Sophocles

•One of three Greek tragic playwrights•Born in 496 B.C.

•Lived to be 90 years old•Wrote over 100 plays, of which only 7 remain

•Considered a master of Greek tragedy •Wrote during a time called the “Golden Age” in ancient Greece

Greek Tragedy

• Involves the downfall of a hero, usually ending in his destruction or death

• Involves intense emotions that leads to release or catharsis

Tragic Hero

• Noble birth or status, or rises to greatness

• Suffering of the character is meaningful• Has a fatal flaw that leads to downfall.• Hamartia = an ingrained character trait

that causes the hero to make decisions that lead to death or downfall.

Greek Theater

• All actors were men• They wore masks

• The audience knew the story ahead of time . The emotion of the characters is what they came to see.

Plays were performed in outdoor amphitheaters that could seat 40,000

Masks

• The playing of multiple roles, both male and female, was made possible by the use of masks

• The masks also helped the audience identify the sex, age, and social rank of the characters.

The Chorus

About the Chorus

• A group of actors who move and sing together

• Act as one character• Set the mood, summarize the

action, represent a point of view, and warn of danger

Antigone

Antigone

• Antigone is a complete play, but is part of a series of 3 plays written by Sophocles

• Oedipus Rex & Oedipus at Colonus

• Each play deals with Oedipus and his family from one generation to the next

Plot Summary

The curse begins with a prophecy to the king and queen of Thebes that their son, Oedipus, will kill his father and marry his own mother. He was supposed to have been killed by a servant, but was spared. He was eventually raised by the king and queen of Corinth, not knowing his birth parents.

Prophecy Fulfilled…

He later does kill his real father and wins the hand of Jocasta, the widowed queen, thus fulfilling the prophecy by marrying his mother. They have four children together. When Jocasta finds out the truth she hangs herself. When Oedipus finds out the truth he stabs out his eyes and exiles himself.

Background for Antigone

Oedipus orders that both his sons take turns being king. However Etocles, the first to reign refuses to step down. Polynieces, his brother, attacks the city and his brother. They kill each other in battle. Etocles is buried properly, but Polynieces, who attacked the city, is ordered to be left unburied, which according to Greek beliefs means his soul will never rest.

Antigone

Antigone, their sister, sees it as her duty to the gods to go against the law and bury her brother. Thus begins the play…..

But First a note about “caning…”

Torture or Justice?

Now complete your graphic organizer!