Sophocles' Antigone

• Prologue (lines 1-98): Ismene fails to persuade Antigone not to bury Polyneices
• parodos (100-161): Chorus of old men rejoices that Thebes has driven back the Seven and their armies
• 1st episode (162-331):

1. 162-222: Creon announces his decree that Polyneices is not to be buried
2. 223-331: Guard reports that Polyneices has been buried

• 1st stasimon (332-384): Chorus sings about how marvellous man is
• 2nd episode (385-581)

1. 385-440: Guard returns with Antigone and reports how he caught her reburying Polyneices
2. 441-525: agon: Creon and Antigone argue
3. 526-581: Ismene seeks to be punished with Antigone

• 2nd stasimon (582-630): Chorus mourns for the house of Labdacus
• 3rd episode (631-780): Creon refuses to listen to Haemon's appeal that he spare Antigone
• 3rd stasimon (781-804): Chorus sings of the power of love
• 4th episode (805-943):

1. 805-881: kommos: with Chorus, Antigone bemoans her fate
2. 882-943: Antigone justifies her actions, but Creon has her led away to be buried alive

• 4th stasimon (946-984): Chorus sings of mythological parallels to Antigone's fate
• 5th episode (985-1117):

1. 985-1090: Creon refuses to listen as Tiresias warns him about Polyneices and Antigone
2. 1091-1117: Creon changes his mind and decides to bury Polyneices and free Antigone
3. 5th stasimon (1118-1151): Chorus prays to Dionysus for help

• 6th episode (1152-1255): Messenger reports deaths of Antigone and Haemon to Eurydice, who exits silently
• kommos (1256-1274): Creon returns with corpse of Haemon and mourns with Chorus
• epilogue (1275-end) Creon learns of suicide of Eurydice and mourns

Things to think about as you read this play

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