Sophocles, Antigone

Melissa Mueller (University of Massachusetts Amherst)

Ed. by Jonathan Burgess, University of Toronto
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.1.1: Greek Writing and Culture: Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic and Imperial, -800--100.
Vol. editors: Jonathan Burgess (University of Toronto), Giacomo Fedeli (University of Exeter), Emily Kneebone (University of Nottingham), Vaios Liapis (Open University of Cyprus), Elodie Paillard (University of Sydney), Mali Skotheim (Ashoka University), Laura Swift (The Open University)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. -440

Places

Ancient Greece (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Play
Tragedy

Resources

First performed at the Great Dionysia in Athens in the early spring of 442 or 441 BCE, Sophocles’ Antigone revolves around the tragic clash of wills between Oedipus’ daughter Antigone and her uncle Creon, currently the king of Thebes. The action begins the morning after Oedipus’ sons Polynices and Eteocles have killed each other in combat. Polynices’ body lies on the battlefield, unwept, and unburied—carrion for the vultures. Polynices had led an army of Argive soldiers against his native city, hoping to reclaim the throne that Eteocles refused to cede. The two brothers had agreed to share the rule of Thebes (rotating on a yearly basis), but Eteocles changed his mind once he was in power. Yet it is Polynices, whose name …

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1903 words

Citation: Mueller, Melissa. "Antigone". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 09 August 2013 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=6558, accessed 21 November 2024.]

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