The Third Ode, Antistrophe 1, starts this section of the play describing the cruel fate that has fallen on Antigone's family.
Use your script to read Antistrophe 1, then use the R.A.C.E.S. writing strategy to answer the following:
What does the chorus mean, and who are they talking about in the first section?
I see this house’s age-old sorrows,
the house of *Labdakos’ children,
sorrows falling on the sorrows of the dead,
one generation bringing no relief
to generations after it—some god
strikes at them—on and on without an end.
*NOTE: Labdakos was the father of Laius and grandfather of Oedipus (each former Kings of Thebes), and therefore, great-gandfather to Etocles, Polynices, Ismene and Antigone.
1 answer
In the first section of Antistrophe 1, the chorus is talking about the cruel fate that has befallen the house of Labdakos' children. They describe the age-old sorrows of the house, with one generation bringing no relief to generations after it. The chorus implies that some god is striking at them continuously, with no end in sight. They are referring to the tragic history of Antigone's family, and specifically the current situation with the deaths of Antigone's brothers, Eteocles and Polynices.
1 answer