Antigone tells her sister, “’Tis thine to show / If thou art worthy of thy blood or base.” The word or tells you that base is being contrasted with worthy of thy blood. Given that, what do you suppose base means? Write your ideas here.

Answer 1

Base likely means lacking honor, dignity, or integrity in this context. Antigone is asking her sister to prove whether she is worthy of their noble bloodline or if she is being dishonorable or unworthy.