Antigone

(BOOK 6 of the 52 week Challenge)

It's been 3 1/2 weeks since I've posted about my reading. I haven't stopped reading, I've just stopped posting about it. :-) I'm going to catch up on posting over the next few days.




Sophocles is one of only three ancient Greek tragedians whose writings have remained; only seven of his plays have survived in their complete forms. Antigone is one of his Theban plays.

It is vital to be familiar with the background of this story before you begin reading the play. The edition pictured above does a wonderful job of providing information on the play's setting, including the importance of burial in the Greek religion. Antigone is one of the daughters of King Oedipus and his wife, Jocasta. (Those of you familiar with Greek mythology know that is a story all by itself.) When Oedipus died, Antigone's brothers, Polynices and Eteocles, agreed to share their father's kingship over Thebes. Eteocles soon decided to rule Thebes alone, and had Polynices exiled. Polynices found support in the city of Argos; he raised an army and marched on the city of Thebes. During the battle, both Polynices and Eteocles were killed. Antigone's uncle, Jocasta's brother Creon, was appointed king. He gave Eteocles a proper burial, but decreed that the body of Polynices would not be respectfully buried since he was fighting for the Argives. He determined that Polynices' corpse would be left unburied to rot and be eaten by the birds of the air and the beasts of the field.

The play opens with Antigone and her sister, Ismene, discussing the events that have transpired. Antigone announces that she must bury her brother's body in accordance with the requirements of her Greek religion. Ismene warns her sister that the punishment for defying King Creon will be death.

I won't post any more of the story line so as not to spoil the play for those who wish to read it. The great conflict of this story centers around civic responsibility and personal duty. Should Antigone obey the dictates of the state in which she lives? Or should she remain true to her personal beliefs?

After reading the play, I watched a 1972 stage adaptation of Antigone which starred Genevieve Bujold in the title role and Fritz Weaver as Creon. Their scene together in the boardroom (did I mention this was an updated version of the story?) made the whole thing worth watching. Wonderful acting! At the end of the play, the narrator made this remark:

"Creon was the most rational, the most persuasive, of tyrants. And yet, like all tyrants, he refused to distinguish between the things that are Caesar's and the things that are God's."

The more I read of ancient writings, the more I realize that King Solomon was right: There really is nothing new under the sun.