Antigone
by Sophocles
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Assigned across 1 curriculum list
Grade placement varies by school — the median assigned book spans 4 grade levels (83% span three or more, across 13,258 source-cited assignments).
Antigone by Sophocles is assigned in US schools at grades 9–12. It appears across 1 curriculum reference, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.
This page shows where Antigone is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.
- Grade range
- Grades 9–12
- Age range
- Ages 14–18
- Pages
- 128
- Reading time
- about 2h 20m (est.)
- First published
- -441
- Genre
- Drama
- ISBN-13
- 9780486278049
New to these terms? Reading levels by grade
More formats & details
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About this book
In Sophocles' ancient Greek tragedy, Antigone defies King Creon's decree and buries her brother Polynices, insisting that divine and family law outranks the edict of the state. Her act sets off a chain of consequences that destroys Creon's household and dramatizes the clash between individual conscience and civic authority. Long assigned across grades 9-12 and in world-literature units, the play remains a touchstone for teaching civil disobedience and tragic structure.
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Why widely assigned
This Drama title, typically at grades 9–12. Written in the -450s; pairs with curriculum units on justice and loyalty; cited across 1 curriculum framework.
Content notes
suicide · death
Where this book is assigned
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Common questions
- What grade level is Antigone?
- Antigone is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 9–12. It appears on 1 school reading list, from grade 11 to grade 12. Exact placement varies by school and district.
- How long does it take to read Antigone?
- It takes about 2h 20m to read Antigone (128 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 140 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- What curricula assign Antigone?
- Antigone appears on reading lists for AP English Literature & Composition. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is Antigone banned in schools?
- Antigone has documented removals from at least one public-school district in 1 state (TX) per PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. Policies vary by district.
- What themes does Antigone explore?
- Central themes in Antigone include justice, loyalty, individual vs state, fate, family.
Why this book is on this list
How we classifyHide
Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.
- Lexile measure
- Not classified — this book has no published Lexile measure.
- Grade band
- Grades 9–12 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 1 curriculum on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
- State-level evidence
- Not yet documented in a state-level framework on this site.
- Removal / banning records
- Documented as challenged or removed in 1 state per PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans — see the full banned & challenged books list.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- No seasonal or program-specific tags on this book.