Sophocles wrote antigone, as well as the other two installments of his oedipus trilogy, oedipus rex and oedipus at colonus, for an audience that he could justifiably assume was wellversed in the. Theyll give your presentations a professional, memorable appearance the kind of sophisticated look that todays audiences expect. Beginning with the arrival of oedipus in colonus after years of wandering, oedipus at colonus ends with antigone setting off toward her own fate in thebes. Other tv adaptations of antigone have starred irene worth 1949 and dorothy tutin 1959, both broadcast by the bbc. Although recently forced to retreat from conquests in boeotia, a region to the northwest of the city, athens had nonetheless emerged as the hegemon of. The basic subject material of the antigone is drawn from greek mythology. Anmol singh, kesia santos, and yuri seo scene 4, ode 4, scene 5, paean and exodos. She is willing to face the capital punishment that has been decreed by her uncle creon, the new king, as the penalty for anyone burying her brother polyneices.
The historical context, in witch antigone was written, was one of national tension. All costs of the trial were imposed on sophocless son. He grew up during the most brilliant intellectual period of athens. The athens sophocles knew was a small place a polis, one of the selfgoverning citystates on the greek peninsula but it held within it the emerging life of democracy, philosophy, and theater.
Examining the historical background of antigone reveals the fact that a commonly shared culture does not necessarily guarantee that its members will have the same values and beliefs, and therefore the members of a culture may have widely differing applications of their beliefs. Antigone laments her approaching death and all that she is giving up in refusing to bend to creons law. Antigone is the daughter of oedipus, the former king of thebes. Historical background on sophocles antigone by carissa villagomez, marketing and communications intern considered to be sophocles most political play in the oedipus trilogy, antigone was actually written before the other plays, though it takes place last chronologically. This specific context influenced the way the play was written and the. Sophocles antigone with introduction, translation and essay ruby blondell university of washington focus publishing an imprint of. Winner of the standing ovation award for best powerpoint templates from presentations magazine. According to an ancient hypothesis or introduction to oedipus at colonus, the play was produced after the death of sophocles by his grandson and namesake, sophocles the younger, son of ariston. There was a great sense of nationality being that athens prior had signed a peace treaty with persia, named the peace of. Antigone study guide from litcharts the creators of. Top dog athenian playwright, sophocles, gets the award for most well known version of the story of oedipus. Antigone historical context antigone was written during a time period know as the golden age of greece 500b. Sophocles lived and worked in a time of great cultural significance, not only in the history of athens but the.
Ppt background to antigone powerpoint presentation. Antigone belongs to sophocles s trilogy of plays set in the ancient city of thebes. What god did the religious festivals in the spring honor. Welcome to the litcharts study guide on sophocles s antigone. Historical context in antigone antigone belongs to sophocless trilogy of plays set in the ancient city of thebes. What she proposes may be folly 95, but to her it is the only course that she can take.
Most classical scholars argue for 429 as the most probable date, with. This study guide consists of approximately 61 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of oedipus the king. Antigone study guide from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Historical context of antigone by charlotte fowler on prezi. Nov 11, 2016 sophocles, antigone ocr ancient hypothesis summary of the antigone suggests that it was performed. Antigone was a huge success for him at the dramatic festivals held in athens. Doc reworking of antigone by jean anouilh sarah kazmi. The antigone of sophocles 49 chance of its success.
Antigone is just one of seven plays that have survived from the many plays sophocles wrote during his lifetime. Oedipus oedipus unwittingly killed his father, laios, and married his own mother, iocaste. Ajax, antigone, trachinian women, oedipus the king, electra, philoctetes, and oedipus at colonus. Historical context for the antigone the core curriculum.
Apr 15, 2008 an intro for students preparing to read the play antigone. This anthology includes english translations of three plays of sophocles oidipous cycle. Worlds best powerpoint templates crystalgraphics offers more powerpoint templates than anyone else in the world, with over 4 million to choose from. Historical context for oedipus rex by sophocles the core. Seven against thebes by aeschylus, the father of drama. Oedipus, the king tells the story of oedipus who killed his father, and had illegitimate children with his mother thus making him both antigone s father and. Although it was written before sophocles other two theban plays, chronologically it comes after the stories in oedipus the king and oedipus at colonus, and it picks up where aeschylus play seven against thebes ends. In antigone, sophocles asks the question, which law is greater.
Teaching the antigone in wisconsin a resource guide by kerry lefebvre introduction and overview. There was a great sense of nationality being that athens prior had signed a peace treaty with persia, named the peace of callias, in 450449 bc. Sophocles s background the son of sophilus, the owner of a successful weapons factory, sophocles was born c. The antigone does not offer any final answer to what is right and what is wrong, encouraging the audience to continue this debate once the play is over. Antigone premiered in paris in 1944, but anouilh had written his tale of lone rebellion against the state two years earlier, inspired by an act of resistance during pariss occupation by the. Useful features include full synopsis of the play, commentary alongside translation for easy reference and a comprehensive introduction to the greek theatre. Sophocles uses the traditional greek chorus to comment on and interpret the events of the play.
Antigone was performed sometime around the year 441 b. Antigone is suitable for students of both classical civilisation and drama. Sophocles most famous plays are often grouped under the epithet the theban plays and include in the chronology of the myths themselves, oedipus at colonus and oedipus rex antigone. Drama, tragedies and comedies performed as part of religious festivals, became a major literary form during this time with the plays of aeschylus, sophocles, euripides, and aristophanes. The greek theater sophocles was one of the prominent figures in greek theater. Introduction begin today by discussing the oddness and mystery of this play, but my. It has been noted that the characters in sophocles tragedies are often isolated figures. The trilogy is based off the saga of the house of laius sophecles other plays in this trilogy are. Ancient greece the earliest greeks more than one thousand years before the birth of sophocles, the playwright who wrote antigone, a. Antigone, an adaptation of sophocles s classic produced in the context of the antifascist french resistance, is anouilhs most oftenproduced work today.
In antigone, the leader of the chorus is a character, rather than a background figure, and the chorus primary function is to express loyalty to either antigone or creon. It seems like sophocles just couldnt get enough oedipus, because he also wrote oedipus at colonus, which tells of. Antigone was written during a time period know as the golden age of greece 500b. The writer, sophocles was being sued for being incompetent by his son. Full text of sophocles antigone see other formats sophocles. Antigone sophocles antigone a new translation by dw myatt first published 1990 this edition first published 1994 dw myatt 1990, 1994 preface the main aim of the present translation is to provide an accurate and poetic rendering in a style suitable for both reading and dramatic performance. But none of this political context was to be detected in sophocles play. If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. Each of these plays is available from focus in a single play edition.
In any order, readers will note the unique qualities in each drama, especially. Thought to have been written toward the end of sophocles life and the. Shortly after the play was released, in 440 bc, sophocles was appointed one of the ten generals to lead a military expedition against samos island. Anouilhs antigone historical context presentation by ana. The cultural work of tragedy laura arnold leibman department of english and american studies hum 110 lecture 197 i. Sophocles brief history sophocles, one of the most influential writers of ancient greece, was most likely born in 4976 b. Background on antigone the play first of the three theban plays that sophocles wrote, although the events dramatized in it happen last. The trilogy includes an introductory essay on sophocles life, ancient theatre, and the mythic and religious background of the plays. Sophocles biography family, death, wife, school, mother.
C the celebrations became an annual festival, and a hero would wear masks and sing hymns about his character. The afterlife many of the customs mentioned in antigone stem from. Ismene but no one must hear of this, you must tell no one. Trackers, a satyr play, exists only as a 400line fragment. Socrates, plato, and aristotle wrote and taught in athens, and their ideas gave.
Created by the original team behind sparknotes, litcharts are the worlds best literature guides. A platform extends the length of the facade, and from this. Several ancient epic poems known as the theban cycle, now lost, dealt with the family history of the house of oedipus. Historical background on sophocles antigone court theatre. Antigone is a tragedy by the ancient greek playwright sophocles, written around 442 bce. All three plays take place before, during, or after the reign of king oedipus. Free study guideoedipus rex by sophocleshistorical. Pdf sophocles antigone cambridge translations from greek.
In and of itself, oedipus at colonus is not a tragedy. In the play, oedipus was championed by his two daughters, ismene and antigone. Although a case can be made for 438 bc, antigone is generally believed to have been written and performed in or a little before 441 bc, making it the earliest one of sophocles three theban plays which include oedipus rex and oedipus at colonus, though the events it depicts place it last in the chronological. This ap literature teaching unit helps you teach antigone and at the same time prepare your students for the ap literature and. Antigone at the barbican was a 2015 filmedfortv version of a production at the barbican directed by ivo van hove. Sophocles lived about 2500 years before the present.
Theater and stage design began to develop in conjunction with these literary developments. Pdf downloads of all 1282 litcharts literature guides. These historical events are relevant because some of the. A brief history of drama plays have probably been around as long as humans could speak and had someone to listen to them. While these plays appear to form a trilogy, each is the sole surviving play from three separate trilogies nine plays in all, six of which are lost. Sophocles s antigone, the last stage in a series of works, was not directly catered to the situation of athens during that time estimated to be either 443 or 441bc. Approaching sophocles antigone professor heather vincent historical and political context when the playwright sophocles produced antigone in 441 bce, athens was near the height of its power. Sophoclean dramas typically focus on a few characters and highlight their determined natures and strong qualities which, eventually, lead them to tragedy. Sophocles read his play in court which so impressed the jurors that they ruled in favor of sophocles and awarded him damages. It is not known when oedipus rex was first performed, but the prominent theme of the infestation early in the play seems to suggest a date shortly after the plague that had devastated athens in 430, at the beginning of the peloponnesian war. Sophocless antigone, the last stage in a series of works, was not directly catered to the situation of athens during that time estimated to be either 443 or 441bc. Antigone summary from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Antigone, a greek tragedy by sophocles, is a play revolving around the rights of the individual, the love of family, and the gods laws vs. From the same hypothesis we also learn that the play was first performed during the archonship of micon 402.
Antigone background information flashcards quizlet. Top 10 tips for getting started with prezi video in your online classroom. Guards lead her away to be sealed up alive in a tomb. Antigone historical context of antigone antigone is the third play in sophocles theban trilogy. Sophocles is thought to have written over 100 plays, but only seven fully survive today. Creons son who loved his cousin antigone and planned to marry her. You will be expected to answer questions about it when you finish reading. Oedipus at colonus written in sophocles old age right before his death at approx 90 sophocles was born in 496 b. Oedipus the king oedipus at colonus antigone is unusual as it contains little. Tiresias, the blind prophet, warns creon that he is about to make a terrible mistake in killing antigone, and that he should not leave the body of polynices unburied. Oedipus trilogy background information historical background the athens sophocles knew was a small place a polis, one of the selfgoverning citystates on the greek peninsula but it held within it the emerging life of democracy, philosophy, and theater. Free study guideoedipus rex by sophocles historical contextfree booknotes chapter free summary plot synopsis essay book report study guide downloadable notes. It was the second of sophocles three theban plays to be produced, but it comes first in the internal chronology followed by oedipus at colonus and then antigone. While these plays appear to form a trilogy, each is the sole surviving play from three separate trilogies nine plays in.
He wrote 123 plays, but only seven of them have survived to the present. He was born around 496 bc in athens or, more precisely, in a. The antigone is an ancient greek tragedy, written and performed in a specific cultural and historical context in classical athens. Oedipus rex is a tragedy by the ancient greek playwright sophocles, first performed in about 429 bce. Historical context athens sophocles s antigone, the last stage in a series of works, was not directly catered to the situation of athens during that time estimated to be either 443 or 441bc. A free powerpoint ppt presentation displayed as a flash slide show on id. Oedipus, the king, oedipus at colonus, and antigone, are based on the old greek legends about oedipus and his family. Preparing to read antigone the cultural and political influence of ancient greece extended throughout the mediterranean and into central asia. The other two plays are oedipus rex oedipus the king and oedipus at colonus. Socrates, plato, and aristotle wrote and taught in athens, and their ideas gave birth to western philosophy. Antigone is aimed primarily at alevel and undergraduate students in the uk, and college students in north america. Get all the key plot points of sophocles s antigone on one page. This is our monkeynotes downloadable and printable book summarybooknotessynopsis for antigone by sophocles in pdf format. Antigone an english version by dudley fitts and robert fitzgerald person represented antigone ismene eurydice creon haimon teiresias a sentry a messenger chorus scene.
A concise biography of sophocles plus historical and literary context for antigone. His ridiculously famous play, oedipus the king, is often said to be the best example of ancient athenian tragedy, and its still performed all the time around the world. Background notes on antigone pronounced antihgoknee the history of greek theater drama grew out of ancient celebrations bacchanalians honoring dionysus bacchus, god of wine and fertility. Sophocles was selected to be one of nine generals in that campaign. Many people choose to read the plays of the oedipus trilogy in the chronological order of the story oedipus the king, oedipus at colonus, antigone while others prefer the order in which sophocles wrote them antigone, oedipus the king, oedipus at colonus. Name two of sophocles s 7 famous plays besides antigone.
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