Position:Home>Books & Authors> Help reading Antigone?

I loved that book!
We re at a high status, high expectations school, and we are expected to know this stuff! The thing that best helps me, and my class is close reading!. Its when you mark in your book, or seperate paper every detail you can get out of it! Even the obviose, depending on how much you wanna know! You can typically understand things like shakespeare, and sophoclese by close reading!. For understanding the plot, you would want to summerize or paraphrase, what does !.!.!.!.!.!.musslin mean!? you would look it up, and it would be a low quality cotton rag, or something!. and lets use Hamlet as an example, i will do a less detailed close reading of this quote:

Hamlet: Ecstasy!
My pulse, as yours, doth temperatly keep time
And makes as healthful music, it is not
Madness that I have uttered; Bring me to
The test and I the matter will reword
What madness would gambol from!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.

Speaker- Hamlet, prince of denmark!.
Occasion- Hamlet has discovered a terrible truth about his uncle, and his fathers death!. His mother has remarried hamlets uncle, and his fathers killer!. she calls him carzy
Audience- Gertrude, Hamlets mother, Queen of denmark!.
Purpose- To warn his mother, to tell her what she isnt being told!. She is obliviouse and hamlet is trying to warn her!. She thinks he is crazy, and he is trying to convince her he isnt
Subject- Hamlets crazy rant about his fathers death!.
Tone- convincing, truthful, angry, loving, ect!.!.!.!.!.

Characters: Hamlet and Gertrude, discusing his uncle and father
Setting: Denmark, 1400's, Gertrudes closet!.
Style: Verse, Iambic Pentamiter, Dialogue, Play format, personification, simile, mretaphor, ect!.!.!.!.
Theme: Death, Sex, Trust, Anger, Vengence, Revenge, Loyalty, ect!.!.!.
Archetype: Protective son, Death of family, stealing throne, interfamily relationships, deceitful villian, dramatic conflict, ect!.!.!.
Plot: (see Occasion)

Ecstasy-drug, makes you act strangly, differently This is used as a simile to compare it to hamlets behavior
Pulse- blood pumping through body at different rates depending on mood, To show how they are both overantious, excited, fritened, ect!.!.!.!.
Temperatly keep time- perhaps to show both are at a similar fast rate, and are still alive, unlike the father!.
Healthful music: simile to show life in the two maybe!?
Not maddness I have uttered: This isnt crazy talk, this makes sence
Bring me to the test: Test = challenge, Give me the challenge
I the matter wil reword: I will phase it differently, in a way you can understand better
Maddness = being crazy
Gambol = skipping around outside, not gamle in las vegas!.
madness skipping around!? = perhaps to resemple, and personify maddness and how it is all over the place "intoxicating" everyone, just everywhere, theres maddness

paraphrase vaugly:

We both are getting alittle out of control!. Lets calm down, Now listen, This is not "Crazy Talk" This makes sence! Maybe I can phrase this differently, in a way that makes more sense to you! I can do it, i'm up for the challenge! I can make sense of all this crazyness!

So now you can understand what they are talking about!. You can skip some other steps sometime, but usually, you milk all the info out you can!. just do this for things you dont understand, maybe have a dictionary out!. we word sentences, define vocab, it will be easier to understand!


also, try getting a book with sparknotes, OR look up antigone on sparknotes!.com you should also know more about her family, get a summary of "Oedipus Rex, and Oedipus at Colonus" The end will make more sence to you too! also, I will email you this poem (if you are interested) my teacher wrote (she is a poet as well as a teacher) about ismene!.!.!.!.its really interesting! read the whole story first, and get that summary of the other booksWww@QuestionHome@Com

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Try this website for resources
http://www!.webenglishteacher!.com/sophocl!.!.!.

Be sure to read some background information on Oedipus (Antigone's father) and the fight between Polynieces and Eteocles (Antigone's brothers)!. Greeks would have know these stories, so Sophocles did not spend time reminding them!.

Next, get the characters straight!. Make a list of all the characters with a description of each (Creon - king, law not to bury Poly!., Ant!.'s uncle)!. Use this as your bookmark!.

Finally, if the names are driving you crazy, rename the characters!.
Antigone = Annie
Ismene = Izzy
Eteocles = Eddie
Polynieces = Paulie
Choragos = head old guy
Chorus = the rest of the old guys
Creon = Craig (if you need to)
Haimon = Hank
Eurydice = Queenie
Sentry = solider

Good luck!Www@QuestionHome@Com

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Freshman in college, or in high school!? If college, then ask for a rebate of the money back your parents paid in taxes to pay for your high school education!.

If high school, then just read the play!. It isn't that complicated!. Drama was meant for the average citizen to understand!. Once you've read it and are still confused, get out of Honors English!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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you can try Sparknotes and reading the summaries to better understand it!. here's the link!.!.

http://www!.sparknotes!.com/drama/antigone!.!.!.

but note that the summaries don't always have the same meaning as the real text does!.!.so try and understand the story straight from the text!. just read it slowly!.!.and it also helps if you read it aloud!. but use Sparknotes only if you really don't understand it!. hope this helps! (it's a good story by the way!)Www@QuestionHome@Com

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