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Antigone History & Background Sophocles 496?-406? B.C. Born in Athens to a wealthy family One of three great playwrights along with Aeschylus & Euripides Sophocles In 468 B.C., he was the top dramatist when he won the Athenian drama contest twenty times. He wrote more than 100 plays. – Only seven complete plays have survived Antigone was written 441 B.C. – It is a masterpiece. Sophocles Dramatic Inventions: – Balanced symbolism & realism – Increased number of actors from two to three to complicate the plot – Created the concept of juxtaposition – Wrote trilogies as three separate units – Used themes concerning the nature of man, his problems, and his struggles. Greek Social Classes Upper class – A unemployed citizen – Free of economic tasks – Used to slaves to conduct business – Devoted time to education – Allowed to vote – Worth at least 20 talents – Only about 300 families shared this status. Greek Social Classes Middle Class – Non-citizen of foreign birth – Couldn’t own land or vote – Urban professionals – Managed the city – Worth between one to three talents Greek Social Classes Freemen – Freed slaves who obtained their freedom: • Family or friend paid ransom • Worked a second job • Fought in a war for the city • Their master died • The job that they were bought for was over • Not allowed to vote Greek Social Classes Slaves – Prisoners of war, victims of slave raids, abandoned infants, or criminals – Cost between $50 & $1,000 – Even the poor had a slave or two • Upper class families had as many as fifty – Used for government jobs – Mostly women – Treated kindly by their owners. Literary Elements Chorus Greek Drama A group of dancers or singers who comment on the action of the story. They relate events outside of the play or what happened before the play. “Imitated human action” The chorus divides the play in five acts. Acts are composed of scenes in logical order Literary Elements In Medias Res Juxtaposition Latin for “in the middle of things.” A literary technique in which the story starts in the middle of the action. Comparing and contrasting two objects, people, or ideas by placing them together in a text. Literary Elements Realism The truthful treatment of an event within a text. Tragedy A play that culminates in an unhappy catastrophe, marked by sadness, misfortune, & death. Literary Elements Trilogy Versimilitude A literary work in three substantial parts, each of which in itself is a complete unit. Usually written against a historical background The semblance of truth. Oedipus The Crossroads The Sphinx Antigone Antigone Polynices