Antigone by Sophocles (copy)

Read Sep. 7th (441 BCE)

How does Sophocles reflect culture?

he creates a model of culture using the characters and story

he shows the male vs. female ways of thinking/doing things

he uses Antigone as a force for change

What is the purpose of the Chorus?

• represent the readers as an audience

• to take us on the emotional journey of the play

• to narrate

• to explain scenes and emphasize important things

• to reflect the attitudes of characters

What does Antigone want?

she wants to give her brother Polyneices a proper burial

once she has lost her purpose in the male-dominated world on earth she wants to take back the power and die on her own terms while doing what she thinks is the right thing

What gender stereotype of women is contradicted?

women as passive, subordinate, and inferior to men

How does Antigone transcend this?

she enters into the sphere of politics reserved only for men

she defies her allotted language and rationality as a woman

How is gender imbalance represented?

conflict between masculine and feminine is shown in the dynamic between Antigone and Creon as she defies his control over women and he scorns the fact that he has been outdone by a woman.

How are sex and power present?

victory and power are associated with power