Antigone by Sophocles (Book Analysis) E-Book

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• Herausgeber: BrightSummaries.com
• Kategorie: Bildung
• Serie: BrightSummaries.com
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 20

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016

Beschreibung

Unlock the more straightforward side of Antigone with this concise and insightful summary and analysis!

This engaging summary presents an analysis of Antigone by Sophocles , a Greek tragedy centred on Oedipus’ sister/daughter, Antigone, who rebels against the new ruler of Thebes. A timeless classic, Antigone is an unmissable tragedy filled with death, ancient mythology and a fight for power. Although little is known about Sophocles' life, his plays are famous around the world thanks to their dramatic and often tragic storylines.

Find out everything you need to know about Antigone in a fraction of the time!

This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you:
• A complete plot summary
• Character studies
• Key themes and symbols
• Questions for further reflection

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Leseprobe

Sophocles

Greek playwright

Born in Athens in roughly 496 BCDied in Athens in roughly 406 BCNotable works:Antigone (roughly 442 BC), tragedyPhiloctetes (409 BV), tragedyOedipus at Colonus (401 JC - published posthumously), tragedy

Along with Aeschylus and Euripides, Sophocles is one of the most well-known tragedians of ancient Greece. He was born in roughly 496 BC and died in roughly 406 BC. During his lifetime, he wrote more than one hundred tragedies, only seven of which have been preserved until the present day. These tragedies include Oedipus the King and Antigone. Unlike his predecessor Aeschylus, Sophocles’ plays place less emphasis on the chorus (a group of performers who comment on the dramatic action through singing or speaking in unison), and focusses more on the hero’s inner thoughts and psyche. In Aristotle’s Poetics, Sophocles and his work is often cited as the ultimate model of Greek tragedy.

Antigone

The birth of the legend of Oedipus

Genre: play (tragedy)Reference edition: Sophocles [no date] Antigone. [online]. Trans. Fitz, D. and Fitzgerald, R. [Accessed 12 July 2016]. Available from: <https://mthoyibi.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/antigone_2.pdf>First edition: roughly 442 BCThemes: mythology, destiny, revolution, duality, love, power, death.

First performed around 442 BC, Antigone is without a doubt the most celebrated of all Greek tragedies. Throughout the ages it has remained relevant, often through reinterpretation and reinvention. Antigone is the last of Sophocles’ Theban plays, a cycle of three plays featuring Oedipus the King and Oedipus at Colonus. In Antigone, Sophocles’ writing shows an expectation that the audience have some prior knowledge of the story developed in the preceding plays.

The play revolves around Antigone, Oedipus’ daughter/sister, and the terrible fate which awaits her. With her brothers Eteocles and Polyneices having killed each other in a power struggle to rule Thebes, Creon has ruled that Polyneices will not be buried and lie dead on the battlefield. Antigone defies him and sanctifies Polyneices’ body with holy rites. Through various developments, she is eventually condemned to death for her actions, and therefore shows herself as the embodiment of dissidence in the face of the establishment.

Summary

Prologue