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Antigone- Parados (Opening Song)

The brothers Polyneices and Eteocles killed one another in a battle for control over the city of Thebes. Creon now rules the city, and he has ordered that Polyneices, who brought a foreign army against Thebes, would not be buried. In the Prologue we saw Ismene and Antigone (sisters of Eteocles and Polyneices) discussing Creon’s decree. Antigone expressed her intention to go against the decree and to bury her brother; Ismene said she would be too afraid to do anything other than obey the decree. The Prologue is followed by a parados, or opening song, sung by the chorus. In this parados, the chorus uses highly poetic language to describe the battle and to denounce Polyneices.

1. What martial (war-related) terms does the chorus use in reference to the sun (see lines 1-7)?

2. In lines 8-13, the choragus (chorus leader) refers to Antigone’s brother, Polyneices. To what wild bird does the choragus compare Polyneices? How do we know that this comparison is not meant to be complimentary to Polyneices?

3. What words does the chorus use in lines 14-20 that demonstrate the chorus’s belief that Polyneices was hungry for bloodshed?

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4. In lines 19-20, Thebes is compared to what animal?

5. In line 21, the choragus states that God was against Polyneices. Polyneices is described as “braying.” What animal brays? God, on the other hand, is compared to what natural force (line 25)?

6. According to the chorus in lines 26-31, what happened to Polyneices?

7. What positive words does the chorus use in lines 39-43 to summarize the happy outcome of the battle?