Drama Unit: Antigone and Edufa
December 09
Day 1CW: Expository essays due; Bring Antigone to class; Intro Drama; Antigone background; Start
Prologue together
HW: Read Antigone p 189-204
Answer Study Guide Questions I-6 in syllabus packet
Day 2CW: Antigone; foils and Creon’s character
HW: Read p 205-224
Answer Study Guide Questions7-15 in syllabus packet
Day 3CW: Antigone; protagonist and antagonist
HW: Finish reading Antigone p 228-245
Answer Study Guide Questions 15-27 in syllabus packet
Day 4CW: Antigone and the role of the tragic hero
HW: Brush up Antigone Study Questions; complete vocab 7&8
Day 5CW: Wrap up Antigone; Review vocab
HW:Read Sutherland background in packet; Read Edufa in syllabus packet
Prologue and Act I scenes i-iii and homework questions
Day 6CW: BeginEdufa Act I(separate packet)
HW: Finish reading Act I of Edufa p 4-11 in syllabus packet
Finish Study Guide Questions Part 1 in syllabus packet
Day 7CW: Complete Edufa Act I: setting and conflict
HW: Read Edufa Act II p12-19 in syllabus packet
Answer Study Guide Questions Part 2 in syllabus packet
Day 8CW: Edufa Act II; foils and symbols
HW: Read Edufa Act III p 19-31 in syllabus packet
Answer Study Guide Questions Part 3 in syllabus packet
Day 9CW: Finish Edufa: tragic hero, protagonist/ antagonist
HW: Review activity
Day 10CW: Edufa: Themes and wrap up; Review for test
HW: Study for Drama Test
Day 11CW: Drama Test
HW: TBA
Literary Terms For Drama
Tragedy-
Catharsis-
Chorus-
Choragos-
Parados-
Ode-
Exodos-
Foil-
Protagonist-
Antagonist-
Tragic hero-
Drama Homework Questions
Answer all questions either here in your packet or typed as a separate document. We will check them periodically for homework credit, so you must bring answers to class everyday. Asking at the beginning of the period to print questions is unacceptable; you must plan ahead and anticipate any computer problems you might have.At the conclusion of our study of each play, you MUST submit finalized, typed answers to turnitin.com. If you do not submit by the announced due date, you will not receive credit for your questions. When possible, use quotations within your answers. These questions will help you focus on the most important events in each of the plays.
See Academic Honesty Policies, in the student handbook and on the freshman course policy sheet.
Answers to these questions must be in your own words and in direct quotations from the plays. You are not permitted to share answers. As we go over these in class, make corrections to your answers (use a different color ink) so that we can see your first impressions and your final, corrected answers.
Antigone Reading Check Questions 1
1. The action of the play begins immediately with a conflict between Antigone and Ismene. What is the conflict about?
2. Ismene and Antigone are contrasted in this scene. How would you describe Antigone? How would you describe Ismene?
3. What have we learned about Creon before he appears on stage? Based on this scene, how would you describe Creon’s character?
4. What reasons does Creon give for his ruling about the bodies of Polyneices and Eteocles? How does the Chorus react?
5. Ode one deals with human existence. Restate its main idea in one sentence of your own.
6. How does the ode comment on the conflict of the play? Specifically, how does the message in the ode connect to how Antigone’s actions are to be judged?
7. What major event takes place before scene two begins? How do you know/ get a picture of the action?
8. How does Antigone defend her actions?
9. Does the chorus side with Antigone or Creon? Pick a line that shows the chorus’ attitude.
10. How has Ismene changed? How does Antigone treat her?
11. What fears for Oedipus’ children does Ode 2 express?
12. In Scene 3, Haemon is trying to persuade Creon to relent in his punishment of Antigone. What methods and arguments does he use to try to change Creon’s mind? What threat does he deliver to Creon?
13. How does Creon react to Haemon’s arguments? What are Creon’s attitudes toward youth and women? How do these influence his reaction?
14. What function does the Chorus have in this scene? Who does the Chorus side with?
15. What does Ode 3 say about love?
16. As Antigone faces her death, does she seem changed in any way? Explain.
17. What comfort does the Chorus try to offer Antigone?
18. How will Antigone be killed? Why does this suit Creon better than stoning?
19. At first, Creon refuses to listen to Teiresias. Of what does he accuse Teiresias?
20. Teiresias tells Creon that the only crime is pride. How is Creon guilty of pride?
21. Why does Creon finally give in? What part does the Chorus play in his decision?
22. Violence is not portrayed on the stage, so how does Sophocles let us know what happens to Antigone, Haemon, and Eurydice?
23. How is Teiresias’ prophecy fulfilled?
24. At the end of the play, how has Creon changed from the beginning of the play? What does he finally recognize?
Please answer the following questions in three to five sentences each.
25. Once you finish the play, what do you think it says about the individual conscience in conflict with the authority of the state?
26. What does it say about the conflict between human law and divine law?
27. What does it say about loyalty to family v. loyalty to the state?
Literary DefinitionsGreek Drama Antigone
protagonist (pro-TAG-eh-nist) A protagonist is considered to be the main character or lead figure in a novel, play, story, or poem. It may also be referred to as the "hero" of a work. Over a period of time the meaning of the term protagonist has changed. The word protagonist originated in ancient Greek drama and referred to the leader of a chorus. Soon the definition was changed to represent the first actor onstage. In some literature today it may be difficult to decide who is playing the role of the protagonist. For instance, in Othello,we could say that Iago is the protagonist because he was at the center of all of the play's controversy. But even if he was a main character, was he the lead character? This ambiguity can lead to multiple interpretations of the same work and different ways of appreciating a single piece of literature. See Merrian Webster Encyclopedia of Literature, Benet’s Readers Encyclopedia of Literature. Khalil Shakeel, Student, University of North Carolina at Pembroke
antagonist (an-TAG-uh-nist): a character in a story or poem who deceives, frustrates, or works again the main character, or protagonist, in some way. The antagonist doesn’t necessarily have to be a person. It could be death, the devil, an illness, or any challenge that prevents the main character from living “happily ever after." In fact, the antagonist could be a character of virtue in a literary work where the protagonist represents evil. An antagonist in the story of Genesis is the serpent. He convinces Eve to disobey God, setting off a chain of events that leads to Adam and Eve being banished from paradise. In the play Othello by William Shakespeare, the antagonist is Iago. Throughout the play, he instigates conflicts and sows distrust among the main characters, Othello and Desdemona, two lovers who have risked their livelihood in order to elope. Iago is determined to break up their marriage due to his suspicions that Othello has taken certain liberties with his wife. See Benet’s Reader’s Encyclopedia. Victoria Henderson, Student, University of North Carolina at Pembroke
The previous definitions were taken from:
Antigone Tragic Hero work
Explain who you think is the protagonist in the play and why:
Explain who you think is the antagonist in the play and why:
Tragic Hero Chart
AntigoneCreon
Hero is a noble character
(well respected or of a
high position)
Hero has a tragic flaw
(usually hubris- pride)
Hero loses something important –
Many times what he/she values most
(suffers downfall/ death)
Hero comes to a realization
(learns from experience)
Who fits the hero pattern more completely? How so?
Edufa Study Guide Questions Part 1
1. In the Prologue, what change does Abena describe in the household of Edufa?
2. In Scene One, what kind of song is the chorus singing?
3. In Scene Two, what is Ampoma afraid of? What does she make Edufa promise?
4. In Scene Three, of what does Seguwa accuse Edufa?
5. In Scene Four, what are the qualities that Kankam values and respects?
6. What is Kankam’s attitude about diviners? What is Edufa’s attitude about diviners?
7. What does Ampoma say that leads to her condition?
8. Edufa and Kankam discuss how they can save Ampoma. What does Edufa suggest? What does Kankam suggest?
9. What is Edufa afraid that Kankam will do?
10. At the end of the scene, how does Edufa explain his actions?
Edufa Study Guide Questions Part II
1. Who visits Edufa’s house at the beginning of Scene One? Why?
2. Why does the chorus make fun of Ampoma?
3. In Scene Two, Senchi arrives. What are his main characteristics? Find lines that show these traits.
4. What does Senchi arrange for that evening? How does Seguwa react?
5. How is the atmosphere in the house changing?
6. How is Sam described?
7. What animal does he bring with him? What do you think this means?
8. Where has Sam been? Why? What does he bring for Edufa?
Edufa Study Guide Questions Part III
- Early in the scene, how does Senchi describe Edufa?
How does Edufa describe Senchi?
How does Edufa describe himself?
- In Scene two, what gift does Edufa want to give Ampoma? Why?
- Why does Senchi like wearing his own suit?
- How does Ampoma behave at the party? How does Senchi treat her compared to the other women?
- What gift does Ampoma give to Edufa? How do the guests react?
- What happens when Edufa takes Ampoma to her room to rest?
- How does Seguwa react to the death? How do the guests react to the death?
- How would you describe Edufa at the end of the play?
Foils: Edufa and Senchi
Fill out the following chart to show how Edufa and Senchi operate as foils. In each category make sure that you have evidence (page numbers) to support your claims.
EDUFASENCHI
Home:
Occupation:
Finances:
Emotions:
Priorities:
Relationships
With others:
Relationship
With Self:
Parallels between Edufa and Antigone
Answer the following questions in complete sentences. Be sure your responses include specific references to the plays. Use quotes and cite page numbers where appropriate. Answers should be approximately 5-7 sentences in length.
- Compare and contrast the role of the chorus in each play. What purposes or functions do they serve? How do their similarities and/or differences relate to the action of the play? How do they reinforce the messages of the play?
- Compare and contrast Kankam and Creon. Discuss their approach to the father/son relationship. Does Kankam as an advice-giver parallel any other characters in Antigone? Explain.
- Compare and contrast Edufa and Creon. Specifically, discuss similarities and differences in their traits, their conflicts and the conflicts’ resolutions. Be sure to reference the characteristics of a tragic hero in your answer.
- Compare and contrast the role of women in each of the plays. Consider how each play reflects cultural attitudes about women. Examine Antigone and Ampoma as particular examples.
Efua T. Sutherland
Born in Ghana in 1924, Efua Theodora Sutherland attended school in Ghana and England, graduating with a BA in Education from HomertonCollege, CambridgeUniversity. Her return to Ghana in 1951 represents the beginning of what has been one of the most illustrious and least celebrated careers in African writing in English. Recently described in the authoritative Dictionary of Literary Biography as "the great dame of the Ghanaian drama and theatrical world", Efua Sutherland remains one of the least known African writers in English. Sutherland has written biography, poetry, fiction, and plays for both radio and the stage. She has produced and directed a number of her own plays, founded and directed theatre companies and more generally provided a younger generation of Ghanaian writers and actors with a nurturing environment in which to give vent to their creativity. A committed activist for women's rights, her prolific output and tireless work for Ghana's cultural heritage is indicative of a boundless passion for life. In 1963 her théâGhana Drama Studio was rehoused within the University of Ghana, allowing her a stronger position from which to continue her work. Among her best-known texts are: Foriwa (1967), Edufa (1967), The marriage of Anansewa (1975) and The voice in the Forest (1983). In 1996, Efua Theodore Sutherland, writer, dies at 71.
Sources: Dictionary of Literary Biography (Vol. 17), James Gibbs in C. Brian Cox (Ed.), Tony Simoes da Silva.
Ghana
Source:
Background: Formed from the merger of the British colony of the Gold Coast and the Togoland trust territory, Ghana in 1957 became the first country in colonial Africa to gain its independence. A long series of coups resulted in the suspension of the constitution in 1981 and the banning of political parties. A new constitution, restoring multiparty politics, was approved in1992.
Location: Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote d'Ivoire and Togo
Climate: tropical; warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast; hot and humid in southwest; hot and dry in north
Terrain: mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central area
Natural resources: gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish, rubber, hydropower
Ethnic groups: black African 99.8% (major tribes - Akan 44%, Moshi-Dagomba 16%, Ewe 13%, Ga 8%), European and other 0.2%
Religions: indigenous beliefs 38%, Muslim 30%, Christian 24%, other 8%
Languages: English (official), African languages (including Akan, Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 64.5%
male: 75.9%
female: 53.5% (1995 est.)
Symbols in Edufa
Below you will find a list of symbols and page numbers. Use the page numbers to find information about the symbols, and then, offer an explanation for what the symbol represents.
1. Water (1,6,15)
2. Owl (33,34,60)
3. Sun (7,35)
4. Three Pebbles (and the number three) (34,56)
5. Suit (39)
6. Flowers (39/40)
7. Beads (53/54)
8. Leopard skin (60)