Antigone

My personal favorite of all the Greek tragedies, with rich characters and meaty questions. Antigone buries her brother in defiance of her uncle Creon, the king, who decreed no one should bury the man he called a traitor. Preventing burial of the dead was an extreme punishment that would haunt the dead's family. Antigone buries her brother and is caught in the act. She faces a death penalty...more

My personal favorite of all the Greek tragedies, with rich characters and meaty questions. Antigone buries her brother in defiance of her uncle Creon, the king, who decreed no one should bury the man he called a traitor. Preventing burial of the dead was an extreme punishment that would haunt the dead's family. Antigone buries her brother and is caught in the act. She faces a death penalty for the crime, and Creon argues her fate with the Chorus and Creon's son Haemon. On one hand, this story presents a simple contrast between the importance of man-made law versus the duty to fulfill responsibilities that arise from a higher law. On the other hand, and what draws me so deeply into the play, it is a nuanced examination of how individuals' personalities collide with circumstance and then create an inevitability that looks like fate but is ultimately based on free will. We have all felt we had no choice but to do something that may bring terrible consequences, and we have also experienced the exasperation of seeing someone we care about lock themselves into a terrible outcome because they cannot let something go. We understand both Antigone and Creon.If you get a chance to see a video of the modern version with a young Stacy Keach and Genevieve Bujold, do not miss it.   hide