Antigone

Students read Antigone, their first exposure to the genre of Greek tragedy, and explore the conflict between loyalty to family and to country that is relevant throughout time.

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ELA

Unit 9

10th Grade

This unit has been archived. To view our updated curriculum, visit our 10th Grade English course.

Unit Summary


This short unit focuses on Sophocles' classic play Antigone, providing students with exposure to the genre of ancient Greek tragedy. The play follows the story of Antigone, a strong female protagonist who is the daughter of Oedipus and his mother, Jocasta. Short in length but dense in words and difficult syntax, it offers students a challenging two weeks. The plot and themes of the play are both accessible and relatable to modern students, as conflicts between loyalty to family and loyalty to country are relevant throughout time and across cultures. 

At Match, students have a Composition class 4 days per week in addition to English class. Below, we have included Supplementary Composition Projects to reflect the material covered in our Composition course. For teachers who are interested in including these Composition projects but do not have a separate Composition course, we have included a “Suggested Placement” to note where these projects would most logically fit into the English unit. While the Composition projects may occasionally include content unrelated to English 10, most have both a skill and content connection to the work students are doing in their English 10 class.

In these parallel Composition projects, students will write one short narrative and then focus their time crafting an effective literary analysis essay in which they take a stand and defend it. Because this English unit is brief, there are only two Composition projects and the suggested writing focus areas are the same as they were in earlier units. If time allows, the teacher may certainly include other writing projects and/or writing focus areas that respond to students’ interests and/or writing development needs.

Texts and Materials


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Core Materials

  • Play: Antigone by Sophocles (Dover Publications, 1993)

Supporting Materials

Assessment


This assessment accompanies Unit 9 and should be given on the suggested assessment day or after completing the unit.

Unit Prep


Intellectual Prep

  • Read and annotate Sophocles’s play Antigone.
  • Read and annotate this unit plan. 
  • Decide which Greek myth allusions your students will need to be familiar with to get the most out of the unit. Reread those myths in preparation. 
  • Take the unit assessment.

Essential Questions

  • Loyalty: To which do we owe our ultimate loyalty—our family or our laws?
  • Power: How does power corrupt?

Writing Focus Areas

English Lessons Writing Focus Areas

  • Clear and relevant thesis
  • Embedded/layered evidence
  • Explanations

In this short unit, students will focus mainly on reading and analyzing the play. Written responses will mostly be short target tasks, with the exception of the essay students will write for the end-of-unit exam. Many of the target task responses, as well as the exam essay, are focused on producing a written analysis of theme development.

Composition Projects Writing Focus Areas

Below are the writing focus areas that are recommended for the projects described in this unit. Each focus area comes from a particular row and column of our Composition Writing Rubric, and more detail about each area of focus is provided in the description of the specific writing project. The teacher should feel free to substitute or revise these writing focus areas in order to meet his/her students where they are and help them improve their writing in ways that authentically address the students’ areas for growth.

  • Focus on Task: appropriate for task, purpose, and audience 
  • Diction: Includes precise language and vocabulary
  • Thesis: Includes a clear, relevant, and unique thesis statement
  • Analysis: Demonstrates clear and logical reasoning
  • Evidence: Draws relevant evidence to support position
  • Professional Revised: Adequate revisions

Vocabulary

Literary Terms

allusion, tragedy, metaphor, personification, mood, tone

Roots and Affixes

frat- (fratricide) (8)

Text-based

loyalty (whole play), corruption (whole play), perceive (1), proclaim (1), tidings (1), grievous (1), unsepulchred (2), dainty (2), hither (2), abhorred (3), traverse (3), unapt (3), contend (4), detest (4), aureate (5), broil (5), quarrellous (5), eddy (6), resounded (6), twain (7), oblivion (7), divine (7), fratricide (8), vilest (8), promulgated (9), usurp (9), prerogative (9), connive (9), rue (10), induce (10), furrows (13), cunning (14), impiety (15), celestial (15), hapless (15), convict (16), stout (17), knavery (17), discernment (18), reverence (20), piety (20), inveterately (23), indignant (24), anarchy (26), concession (26), discretion (27), desecrate (28), erring (28), revile (29), galled (29), sojourner (31), dowered (31), lofty (32), threshold (32), transgressed (32), infatuate (32), lament (33), lavement (33), sepulchre (33), libations (33), heinous (34), destitute (34), precipitance (34), reviled (36), defied (36)

Idioms and Cultural References

Greek chorus, Oedipus (3), Thebes, King Creon, Tantalus (31), catacomb (33), Danae, Perseus (35), Three Fates (35)

Content Knowledge and Connections

Some knowledge of ancient Greece and Greek myths will help students access this play more fully.

Previous Fishtank ELA Connections

  • Students have tackled Shakespearian tragedy in 9th Grade ELA - Romeo and Juliet and in tenth grade with Macbeth. This drama will provide students with another exposure to both tragedy and antiquated language.

Future Fishtank ELA Connections

  • In 11th Grade ELA - Short Fiction: A Study of Genre, students will read Oedipus Rex, where they will learn the backstory of Antigone’s doomed father. Additionally, students will apply their knowledge of Greek tragedy as a genre to their reading of Oedipus Rex.

Common Core Standards


Core Standards

L.9-10.3
L.9-10.4
L.9-10.6
RL.9-10.1
RL.9-10.2
RL.9-10.3
RL.9-10.9
SL.9-10.1
W.9-10.1
W.9-10.1.a
W.9-10.1.b
W.9-10.3
W.9-10.3.a
W.9-10.4
W.9-10.5
W.9-10.6
W.9-10.9
W.9-10.9.a
W.9-10.9.b
W.9-10.10

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