Sophocles' Trilogy
Oedipus the King
Oedipus at Colonus
Antigone
The three plays of Sophocles' trilogy can be studied together or individually. Each is complete in itself, and ancient audiences knew the rough outlines of the plot from long oral traditions that preceded formal theatrical productions of these stories.
Antigone flowed first from Sophocles’ hand and was seen first by ancient audiences, but it comes last in the lives of the characters, wrapping up the final disasters of their histories.
The first play in the characters’ lives is Oedipus the King, which is the story of a man unwittingly moving ever closer to the unhappy fate he is struggling mightily to avoid. The story line continues in Oedipus at Colonus,
In the second play of the trilogy, Oedipus is exiled from Thebes. After years of wandering with his daughter Antigone, Oedipus arrives at a grove in Colonus, a village near Athens. In the meantime, Oedipus' sons -- each claiming the right to the throne of Thebes -- prepare to go to war. Eteocles, the younger son, supported by Creon, takes over the throne. He and his brother Polynices were supposed to share it six months at a time. Once in power, Eteocles does not wish to give it up. Polynices gathers an army to attack Thebes.
Assisted by six chieftains, Polynices attempts to invade Thebes. The seven men lead attacks against each of the seven gates of Thebes; Eteocles defends the gate attacked by Polynices. The two brothers die at each other's hands. Then, the Theban army finally beats back the attack.
The final tragedy of the family cycle will unwind in Antigone, when their doomed sister meets her own fate.
Antigone, the play that wraps together the final events of these characters’ sad lives, begins in Thebes. After her father’s death, Antigone has returned to the royal palace where she was raised. Her family’s tragedies have been compounded by her brothers Eteocles and Polynices, who have killed each other in war.
Antigone flowed first from Sophocles’ hand and was seen first by ancient audiences, but it comes last in the lives of the characters, wrapping up the final disasters of their histories.
The first play in the characters’ lives is Oedipus the King, which is the story of a man unwittingly moving ever closer to the unhappy fate he is struggling mightily to avoid. The story line continues in Oedipus at Colonus,
In the second play of the trilogy, Oedipus is exiled from Thebes. After years of wandering with his daughter Antigone, Oedipus arrives at a grove in Colonus, a village near Athens. In the meantime, Oedipus' sons -- each claiming the right to the throne of Thebes -- prepare to go to war. Eteocles, the younger son, supported by Creon, takes over the throne. He and his brother Polynices were supposed to share it six months at a time. Once in power, Eteocles does not wish to give it up. Polynices gathers an army to attack Thebes.
Assisted by six chieftains, Polynices attempts to invade Thebes. The seven men lead attacks against each of the seven gates of Thebes; Eteocles defends the gate attacked by Polynices. The two brothers die at each other's hands. Then, the Theban army finally beats back the attack.
The final tragedy of the family cycle will unwind in Antigone, when their doomed sister meets her own fate.
Antigone, the play that wraps together the final events of these characters’ sad lives, begins in Thebes. After her father’s death, Antigone has returned to the royal palace where she was raised. Her family’s tragedies have been compounded by her brothers Eteocles and Polynices, who have killed each other in war.
|
|
|
Antigone by Sophocles | |
File Size: | 339 kb |
File Type: |
Double-entry Note Taking System
Double-entry note-taking systems are useful because they
• remind you that reading comprehension is created in a transaction between the text and the
reader, by designating a place for each;
• allow you to make questions, connections, and reactions to the text explicit, giving you a voice in
that transaction; and/or
• create a place to review and to revise your reading of the text later.
You can create a quick double-entry note-taking system on any sheet of paper.
First, record what you are reading across the top of the page -- author, title, pages. Then, draw a line down the center of the page to create two columns. One column is for the text, and the other is for you.
In the left-hand column, take notes that try to capture what the author is saying. On this side of the page, you may have an outline, summaries, short paraphrases, or direct quotations (remember to use quotation marks and line numbers)
In your own column, take notes that capture your own thinking as you read. On this side of the page, you may have questions, reactions, connections with other reading or with course material, personal examples, even arguments. This is the side of the page that allows your voice to join the conversation.
• remind you that reading comprehension is created in a transaction between the text and the
reader, by designating a place for each;
• allow you to make questions, connections, and reactions to the text explicit, giving you a voice in
that transaction; and/or
• create a place to review and to revise your reading of the text later.
You can create a quick double-entry note-taking system on any sheet of paper.
First, record what you are reading across the top of the page -- author, title, pages. Then, draw a line down the center of the page to create two columns. One column is for the text, and the other is for you.
In the left-hand column, take notes that try to capture what the author is saying. On this side of the page, you may have an outline, summaries, short paraphrases, or direct quotations (remember to use quotation marks and line numbers)
In your own column, take notes that capture your own thinking as you read. On this side of the page, you may have questions, reactions, connections with other reading or with course material, personal examples, even arguments. This is the side of the page that allows your voice to join the conversation.