Antigone by Sophocles (continued)

Antigone by Sophocles (continued)

Unit 9, Lesson 3

Multiple Choice

Read the excerpt. Then, choose the best answer. Use a dictionary or other resources as necessary.

CREON: Speak, girl, with head bent low and downcast eyes,Dost thou plead guilty or deny the deed?ANTIGONE: Guilty. I did it, I deny it not.CREON: (To GUARD)Sirrah, begone whither thou wilt, and thank5Thy luck that thou hast ‘scaped a heavy charge.(To ANTIGONE)Now answer this plain question, yes or no,Wast thou acquainted with the interdict?ANTIGONE: I knew, all knew; how should I fail to know?CREON: And yet wert bold enough to break the law?10ANTIGONE: Yea, for these laws were not ordained of Zeus,And she who sits enthroned with gods below,Justice, enacted not these human laws.Nor did I deem that thou, a mortal man,Could’st by a breath annul and override15The immutable unwritten laws of Heaven.They were not born today nor yesterday;They die not; and none knoweth whence they sprang.I was not like, who feared no mortal’s frown,To disobey these laws and so provoke20The wrath of Heaven. I knew that I must die,E’en hadst thou not proclaimed it; and if deathIs thereby hastened, I shall count it gain.For death is gain to him whose life, like mine,Is full of misery. Thus my lot appears25Not sad, but blissful; for had I enduredTo leave my mother’s son unburied there,I should have grieved with reason, but not now.And if in this thou judgest me a fool,Methinks the judge of folly’s not acquit.

Which is the best definition of interdict in line 7?

• a religious ruling

• official decree or law

• a tax or fee

• an interception

Multiple Choice

Which is the best definition of immutable in line 15?

• changeable

• unchangeable

• rigid

• confusing

Multiple Choice

In lines 10–15, Antigone tells King Creon why she has defied him. Which is the best summary of her response?

• Antigone says she has authority over the king because he appointed himself.

• Her brother was a follower of the gods, Zeus and Justice.

• Spiritual laws come before a man’s law.

• King Creon followed the law of Zeus in which she does not believe.

Multiple Choice

Lines 16–25 suggest that the speaker ______.

• believes that she should not die

• nows her brother deserved what he received

• understands that she must die

• did not want to be punished by the gods

Multiple Choice

In line 31, what does ill-starred refer to?

• sick because of her genetic heritage

• born in the wrong time period

• unlucky and doomed to disaster

• of rebellion and disobedience

Multiple Choice

In line 31, the Greek proverb kick against the pricks is used. It comes from the practice of controlling oxen when plowing a field. A pointed piece of iron—“the prick”—would be used to steer the oxen. If the oxen kicked it, it would pierce their flesh even more.

When the chorus uses it, they suggest that _____.

• Antigone’s rebellion is just hurting herself

• Antigone’s father did not teach her submission

• Antigone has not been successful in life

• Antigone is stubborn just like an untrained ox

Multiple Choice

What does the imagery in lines 32–35 suggest?

• Anything can be broken down including Antigone’s strong will.

• Antigone’s death will be by fire and she will be burnt to dust.

• Suffering makes a person stronger and more willful.

• Antigone will be branded as a criminal.

Multiple Choice

Which is the best definition of insolence as used in line 38?

• madness and insanity

• bad manners like not following protocols

• criminal behavior

• disrespectful and contemptuous speech

Multiple Choice

In lines 42–43, King Creon says, “Now if she thus can flout authority/ Unpunished, I am woman, she the man.” In this line, King Creon is saying that _____.

• he would rather be a woman without responsibility

• women are superior to men

• if he does not punish Antigone, then he would be considered weak

• women are inferior to men

Multiple Choice

Which is the best definition of miscreant in line 53?

• a person who has made a grievous mistake

• a person of mysterious ways

• an unreligious person or heretic

• a villain or criminal