Classical Backgrounds to English Literature

A. R. Gurney’s Another Antigone

Study Questions 2

• This play sets up a continual dichotomy between the “real world” and academia. What exactly is the essence of this difference, and how does the play also challenge the very dichotomy it appears to establish?

• Do Judy’s and Henry’s extremely personal investments in their respective positions compromise the strength of the larger values they stand for?

• What do you think of Henry’s putative exploitation of Judy’s project and her theatre crew? How is this a commentary on the university institution? Do you think Henry did the right thing?

• What do you think of Henry’s final speech to his class (p. 58)? What does it suggest about the relationship of modernity to the ancient Greeks, and, more specifically, about the relevance of Antigone to the modern world?

• What do you think about Judy’s refusal to accept her award? How is this an interpretation of / commentary on Antigone’s suicide? Is this an act of defiance or of defeat?