ABSTRACT
This introduction to Sophocles’ Antigone provides opportunities for developing a wide range of skills, knowledge and understanding about drama. The play itself is among the most accessible of the Athenian tragedies and gives an introduction to the classic structure of tragedy, including the role of the chorus and the unities of time, place and plot. Antigone is also a powerful myth in its own right and its themes of the collisions between public and private lives, tensions between family and civic loyalties and between generations have a contemporary appeal for younger pupils. There is also a strong appeal in Antigone herself, who is a feisty 13-year-old prepared to die for what she believes in her heart to be true. This sequence of lessons combines exploration of the myth through a variety of drama conventions and techniques, with an introduction to fragments of the translated text and the form and structure of Athenian tragedy. Resources
Three hours of class time and one homework
Large sheets of paper and markers
Copy(ies) of Jean Cocteau’s drawing
The Thebans by Sophocles, translated by Timberlake Wertenbaker (Faber & Faber 1992)
Extracts from the script
Specialist and framework objectives https://www.niso.org/standards/z39-96/ns/oasis-exchange/table"> Specialist Learning Strand objectives: Acting/lnter-acting A1: use and control the elements of drama, particularly voice and the body in space A2: use voice, gesture and movement to convey meaning to an audience, making disciplined use of the conventions of performance Al1: work as part of an ensemble – acting and reacting to others Directing/Managing D5: translate initial ideas and responses into drama M1: learn to negotiate with others in a group and to adapt to and accommodate other people’s ideas Evaluating/Reviewing R1: identify historical and current genres of drama, e.g. tragedy E2: develop critical thinking about texts, issues and situations through work in role Framework objectives: Drama SL15: explore in role SL17: extend their spoken repertoire S&L SL11: adopt a range of roles in discussion SL13: work together logically and methodically to solve problems, deductions Reading TR6: adopt active reading approaches TR7: identify the main points, processes or ideas in a text TR12: comment on how writers convey setting, character and mood TR18: give a considered response to a play TR20: explore the notions of literary heritage… why some texts have been particularly influential or significant