Antigone

How is Creon “one of the most persuasive dictators portrayed on stage” (10)? What is the significance of this, considering the historical context in which it was written and performed?

All throughout the play, the characters describe things based on fate. Then, at the end, the Chorus directly challenges Creon and tells him not to kill Antigone. How is Anouilh playing with the original form of Greek tragedy here, and what might be the reason behind the sudden switch from characters being driven by fate to characters having agency?

How did Anouilh use anachronism to help make Antigone more applicable to 20th-century French audiences? How might a modern playwright adapt the play for audiences today?

Describe the arc of Antigone and Haemon’s relationship. How do the two of them grow throughout the play as separate people, and as a couple? How do they defy gender roles and the expectations placed upon them?

How does Antigone’s relationship to femininity evolve over the course of the play? What role does femininity play in her character arc more generally?

Consider the metaphor of the sinking ship that Creon uses in his debate with Antigone. How does the ship metaphor relate to notions of authority and obedience? How does it illustrate Creon’s conception of power?

Why do you think Ismene decides to help bury Polynices at the end of the play, after it is too late? What point might Anouilh be trying to make in this scene?

What is the significance of Eurydice’s death at the end of the play?