📘 Antigone Study Guide

📖 Plot Summary

1. After a Civil War in Thebes, Antigone’s two brothers, Eteocles and Polynices, kill each other in battle—Eteocles defending the city, Polynices attacking it.

2. Creon, the new king of Thebes (and Antigone’s uncle), declares that Eteocles will be honored and Polynices will be left unburied as a traitor.

3. Antigone, defying Creon’s order and the law, buries her brother Polynices, believing that divine law (Gods') is more important than human law.

4. Creon sentences Antigone to death, despite warnings from his son Haemon (who is engaged to Antigone), and the prophet Tiresias.

5. Haemon pleads for Antigone, but Creon refuses. Eventually, Creon changes his mind—but too late.

6. Antigone dies by suicide in the tomb.

7. Haemon, in grief and anger, kills himself.

8. Creon’s wife, Eurydice, also dies by suicide after hearing about her son’s death.

9. Creon is left devastated and alone, realizing too late that his pride and stubbornness caused tragedy.

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 👥 Major Characters

 Antigone – Brave, moral, and determined. She believes in doing what’s right by the gods even if it means breaking human laws. She's the tragic heroine.

 Creon – The king of Thebes. He represents law and order but becomes a tragic hero when his pride leads to the deaths of his family.

 Ismene – Antigone’s sister. She is cautious and initially refuses to help Antigone bury their brother.

 Haemon – Creon’s son and Antigone’s fiancé. Tries to reason with his father but ends up dying tragically.

 Tiresias – The blind prophet. Warns Creon that the gods are angry, but Creon only listens when it’s too late.

 Eurydice – Creon’s wife. Kills herself after Haemon dies.

 Chorus – Represents the elders of Thebes. Provides commentary and reflects on the events.

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 🎭 Themes

1. Civil Law vs. Divine Law

    Antigone follows the gods’ laws (burying the dead); Creon follows man-made laws.

    The play explores which law should have more authority.

2. Pride and Hubris

    Creon’s excessive pride leads to his downfall—a classic example of a tragic flaw (hamartia) in Greek tragedy.

3. Fate vs. Free Will

    Though people try to control their destinies, fate and consequences catch up with them, especially in the house of Oedipus.

4. Loyalty and Family

    Antigone’s actions show her loyalty to her brother and family values over politics.

5. Gender Roles

    Antigone challenges traditional gender expectations by standing up against male authority.

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 ✨ Symbols and Motifs

 The Burial – Represents respect for the dead, religious duty, and the conflict between laws.

 The Tomb/Cave – Symbolizes death, isolation, and punishment, but also a womb-like return to nature and the gods.

 Light vs. Darkness – Truth, knowledge, and insight vs. ignorance and denial.

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 📚 Important Terms

 Tragic Hero – A character with a fatal flaw (often pride) who makes an error in judgment and suffers downfall (Creon is often considered the tragic hero here).

 Catharsis – Emotional release the audience experiences by watching the tragic events unfold.

 Hubris – Excessive pride or arrogance, especially in defiance of the gods.

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 🧠 Quick Review Questions

1. Why does Antigone bury her brother?

    She believes honoring the gods and family is more important than obeying Creon’s law.

2. What is Creon’s tragic flaw?

    Pride (hubris) and refusal to listen to others.

3. What is the outcome for Creon?

    He loses everything—his son, wife, and niece—and is left alone in sorrow.

4. What is the role of the Chorus?

    They comment on the action, reflect public opinion, and provide philosophical insights.

5. How does Sophocles show the conflict between individuals and the state?

    Through Antigone’s moral resistance to Creon’s decree.