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ANTIGONE WEBQUEST
An Introduction to Greek Tragedy
Welcome to the Antigone WebQuest!
Before beginning your exploration into the
world of Antigone, you must first become
acquainted with Sophocles and The Greek
Theater.
 The following pages will provide you with
the information you need.
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Meet Sophocles
(496-406 B.C.)
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Sophocles was born and raised
in Athens
He is regarded as one of the
world’s greatest playwrights.
He frequently won 1st place at
the Dionysian festivals, which
were competitions between
playwrights.
During his life, he wrote over 100 plays, but only 7 have
survived.
Among these 7 are: Oedipus the King, Oedipus at
Colonus, and Antigone.
The Greek Theater
Theater was a celebration in ancient Greece that
was held in honor of Dionysos (the god of wine).
During these celebrations, Athenians gathered to
watch competitions between playwrights. It was
these competitions that Sophocles often won. The
plays performed at these festivals usually exposed
arrogance which emphasized reverence for the
gods and included tragic events. Although violence
and disrespect were central to the plot of most
tragic plays, violence was never depicted on stage.
Instead, these events occurred off stage.
Tragedy
Tragedy is a work of literature that results
in a catastrophe for the main character.
 In Greek drama, the main character was
always a significant person, a king or a
hero, and the cause of the tragedy was a
tragic flaw, or weakness in his or her
character.
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Typical Structure of a Tragedy
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Ancient Greek playwrights used a consistent
format for most of their productions.
A Chorus is used to divide the scenes (similar
to how a curtain does in present day
performances) through a song that
comments on the action of the previous
scene.
The Choragos is the leader of the chorus,
and serves as another character in the play
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The typical structure of a tragedy is as
follows:
– Prologue – exposition which provide background to the
conflict
– Parados or parode – Opening song or ode
 Strophê – the chorus sings a stanza while moving from
right to left while singing
 Antistrophê - the chorus sings a stanza while moving
from left to right while singing
 Epode – included in some odes as a final stanza
– Paean – a thanksgiving to Dionysos
– Exodos – final exiting scene
Now that you are familiar with Greek
Tragedy, you are ready to begin your task…
Your Task:
You are a detective assigned to investigate the death
of Antigone.
 Before you can understand her death, you must first
become aware of the circumstances surrounding her
life.
 You will obtain background information about
Anigone’s family life, and the society in which she
lived, by following the trail of clues linked to her
death.
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Family Life – Antigone’s Dad
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Antigone, is part of a trilogy about the
royal family of Thebes. The trilogy
includes; Oedipus the King, Oedipus at
Colonus and Antigone
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Follow the two links below to learn more
about Antigone’s father, Oedipus:
– Oedipus’ Early Life
– Oedipus’ Exile
A Tragedy between Brothers
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As if the tragedy surrounding her father’s
life and exile was not horrific enough,
Antigone must now face the death of her
brothers.
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Click here to learn more about Eteocles
and Polyneices
Greek Society
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Religion
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Government
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Funeral Rites – only read the first paragraph
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Role of Women – click on the “Daily Life” tab
and then click on “Women’s Life”
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Hubris – Find the definition
The following information can be used
to fill out your STUDY GUIDE…
Title: Antigone
 Author: Sophocles
 Publication Date: 442 B.C
 Setting: The city of Thebes – Ancient
Greece
 Genre: Drama
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Name:
Relationship to Personality:
Others:
Situations:
Antigone
Daughter of
Oedipus, sister of
Ismene, niece of
Creon
Strong, firm in
her beliefs
Main character,
in conflict over
the laws of the
gods vs laws of
man
Timid
Ismene
Daughter of
Oedipus,
Antigone’s sister
Also in conflict
over the laws
of the gods vs
laws of man
Creon’s wife,
mother of Haimon
Obeys her
duties as the
King’s wife
Wife of the
King
Eurydice
Name:
Creon
Haimon
Teiresias
Relationship to Personality: Situations:
Others:
Husband of
Firm in his
Eurydice, father of
belief,
Haimon
unbending, an
absolute ruler
Son of Creon and
Eurydice,
prophet
Recently
became King
of Thebes
Level headed
Engaged to
Antigone
Wise
He is a very
respected
blind prophet
Congratulations!
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You have just completed the Antigone
WebQuest.
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You are now ready to begin your reading
of the play.