O: I notice Kreon repeats the words "I killed you" two times. This repetition shows his deep pain and guilt. Before this, Kreon was very proud and never make mistakes. Now he fully accepts that his pride caused the death of his son and wife. This change makes him a tragic figure. I think this use of repetition is a powerful way to show his total ruin.

Q: Teiresias is a blind prophet. He warns Kreon that he is in great danger. But I don't understand why Kreon does not listen at first. Kreon says Teiresias is lying for money. Does Kreon really believe this, or is he just too proud to admit he is wrong? I want to ask the class why Kreon is so blind to the truth even when a holy man tells him.

E: I looked up the name "Niobe" (Source: Greek mythology). Niobe was a woman who crew about that she was better than a goddess. The gods punished her by killing all her children. She cried so much that she turned into a stone, but water still flows from the stone. Antigone compares herself to Niobe because both of them suffer forever for family reasons. This helps me understand how sad and alone Antigone feels.

o: I notice Kreon says "never" three times. He is very angry and scared of losing his power because of a woman. He does not care about family or the gods. He only cares about being the leader of this country. This becomes a big conflict with Antigone. Antigone fights for love and family, but Kreon fights for power and pride. This makes Kreon looks like a bad leader. I think this pattern of "power vs. family" is very important for my essay.

Q: Before Ismene told Antigone not to break the law, but now Ismene says that she wants to die with her sister. I don't really understand Ismene. If she wants to die, or just feel upset and lonely? Also, Antigone is very mean to her sister at here. Why does Antigone push her sister away when Ismene is trying to help her? I want to ask the class if Antigone is cruel or just want to safe Ismene's life.

E: I looked up the name "Oidipous" in my background knowledge (Source: Greek mythology). Oedipus is a famous tragic hero in Greek mythology, he is Antigone's father. He did terrible things without knowing it such as killing his own father, and this cause his own family have a bad luck. The Chorus calls the Antigone is a "poor awful child." This helps me understand why Antigone is so sad and why her family is cursed. this explains why she is not afraid to die.

E: I looked up the name "Kreon" in my background knowledge (Source: Greek mythology). Kreon is the new King of Thebes and he is also the uncle of Antigone. He makes a strict law: one brother (Eteokles) gets a proper burial, but the other brother (Polyneikes) must be left to rot in the wilderness. This is important because in ancient Greece, not burying a body was a huge desecration to the gods and the family. This explains why Antigone is so angry and feels she must break the law.

Q: Why is Kreon so angry when the Chorus suggests that the gods might be helped to bury the Polyneikes? He calls them "stupid" and "demented." If he was really not believe in the gods, or is he just too proud to do the right thing like Antigone? I don't understand why he refuses to listen to the old men. I want to ask the class if Kreon's anger is because he is afraid of losing his power.

O: I notice a strong contrast here. The guards are a team, they need to help each other and think about the difficult things, but as soon as they find out someone buried the body, they turn on each other. They start fighting and accusing each other. It has a significantly contrast with Antigone. Antigone stands alone for what she thinks right, but the guards are terrified and quick to blame others. This shows that fear makes people selfish and divides them

O: I notice that Oates creates a clear contrast between theater and book. A printed word records something that has already happened before, but for the theater, when the actors perform on the stage, it seems like happening now. This means that the same play can become a different experience in each performance.