SOME QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

"It is impossible to know any man--

I mean his soul, intelligence, and judgment --

until he shows his skill in rule and law."

-- Creon

• How would you begin to frame Sophocles' Antigone within the context of a conversation about law, justice, crime, punishment and deviance in the Ancient Greek world?

• Compare and contrast Antigone's ideas about law, justice, crime and social obligation with those of her uncle Creon?  What most differentiates their assumptions?  How does each define the relationships between human laws and divine justice; between family ties and citizenship; and between male and female?  What strengths and problems do you see with their respective positions?

• To what extent is Antigone a "deviant" in the context of her own society?  A criminal?  How do you respond to Antigone's claim that she will do "holy things criminally?"

• To what extent is Creon a "deviant"?  A criminal?

• What messages about government and power are conveyed by Antigone?  Are there aspects here that could be described as "tragic?"

• What most connects us and what most separates us from the world of law and justice as represented by Sophocles and Antigone?

• How would you compare and contrast the role of the Chorus in Antigone to that of a jury?

• To what extent is this a play specifically about civil disobedience?  Should historians differentiate between political crimes, such as acts of civil disobedience, and other more typical forms of crime when studying the past?

• How might historians use this play as a primary source for studying Ancient Greek practices and beliefs about crime and punishment?  What challenges does the play present here?

• Is Sophocles' Antigone a good choice for a course on Historical Reactions to Criminal and Deviant Behaviour?  Why or why not?

SOME EXTRA SOURCES