Antigone

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Typical Structure of a Tragedy--Scroll down to the Tragic Situation
1. List and define the five elements that make up the structure of a Greek tragedy.

Structure of the Greek Theatre
1. What was the orchestra?
2.  What was the theatron?
3.  What was the parados?
4.  What was the skene?
5.  Draw a picture of a Greek theatre.
6.  What did it look like when you went to an ancient Greek play?

Greek Drama Terms
1.  Define the following terms associated with Greek drama:
    prologue
    strophe
    antistrophe

More Greek Drama Terms
1.  Define the following terms associated with Greek drama:
    chorus
    catharsis
    hamartia
    hubris

Sophocles
1.  Who was Sophocles?
2.  When did he live?
3.  What is he famous for?
4.  Name two ways he changed Greek theatre.
5.  Name two of his plays.
6.  What kind of plays did he write?

    What kind of leader is Creon?  Your assignment is to make a campaign advertisement that you would see in a Greek newspaper or magazine either in support of or against Creon (depending on what side you were assigned to).  Use his speech on pages 700-701 to present Creon's strengths and weaknesses.

    On the back of the poster, write a persuasive paragraph.  The paragraph should be a mini speech, referring to what Creon would say if he were elected ruler.  Again, base this on what happens in Scene 1.  We will have a political debate in class as well as a class election to determine whether or not Creon should be elected.

    In the 1940's the Nazis were put on trial for their actions in the Holocaust.  They were tried for the war crimes and acts they committed against civilians.  Their defense, known now as the Nuremberg defense, consisted of the idea that a person is obligated by the loyalty of his or her country, even when ordered to violate moral codes.  Thus, they believed Hitler made them act the way they did, and they committed the crimes they did because they believed they needed to be loyal to their country.

    To read  more about the Nuremberg Trials consider the following web sites:
        1.  The Nuremberg Trials
        2.  Photographs from the Nuremberg Trials

     We will put Antigone on trial.  She has committed an act of treason, betraying her own country to do what is moral.  She has gone against the principle known as the Nuremberg defense.  Creon, on the other hand, has upheld the law.  He has made a choice based on the good of his country.

    Your question will be whether or not Antigone is innocent or guilty based on her decision to bury Polyneices. Even if she has committed an act of treason, can she still be innocent?  If she is guilty, what should be her punishment?  You will have to trace through the entire play to determine your answer in our trial proceedings.

Click here for Mock Trial Roles.

Steps in the Trial
1.  The Opening of the Court--The clerk of the court opens the court by announcing that the court is ready to begin.  He or she also introduces the judge.

2.  Swearing in the Jury--The judge asks the jurors to take their seats.  He or she then announces the case, asking them to swear or affirm that they will act fairly in listening to the case.  The judge also reads aloud some instructions about the case.  The judge then asks the attorneys to introduce themselves.

3.  Opening Statement of the Prosecuting Attorney--This lawyer (Click here for guide to objections for lawyers) begins by telling the jury the important information about the case.  This includes the parties in the case and the facts that led to the lawsuit.  The prosecuting attorney presents an overview of the complaining party's version of the case to the judge and jury.  You, therefore, are Creon's lawyer.

4.  Opening Statement of the Defense Attorney--This lawyer (Click here for guide to objections for lawyers)  begins by stating his or her name and the defendant's name.  The jury is told that he or she will try to prove that the plaintiff's attorney or the prosecutor does not have a valid case.  The defense attorney then presents an overview of the defendant's side of the case to the judge and the jury.

5.  The Prosecutor's Direct Examination of Their Witnesses--The prosecuting attorney calls the witnesses for their side one at a time to the front of the room.  The clerk of the court asks each witness, "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"  The attorney then asks questions of the witness.  The questions are based on facts the witness has to offer.

6.  The Defense's cross-examination of the Prosecutor's Witnesses--During cross-examination, an attorney tries to get the other side's witnesses to admit something that will help his or her client.  The attorney may also try to show that a witness is not dependable.

7.  The Defense's Examination of Their Witnesses--The defense attorney calls the witnesses for their side one at a time to the front of the room.  The clerk of the court asks each witness to swear to tell the truth.  The attorney then asks questions of the witness.  The questions are based on the facts the witness has to offer.

8.  The Prosecuting Attorney's cross-examination of the Defense's Witnesses--During cross-examination, the attorney tries to get the other side's witnesses to admit something that will help his or her client.

9.  Closing Argument--Each attorney sums up the main points that help his or her client's case.  The prosecuting attorney is the first to present the main points.  The defense attorney then makes an argument.  Finally, the prosecuting attorney has a chance to react to the defense attorney's comments.

10.  The Judge's Instructions to the Jury--The judge explains to the jury what the principles of law are in the case.  He or she asks the jury to make a fair decision about the case.  Click here to read the judge's instructions to the jury.

11.  Jury Deliberations and Verdict--The jury talks about and makes a decision in the case.  Once the jury makes a decision, it reports back to the courtroom and the judge announces the verdict.
 
 

    You are the sole judges of the credibility of the witnesses.  You alone are to determine whether to believe any witnesses.  If there is any conflict in testimony, it is your function to resolve the conflict and determine where the truth lies.  If you believe that any witness has shown himself to be biased or prejudiced, either for or against either side in this trial, you may consider whether such a bias has affected the ability of that witness to tell the truth.

    After deciding the matters of the case, you are instructed to write down you opinion of the case.  Then, under the guidance of the foreman, you will discuss your verdict and come up with a consensus for the fate of Antigone.  Perform your duties faithfully, truly, and without prejudice.  You may now retire to deliberate.

Leading the Witness:  Trying to get the opposing lawyer's attorney to say something (usually something that he would not mean to say).

Badgering the Witness:  making fun of or harassing the witness.

Relevance:  question has no bearing on the trial

Argumentative:  Attorney is fighting back with his questions, as opposed to probing for information from the witness.

Asked and Answered:  Attorney is restating a question that has already been answered in order to emphasize an important point.

Calls for a Conclusion:  the job of the witness is to present facts, the attorney cannot ask them to draw a conclusion (such as "the car was driving too fast" as opposed to "the car was driving about 40 miles per hour).

Speculation:  the attorney is asking the witness to make a guess.

Hearsay:  the witness is repeating second-hand information, which cannot be tested by the court.

Counsel is giving his / her personal opinion: statements expressing the lawyer's personal beliefs are forbidden.  They may not comment on evidence, arguments, etc.

Click here for information on opening and closing statements, court proceedings, etc.

    In his observance of Greek drama, particularly the works of Sophocles, Aristotle defined the function of tragedy as arousing pity and fear in the audience so that they may be cleansed of these unsettling emotions.  According to Aristotle, a tragedy can arouse these emotions only if it presents a certain type of hero or heroine who is neither completely good nor completely bad, and who is brought down by an inborn weakness rather than a conscious decision to do evil.  This hero is called the tragic hero.  All tragic heroes have tragic flaws--a weakness such as destructive pride, ruthless ambition, or obsessive jealousy.

    Who is the tragic hero in Antigone?    Creon or Antigone?  What is his or her tragic flaw?  Choose one character and write a two page paper presenting your views.  Consider the conflict that the particular character goes through:  person versus self; person versus person, or person versus society.  Support your opinion with details and specific examples from the play, including the conflict that the character experiences.  You will also support your opinion with specific primary sources regarding what a tragic hero is.  Your paper should have a thesis statement in your introduction that directly states your point.  You may want to consider the chart below while making your decision as to who is the tragic hero:
 
 

Characteristic of Tragic  Hero	Antigone	Creon
Not all good or bad?	Yes or No	Yes or No
Downfall caused by tragic flaw?	Yes or No	Yes or No
Suffers most?	Yes or No	Yes or No
Arouses our pity and fear?	Yes or No	Yes or No
Recognizes his or her own error?	Yes or No	Yes or No

    Instead of writing a large research paper this year, you will complete several smaller research assignments.  This assignment, based on your reading of Antigone, will enable you to analyze a text in reference to other primary sources.  We will be completing this assignment in steps.  Use the MLA references below for citing sources, parenthetical citation, writing an outline, the works cited, research paper format, etc.

MLA References
The MLA Guide to Writing a Research Paper
    Everything you would want to know about research paper writing.

The Format of the Paper
    Page numbers, MLA headings, spacing, etc.

Citing Sources in Your Paper
    How to use parenthetical citation in your paper.

Using Quotations in Your Paper
    How to quote references directly in your paper.

The Works Cited Page
    A Sample Works Cited Page

How Do I Cite That?
    Mrs. Pace's and MLA's Guide to Citing Sources

When incorporating a line from the play into your own sentence:
    Antigone rejects Ismene's attempt to share the blame by telling Ismene that she will not "lessen [her] death by sharing it" (Sophocles Scene 2 139).

    Use [brackets] whenever you change words of the original text to fit in with your sentence (the original said "my death" which sounded strange when talking about Antigone in third person).  Include the author's name and page number where a quotation is found in parentheses.  In this case, the scene number and line number provide much more accurate information so they are included instead of the page number.

When quoting more than one line of the play:
    Teiresias warns Creon, "Then take this, and take it to heart! / The time is not far off when you shall pay back / Corpse for corpse, flesh of your own flesh" (Sophocles Scene 5 70-72).

    Use a forward slash (with a space on either side) to divide lines of a play, poem, or song.

When emphasizing a special quotation or quoting more than four lines of your research paper text:
    Therefore, Ode 3 reveals what is really motivating the tragic events of Antigone:
                        Love, unconquerable
                        Waster of rich men, keeper
                        Of warm lights and all-night vigil
                        In the soft face of a girl:
                        Sea wanderer, forest visitor!  (Sophocles Ode 3 1-5)

    The entire section is indented and no quotation marks are necessary.
 

Tragic Hero References  (Besides the work, Antigone, you must also use these resources).

Characteristics of a tragic hero
    Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero

The Basics of Tragedy
    A definition of tragedy and the tragic hero

Aristotle on Tragedy
    The Nature of Tragedy According to Aristotle
 

The Outline
    Your outline should be written in a format similar to the one below.  When completing an outline, in order to have an "A," you must have a "B."  Your outline should be written in parallel structure, meaning if you write it in complete sentences, ALL of the outline must be written in sentences.  If you write it in nouns, ALL of the outline must be in noun format, etc.

THESIS STATEMENT:  In Sophocles' play, Antigone, Creon is the tragic hero due to the way he arouses pity and fear in the audience, his tragic flaw, and his suffering.

INTRODUCTION

I.  A tragic hero

    A.  Definition according to Aristotle

    B.  Characteristics of a tragic hero

II.  Creon as a tragic hero

    A.  Arousal of pity and fear

    B.  Creon's tragic flaw

    C.  Creon's suffering

CONCLUSION

FORMAT (10 points)
_____Title is appropriate and catches the reader's attention
_____Organization of the paper is clear and logical / An outline is included with your paper
_____Manuscript form (margins, page numbers, introductory and concluding paragraphs)
_____Meets page requirement (2 pages)

DOCUMENTATION (30 points)
_____Parenthetical notation is correct
_____Appropriate material is documented (quotes and paraphrasing)
_____At least THREE sources are documented (one book / print source, one computer source,    one additional source)
_____Works Cited page is correctly formatted.
_____Research is a balance between the sources.

CONTENT (50 points)
_____The introduction is well-written and interesting
_____The main points to be discussed in the paper are introduced
_____The thesis statement is clear in the introductory paragraph, stating the topic and approach to the topic
_____No quotations in the thesis statement or topic sentences of each paragraph.
_____There are at least three reasons in support of your argument, each developed into a separate paragraph.
_____Each paragraph is contained within a topic sentence and concluding sentence
_____There is in-depth analysis of each specific example to show the relationship between the example and the main point
_____Transitions are used to make the paper flow.
_____You use active, dynamic verbs
_____Body paragraphs demonstrate a thorough discussion of the main points
_____Body paragraphs have the writers Voice mixed with research
_____Quotations are included and properly embedded or incorporated in sentences
_____Conclusion is effective and calls the reader to action.

GRAMMAR / MECHANICS (10 points)
_____Sentence variety adds to the overall effectiveness of the paper
_____Vocabulary is on or above grade level and used correctly
_____Voice is appropriate to a formal essay
_____Grammar is correct or there are fewer than three mistakes
_____There are no fragmented or run-on sentences
_____Parallel structure is correct and clear
_____Correct spelling throughout