Lecture Notes: Antigone by Sophocles and its Adaptation by Jean Anouilh

Introduction

• Antigone originally a tragedy by Sophocles, first performed in Athens in 441 BCE.
• Adapted by Jean Anouilh in 1944, during Nazi-occupied France.
  • Written in French; performed under Nazi censorship.
  • Parallels between Antigone/French Resistance and Creon/Nazi government.

Background

• Setting: Thebes in ancient Athens.
• Preceding Events: Two brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices, die fighting for Thebes' throne.
  • Sons of Oedipus, a Greek tragic figure.
  • Creon becomes king, honors Eteocles, refuses burial for Polyneices.

Key Characters

• Antigone: Protagonist; defies Creon's order, buries her brother.
• Ismene: Antigone’s sister; obedient, contrasts Antigone.
• Creon: Antagonist; King of Thebes, tragic hero, loses everything.
• Eurydice: Creon's wife; commits suicide upon hearing of her son's death.
• Haemon: Creon's son; engaged to Antigone, kills himself after her death.
• Nurse: Cares for Antigone, unaware of her defiance.
• Guards: Enforce Creon’s laws, symbolize blind obedience.
• Chorus: Single-man narrator, provides commentary.

Plot Summary

• Scene 1: Chorus introduces characters and plot.
• Early Morning: Antigone is caught sneaking home; Ismene warns against defying Creon.
• Antigone’s Defiance: Already buried Polyneices.
• Creon Learns: Orders secrecy about the burial.
• Antigone’s Capture: Refuses to renounce actions, sentenced to die in a stone cave.
• Haemon’s Plea: Begs Creon for mercy, fails, kills himself after Antigone’s death.
• Tragic End: Eurydice also commits suicide, Creon left alone.

Literary Features

• Hamartia: Creon’s fatal flaw is pride and arrogance.
  • Punished by the gods; loses loved ones to suicide.

Themes

• Civil Disobedience: Antigone defies Creon’s law for divine justice.
• Suicide/Tragedy: Recurring deaths imply tenuous life and influence over destiny.
• Role of Women: Antigone challenges patriarchy; contrasts with Ismene’s submission.
• Sibling Rivalry: Central to plot; Eteocles vs. Polyneices, Antigone vs. Ismene.
• Family Love: Central to character motivations; conflicting loyalties.
• Fate: Suggests inevitability of events; questions of stoppability.

Symbols

• Chorus: Represents people, commentates on the play.
• Stone Tomb: Antigone’s connection to the dead.
• Knitting: Eurydice’s life; stops upon her death.
• Guards: Symbolize Nazi soldiers; blind obedience.
• Sinking Ship: Creon’s metaphor for Thebes’ decline.

Discussion Questions

• What burial does Polyneices deserve?
• Whose actions are justified: Creon's or Antigone’s?
• How much control do characters have over their fates?
• Importance of the chorus in the play?
• Message about tyrant rulers?
• Has Creon changed by the end?
• Exemplification of French Resistance?

Conclusion

• Anouilh’s Antigone differs from Sophocles; addresses contemporary themes of resistance.
• Further study resources available for deeper understanding and exam preparation.