A six page resource exploring the First Stasimon, commonly known as the ‘Ode to Man’, in Sophocles’ Antigone.

Designed primarily for AQA A Level Drama and Theatre, this resource helps students understand one of the play’s most significant choral passages as both a piece of dramatic writing and a moment intended for performance.

Rather than treating the ode simply as a piece of poetry to analyse, the resource encourages students to consider the theatrical function of the Chorus, the structure of Greek choral performance and the relationship between human achievement and human limitation.

The resource begins with two accessible enquiry questions, ‘What makes humans amazing?’ and ‘What are our limits?’, before introducing students to the central ideas of the Ode to Man. Students explore humanity’s ability to master nature, animals, language, society and law alongside the crucial warning that human achievement has boundaries.

It also introduces the structure and performance conventions of the strophe and antistrophe, helping students understand how movement, language and contrasting ideas work together within Greek choral performance.

The resource covers:

• The First Stasimon and its position within Antigone
• The central ideas of the ‘Ode to Man’
• Human ingenuity and achievement
• Humanity’s relationship with nature
• Human mastery of animals and the natural world
• Speech, thought, society and law
• Mortality and the limits of human power
• The relationship between civic law and divine justice
• The warning against reckless pride
• Strophe and antistrophe
• The relationship between choral structure, movement and meaning
• The progression of ideas across the ode

The opening discussion questions also make this particularly useful as the basis for a practical exploration of the Chorus, allowing students to move from thematic understanding into decisions about voice, movement, space, rhythm and ensemble performance.

Ideal for:

• AQA A Level Drama and Theatre Component 1
• Section A Antigone study
• Teaching the Greek Chorus
• Introducing the First Stasimon
• Practical exploration of choral performance
• Context and theatrical convention
• Revision
• Supporting students in connecting textual analysis with performance interpretation

Suitable for: A Level Drama and Theatre, particularly AQA 7262.