Necessary Background for Antigone A Little Bit About Greece Government: City-states polis each was its own government and political institutions; would band together against a common enemy but disliked each other otherwise Includes Argo, Thebes, Athens, Sparta etc. Religion: Major gods: Zeus, Hera, Hades, Poseidon etc Gods had human vices but still controlled aspects of life from the skies to things like love Marriage: Arranged by relatives focus to produce heirs A Little Bit of Greece cont. Burial Practices: Women performed the ritualsthree parts including laying out the body, the funeral procession, and interment or cremation Without a proper burial, the persons ghost ( psyche ) would never reach the underworld Role of women Not equal to men subjected to father then husband OR brother; includes ideas of intelligence Lead the funeral rites Purpose was to run the household and have children A Little Bit of Greece cont. Belief in Fate: Destiny is determined by the gods Fate is unavoidable However, a persons tragic fate cannot be avoided and can often be self-fulfilled Meaningif they tried to avoid their destiny, the very act of avoiding it will mean that it is fulfilled Oedipus Rex Father of Antigone, Ismene, Polyneices, and Eteocles Was fated from birth to kill his father, Laius, and marry his mother, Jocasta (this creates your dramatic irony) Laius threw him out at birth & Oedipus was raised by King Polybus of Corinth Once Oedipus learns of his fate, he leaves Corinth BUT kills Laius on the road to Thebes He then solves the riddle of the Sphinx and marries Jocasta and gains the throne of Thebes Oedipus Rex cont. Much later, there is plague in Thebes that is caused by the murderer of Laius going unpunished A prophet, Tiersias, reveals to Oedipus that he was the murderer, but no one believes him until Oedipus starts putting together pieces like the crossroads More pieces come together like the shepherd who saved him as a baby and gave him to Polybus; Laius was killed by one man Oedipus curses fate & himself this same curse continues with his family Jocasta kills herself & Oedipus blinds himself He begs to be exiled as punishment Drama Terms (1) Scene A collection of lines that make up one part of a play Act A collection of scenes Exposition Background informationsometimes assumed but often provided in the beginning Drama Terms (2) Setting The place where the story takes place Stage Direction The poses, positions, and actions of characters that are not seen in the lines Prologue A scene that provides necessary exposition Chorus/Choragos The group of people who help to move the action along through providing philosophical details; sometimes a minor character Drama Terms (3) CConflict TThe issues within a work; internal (man vs. self) or external (man vs. man; man vs. nature; man vs. society) SSoliloquy AA monologue said alone on stage with only the audience to hear AAside AA comment said quietly to the audience or another character that the majority of the cast does not hear; causes dramatic irony DDialogue CConversation between several characters while on stage Drama Term (4) PProtagonist TThe main character of a larger work AAntagonist TThe opposite character who causes conflict with the protagonist FFoil AA character (usually minor) who helps to highlight traits of the protagonist; can be used to either highlight the flaws or good characteristics of the protagonist DDramatic irony WWhere the audience knows information or details that the characters do not know Drama Terms (5) Tragedy A story whose conflict ends in death, destruction, and removal of the cause of disorder Tragic hero The protagonist of the story who finds defeat through one tragic flaw Tragic flaw (hamartia) The character trait that causes the downfall of the tragic hero Main Questions We Will be Pursuing Are there laws that should be broken if they stand in the way of justice? Which is more important, obeying earthly laws or higher order laws? What makes something morally correct? When is it appropriate to break the law? How does fate/destiny play into the decisions and choices we make as humans?