Antigone

Lesson 6
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ELA

Unit 9

10th Grade

Lesson 6 of 10

Objective


Analyze Antigone’s use of figurative language.

Interpret the purpose of the Chorus’s allusions.

Readings and Materials


  • Play: Antigone by Sophocles  pp. 30 – 37

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Target Task


Writing Prompt

Provide an analysis of Antigone’s use of figurative language to describe Death. Defend your answer with specific textual evidence.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best describes Antigone’s tone on pp. 34–35?

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Which piece of evidence best proves the above?

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Writing Prompt

Based on the stories alluded to by the Chorus, what is Sophocles’s message about fate? Use specific textual evidence. 

Key Questions


  • What is Antigone saying about Death? What type of figurative language is she using on p. 30?
  • Who will Antigone “wed?” p. 30
  • Why does Antigone allude to Niobe and Sipylus? p. 31
  • Why does Antigone allude to Oedipus on p. 32?
  • Why is Antigone saddened? p. 33
  • What does Antigone compare her grave to? p. 33
  • Why does Antigone allude to Persephone? p. 33
  • What is Antigone’s “reward”? p. 33
  • How does Antigone describe her brother? p. 34
  • What is Antigone’s tone on pp. 34–35 as she exits?

Chorus Close Read of p. 35:

  • Where was Danae?
  • Who did she give birth to?
  • How did she get pregnant? 
  • Why does the Chorus allude to the Fates? 
  • Why does the Chorus allude to the tale of Danae here?
  • What did Dryas’ son do? p. 35
  • What was his punishment? p. 36
  • What happened to the “Phineid pair?” 
  • Based on the last two lines, what is the Chorus’s overall purpose in these paragraphs?

Notes


  • Teacher may want to review allusions and/or provide students with copies of the myths of:
    • Danae
    • Lycurgus
    • The sons of Phineus
  • There are also references to:
    • Dionysus
    • The Muses
    • The Three Fates
  • Allot some time for a close reading of the lines of the Chorus on p. 35.
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