyneices, Antigone, and Ismene.

Question: What is a good quote from Antigone that displays Creon's stubborness and ignorance to what others thought or the laws that he defied (a quote that displays he power)?

Answer:Line 310- Creon:...I will teach you that ill-gotten gains bring more men to ruin than prosperity. Guard: May I speak? Or shall I turn and go? Creon: Can you not see that your voice offends me? Guard: Are your ears troubled or your soul? Creon: And why should you try to fix the seat of my pain? Guard: The doer of the deed inflames your mind, but I, only your ears. Creon: Bah, you are a babler born! Guard: I may be that, but I never did this deed. Creon: You did, for silver; but you shall pay with your life. Guard: It is bad when a judge misjudges.

Question: what is the dispute about and why does antigone defieher uncles law?

Answer: Antigone wishes to respect her dead brother, while Creon wishes to punish him for attacking his city.

Question: How is "justice" the main theme in Antigone?

Answer: Sophocles seems to think wisdom is the main theme. But of course justice is wisdom about human affairs. The difficulty between Creon and Antigone does seem to be a particularly human affair. So Antigone must be about justice.

Question: what would feminists view antigone as?

Answer: Unfortunately I am not in a position to comment on feminism.

Question: Why is Antigone the hero? Sat, 18 Nov 2000 02:03:51 -0500 (EST)

Answer: From a hero we expect courage and noble deeds. We certainly get these from Antigone.

Question: i need some info on why creon is the tragic hero in antigone Sat, 18 Nov 2000 15:48:00 -0500 (EST)

Answer: He is the one who suffers a remarkable change in fortune and learns the lesson.

Question: what colors are used in certian events in ancient greek costume ie. religous colors, royalty, government, etc...

Answer:

Question: Was the role of Terisius necessary

Answer: Teiresias can communicate the will of the gods to Creon. Few men, if any, have this power. Creon would never have known this will otherwise.

Question: How can Creon be compared with Fidel Castro?

Answer: The subject of Fidel Castro is out of the scope of this web page.

Question: What are simularities between Antigone and Medea

Answer: They are both strong willed women, but there are more differences than similarities.

Question: How does Antigone realate to the twentyth century?

Answer: The French author Jean Anouilh drew a very stong comparison between Antigone and the French resistance during World War II.

Question: how does fate influence Greek drama?

Answer: Fate is an important component of Greek religion and Greek drama is a playing out of Greek religious beliefs.

Question: How does Antigone create the theme of appearance versus reality?

Answer: Any contrast between spiritual values and material values creates this theme.

Question: Was Antigone's bond with her family normal for the time? What was family life like & who took over specific duties in the family?

Answer: The bond to ones family was much stronger then than it is today, but even so Antigone's devotion seems exceptional. Women did the domestic work while men worked outside the house. Because Oedipus was blind Antigone and her sister did everything, including leading him around. Her two brothers may have paid the bills.

Question: What is suggested about "free will" in this play?

Answer: Even a weak women with little power in a world ruled by fate is free to shake the world through determined and wise action.

Question: Which issues in Antigone do you think are relevant to us today?

Answer: Antigone has a message for all time and should be carefully read as a component of a good education.

Question: how is antigone the tragic hero?

Answer: Antigone is more of a heroine. First find a good definition of heroine, then read the play Antigone. It is easy to fit the elements of the play to the definition.

Question: mark rothko.

Answer: Mark Rothko painted his "Antigone" early in his career during his expressionistic period.

Question: what we have learnt in antigone?eg.learn how to gain wisdom.

Answer: This is like the saying; "You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make him drink." You may not have learned anything because you have associated Antigone with too much pain. The tragedy of some schooling is that the pain of assigments and tight deadlines causes pain which you want to forget. But if you came to Antigone fresh, after your formal education, you could quickly revel in the benefits, because they are numerous.

Question: what is the team of suffering in Antigone

Answer: All Antigone's choices involve suffering, but the path she chooses will make it worth while.

Question: What does Aristotle think of Antigone?

Answer: "Antigone does not seem to fit the Aristotelian formula. Aristotle himself did not seem to know what to make of it. In the Poetica?s sole reference to the play Aristotle offers Antigone as an example of a poor plot for a tragedy." Click here

Question: "Pride goes before a fall" To what extent does the play support this idea?

Answer: Creon supports this idea very well.

Question: give me example of antigone as a role model

Answer: Antigone was a role model for Joan of Arc.

Question: How old is Creon

Answer: About 55.

Question: You sound so sure that Antigone is the Tragic hero, but I am not so sure, Can you explain why you think this?

Answer: She is a tragic heroine. She does a heroic deed and so she is a heroine, but she dies as a result and that is tragic. But she is not the only hero or heroine of the play.

Question: Would you compare Antigone to any women today? What kinds of behavior or modes of practice does this play seem to enforce? What social understanding does this play depend upon?

Answer: Rosa Parks. Civil disobedience. Self-sacrifice benefits the community.

Question: how has the play cahnged over the years?

Answer: The play has not changed. Only the audience has changed.

Question: How many parts does Antigone have? What are in them? Can you give page numbers and line numbers?

Answer: I will be producing Antigone in Kent sometime in the next year. I will be most happy to cite page and line numbers in the version that we have chosen: ISBN 1-56663-211-0. There are 8 characters and a chorus.

Question: Sophocles depicts ANTIGONIE AS A STRONG CHARACTER WHO IS DEFIANT OF AUTHORITY, SINGLEMINDED IN PURPOSE, NON-CONFORMING IN ACTIONS, AND IDEALISTIC IN HER VIEWS, PLEASE EXPLAIN IN DETAIL, HOW IS THAT TRUE?

Answer: Anyone who reads the play can find examples of these statements easily.

Question: Are there other versions of "Antigone"? If so, where can I find them and how do they differ?

Answer: The following versions of Antigone have been written: