Table of contentsAntigone travels to France during the Second World WarThe minor charactersCreon and Antigone: the conflictJean Anouilh and the differenceThe minor charactersCreon and Antigone: the conflictThe last momentsPoliticsEffects lastingAntigone travels to World War II FranceWithout doubt, the most famous theatrical version of Antigone is the Greek original. Sophocles first dramatized Antigone's choice and fate, but he was certainly not the only playwright who saw that Antigone's story was prime material for social and political themes. Sophocles created a story of Antigone to emphasize Athenian ideals and cultural needs. His Antigone was incredibly popular during Athens' golden age and was reproduced several times. It was a play that reinforced the values ​​of Athenian society during the golden age of Pericles. Antigone also manages to transcend the immediate context of Athenian life and appeal to modern audiences around the world. Beyond its direct appeal, many modern playwrights have taken Sophocles' original and adapted or reinterpreted it to meet more modern needs. This material is ideal for transmitting political and social messages and experienced a real revival during the Nazi occupations of World War II. One of the playwrights who profited from Sophocles' glorious original was the French playwright Jean Anouilh. Anouilh wrote in occupied France during World War II, and the themes of many of his plays reflect this controversial and difficult period in history. Anouilh's reinterpretation of Antigone was written in 1942 and performed in 1944. It ran successfully for several months. He transferred the themes and source material into something that could appeal to his war-rooted audience. Sophocles and Anouilh present the same story, but emphasize different themes. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay Sophocles emphasizes not only individual will before the will of the state, but, more importantly, the ancient law of the gods over the will of the state. State. Sophocles focuses heavily on the lesson Creon must learn about respecting laws that are more important than the laws of man. On the other hand, Anouilh pays no attention to the laws of the gods. In fact, the gods and the supernatural are not present at all in Anouilh's Antigone: they are sorely lacking. Instead, Anouilh narrates the theme of the absurdity of man's destiny in the universe. Anouilh accentuates the controversy between the rational laws of the State and the individual will of idealism. Creon is not present to learn a lesson, but to emphasize the strength and importance of this conflict. These thematic differences are apparent throughout the play, but are seen most clearly in the playwrights' use of minor characters, in their treatments of the climactic moment of the conflict between Creon and Antigone, and in the final moments of each play. In Sophocles' Antigone, the minor characters are actually minor characters. Ismene is primarily used to illustrate Antigone's strong motivation and independent spirit. Because Ismene refuses to help Antigone in the first place, Antigone denies her the right to claim responsibility after the fact. Antigone insists that Ismene remain in her lack of ideals and claim her rightful place as a devoted citizen under Creon. Antigone will not allow her the honor of dying for principles she never had. OfIn this way, Ismene functions simply as a foil for Antigone, and as an opportunity for Antigone to express the extent of her beliefs. In the same sense, Haemon is used in a purely functional way. He is the fiancé of Antigone and the son of Creon. His function is above all to go to Creon and plead for Antigone out of passion and humanity. He wants his future wife to live. This scene is necessary to show Creon's absolute refusal to listen to human arguments in favor of Antigone. He is more than stubborn and proud. Someone needs to be close to him (his son) to clearly show the extent of this pride. Sophocles' messengers and sentinels function only like this, messengers of action not shown on stage. They sometimes become a sort of confidant to Creon, but for the most part, they exist only to convey to Creon what is happening outside of his field of vision. Unfortunately for Creon, a lot happens, both in plot and theme, outside of his field of vision. This tends to be the problem with the piece. The sentinels and messengers allude to these thematic ideas that also elude Creon, but only allude to them. For the most part, they just want to do their job and then escape Creon's wrath. They are otherwise purely functional characters. The Chorus is, as in most Greek plays, the voice of the people. He is usually only there to comment on the action and provide the audience with insight into the themes. He sometimes attempts to take a middle path, but, as they are supposed to be respected old men of Thebes, they often take Creon's side, and can sometimes even be considered "yes men". When Creon asks them to help enforce his proclamation that "you must not side with those who disagree," the Chorus responds: "There is no one foolish enough to to love one’s own death” (219-20). Yet they constantly hesitate and even try to reason with Creon; when the Sentinel brings the news that someone has covered Polyneices' body with dust, she immediately becomes concerned: "My lord: I wonder, could this be the work of God?/It is the thought that never ceases to haunt me” (279-80). The Chorus is aware of the mistake Creon may have made, but does little to rectify it. They are simply there to reflect the actions and themes. In Antigone's final moments, the chorus serves as her confidant. We try to console her: “Yes, you go to the place where the dead are hidden, / but you go there with distinction and praise” (817-18) and also to chastise her: “There is a certain respect for piety ./ But for him who is in authority,/ he cannot see that authority challenged;/ it is your own willful character/ that has destroyed you” (872-6). It is only at the last moment of the play, when the chorus has the last word and comments on what they knew all along, that it is foolish to deny the will of the gods and the will of love. The only minor character who has a deeper function is that of the blind prophet Tiresias. He is responsible for being the spokesperson for the gods and human reason. He reveals that the gods are not pleased with Creon's actions. Teiresias gives Creon the only real advice he receives in the play: "All men/ can make mistakes; but, once deceived,/ is no longer stupid or cursed/ who, having fallen ill, tries to cure what evil” (1022-5). Unfortunately, Creon is too proud to pay attention at first. He is fatally late. Teiresias must threaten Creon with the prophecy of the loss of his son before Creon admits that he is “disconcerted” (1096). And even then, he still can't make the decision to repair his mistake; the choir must tell him whatto do to remedy the situation prophesied by Teiresias. In this way, Teiresias is Creon's teacher. He attempts, by supernatural means, to teach Creon his lesson before it is too late. He is the only hopeful figure in the play. His warnings are heeded too late, but his lessons are learned nonetheless. Creon and Antigone: The Creon conflict is often theorized to be the central character in Sophocles' Antigone, even though she is the main character. Antigone is absent for the last third of the play, which focuses on the lesson Creon must learn and ultimately learns. The last third of the play has little to do with Antigone, but everything to do with Creon coming to terms with his pride, his lack of respect for God and human will, and the consequences of these faults, which leads to many critics believe: "Creon is the only tragic focus" (Freeman xxxv). Creon must be the tragic hero, because it is he who is involved in the development of the tragic process or defect (hamartia) and has the recognition of discovery (anagnorisis) (Howarth 18 He is ignorant of his own state and arrogant, which are his faults. Even the smallest characters (Haemon, Tiresius, Ismene, Eurydice) see the human image. and divine purpose before Creon manages to perceive the truth. On the other hand, Antigone is the embodiment of pious justice. She is as stubborn as Creon, but like her stubbornness comes from a sense of human right. divine, we do not blame him His sense of piety and human dignity, as well as his strong family ties, oblige him to sacrifice himself for the funeral rights of his brother. As Creon advances substantial arguments to support his own reasoning, the audience sympathizes and respects Antigone's human will as an example of righteous living. If Creon is the thematic center of the play, Antigone certainly commands our sympathetic attention throughout the play. She is the emotional center, even if she is not the thematic center. The point of conflict here is clear. Creon pleads for the salvation of his state, while Antigone pleads for the salvation of the human soul and the principle of a righteous life. He creates human laws and commands the state as best he knows how, while she follows divine law and human instinct, which are in direct opposition to Creon's human laws. Critic AJA Waldock makes a valid point: “All who matter are for Antigone; everyone who matters is against Creon. There is only one conclusion from this: the value represented by Creon is suspect” (qtd. in Howarth 17). He and his human laws may logically garner some respect from the audience, but will not elicit emotional support from the audience. Additionally, when it is revealed that Antigone broke the law and buried her brother, Creon does not attempt to save Antigone, he simply punishes her. Creon rejects any attempt to ask Antigone for forgiveness. She forces him to oppose him and he sentences her to death: end of story. It is not only the human will that is at stake in Sophocles' Antigone. The will of the gods also plays an important role. The gods operate in this play through Antigone. She is the vehicle not only of human empathy, but also of divine dictate and reason. However, their impact has much more to do with Creon than with Antigone (Howarth 17). Creon is the human who acts contrary to the will of the gods. Creon is the human who must learn that the laws of the gods take precedence over all human laws and must be respected. Antigone's human will and instinct conform to the will of the gods, which proves her right and gives her the strength to sacrifice herself for the ideal. Creon is at odds with the gods, and his punishment of Antigone does notonly make the situation worse. He must learn his lesson before it's too late. Unfortunately, Creon does not learn his lesson in time. Teiresias tries to save him (and in turn, to save Antigone, Haemon and Eurydice), but his attempt fails. Creon remains stubborn and proud until Teiresias prophesies a threat to Creon's family. Until this moment, no notion of “right” can hold Creon’s attention. Even then, he is still reluctant to give in. When advised to free Antigone, Creon responds: “Is that really your advice? Would you like me to give in? (1102). Because he does not want to learn or comply, Creon tries to save himself too late. He learns his lesson, but it is a hard lesson in loss, rather than simple salvation through understanding and good will. The Chorus tells him: “I believe you have learned justice, but too late”, and Creon replies: “Yes, I have learned it with bitterness” (1270-1). At the end of the play, Creon, the wiser, has nowhere to go and no one to turn to. Sophocles has some political importance to convey in this play. The Athenians greatly valued order and law in society. In this sense, Creon would have gained much respect in his attempts to create an orderly and legal state. However, the real message lies in the fact that although the audience respects Creon, they side with Antigone. It represents the political and social value that Athenians focus on. She has reason to live, to human will and, above all, to divine law. These are the values ​​that Sophocles relates to us in his version of the myth of Antigone. Jean Anouilh and the DifferenceJean Anouilh has a very different message in mind. He is not interested in what the gods have to say about life. He is not interested in focusing on Creon's pride and the dilemma of teaching him his lesson. He is also less interested in finding out who is right. For Anouilh, the law matters much less than the meaning and heart of the conflict itself. Anouilh emphasizes the conflict, not Antigone's piety or Creon's pride or erudition. Anouilh takes the myth of Antigone, as dramatized by Sophocles, and shifts its focus to adapt it to his message and the changing times. He uses a nearly identical story, but expertly changes the subject enough to truly change the focus and message of the piece. Anouilh admits to using historical subjects to create the characters he needs to make his point. He is not afraid to change history or the people who lived it to suit his needs. For his play Becket, he admits: “I didn't look in the history books for the real Henry II - or even Becket. I created the type of king I needed and the ambivalent Becket I needed” (qtd. in Freeman xxiv). In this sense, we can be ready for an Antigone that fits her goals, rather than one that is faithful to Sophocles' description. We should be informed to be on the lookout for what he is doing differently and why. Anouilh wrote Antigone at a time of classical revival in France. The classics, especially those drawn from mythology, lend themselves well to indirect commentary on modern society “by means of characters and relationships not tied to a specific context of time or place” (Howarth 8). Anouilh offers an Antigone where the action of the play takes place in ancient Thebes, but where life in the 20th century provides “metaphorical enrichment” (Howarth 12). He makes some significant modifications to the text in order to provide this “metaphorical enrichment”. Minor Characters One of the changes Anouilh makes to his source material is to change the roles of several minor characters. It makes certain minor characters much more important, addsimportant minor characters and leaves out one significant minor character. For example, in Anouilh's Antigone, Ismène plays a slightly stronger role. Its plot is essentially the same, but its thematic focus is stronger. In Sophocles' Antigone, Ismene is afraid of breaking Creon's law. She fears for her life and is generally afraid of doing wrong. In Anouilh's version, Ismène is not afraid of the consequences. Instead, she understands Creon and the reasoning behind his rule. She sees that he is doing what is necessary to protect the order of his state. She is portrayed as a conformist and a person who respects authority (Freeman xiii), but more importantly, she argues with Antigone not out of fear, but out of conviction that Creon is right. Anouilh uses this change to focus on the conflict. Haemon is also given a much larger role in Anouilh's play. Anouilh creates a scene between Antigone and Hémon, which reinforces the audience's understanding of their relationship. We see Antigone as a young bride who for all intents and purposes wishes to be a wife and mother. We see her in a human light, rather than simply as a martyr. This scene also completes the triangular relationship Antigone-Haemon-Creon and makes more significant the conflict of Creon sentencing his son's fiancée to death. This is yet another way in which Anouilh chooses to shift the focus from Creon to the conflict between Antigone and Creon (Howarth 30). Anouilh also creates new characters. In her version, Antigone has her nurse as a confidant. The nurse allows us to see Antigone in a private or domestic light (Howarth 23). Their created relationship develops sympathy for the heroine, as we see her as an innocent and idealistic childlike figure. This helps to emphasize Anouilh's theme of the heartaches and difficulties of growing up. One of the reasons why Antigone commits a crime punishable by death is that she cannot bear the idea of ​​facing “adult” life which does not allow for idealism. Adult life requires compromises on values ​​and ideals, and Antigone will not live that life. The scenes with the nurse remind us that she is in fact a kind of child and not the self-righteous martyr she might be considered to be. Anouilh also replaces the messengers and sentries with a multitude of guards. These guards have a very different role than the messengers and sentries they replaced. They represent the daily life of the population and every day. In several instances involving the guards, we see Antigone's death (and her concern) juxtaposed with the guards' everyday, ordinary concerns (Howarth 36). Guards are usually preoccupied with their pay, their care, and even where they will eat. Antigone spends her last moments with the guard Jonas. After she tells him he's the last person she'll see, he spends several minutes obsessing over the differences in pay and status between being a guard and being a sergeant in the regular army. Antigone has to stop her to remind her that she is going to die soon, and her response is "Of course, people admire a guard more. He's a kind of civil servant as well as a soldier..." (55 ) . She makes several other attempts to get his attention, but he never gives her more than a passing or indifferent response about his impending death. It doesn't concern him. Anouilh wishes to show that Antigone's martyrdom does not matter to the vast majority of the public. While Anouilh adds importance to some characters and completely subsides others, Tiresias just falls short. This is significant of Anouilh's theme, as Tiresias' disappearance symbolizes the lack of gods and the supernatural in Anouilh's Antigone. The Anouilh scene is notfocused on man's lack of power before the gods or the persecution of man by these gods, but on "the conflict between human will and human authority" (Howarth 14). Allowing any supernatural element would only hinder this theme. Teiresias is therefore not there to convince Creon that he was wrong to condemn Antigone to death. There is no one to save Creon. And, significantly, he doesn't necessarily need to be saved. Anouilh also changes the role of the Chorus, although even in his new capacity he does little to replace Tiresias. The Chorus-Prologue of Anouilh's Antigone stands out from most of the action and acts as an omniscient narrator. The Chorus-Prologue addresses the audience, creating a formal distance between the audience and the action of the play. This underlines the theatricality of the piece. The play is conscious of being a play; it is metatheatrical and self-referential (Freeman xxxvii). In the first scene, the Prologue introduces the characters and describes them as actors, waiting to assume their roles in the tragic play (Howarth 24). They are shown to play their role according to a predetermined action plan. Anouilh paints a picture of destiny and fatalism. Humans seem to be caught in a “mechanistic process,” even though “there is no indication as to who winds the clock mechanism” (Howarth 35). Man has no power to resist this tragic process. According to the Prologue-Chorus, there is no room for hope or chance. In fact, in Anouilh's Antigone, the characters refer to a "bad hope". The Prologue-Choir exists to remind us that this tragedy is predetermined and that all we have to do is live it. Creon and Antigone: The ConflictAnouilh gives us a version of Antigone that is structurally much more balanced than Sophocles' version. The first third of the play focuses on Antigone and her ideals, while the last third focuses on reason, order, and the need to continue life in Creon's state. The confrontation between these two ideals occupies the middle third of the play, giving it an important and significant place in the play. This is the thematic axis. The first third of the play is devoted to Antigone, her character and her ideals. She is presented as a rebel, “impulsive and passionate” (Freeman xiii). She does not care that the consequences of her actions and her confrontation with Creon are death. She “knows that her action makes no sense in practical terms” (Freeman xv), but she must sacrifice herself for her principles. Critic Ted Freeman has developed a controversial theory about Antigone's character and motivation. In his conflict with Creon, he convinces her that one of her arguments is invalid (the family bond with her brother). He tells the horrible story of her brothers' lives and argues that she has no need to pledge allegiance to them. In response to the silence of this argument, she almost immediately draws another argument (or excuse) to challenge Creon. This leads Creon to believe that, rather than wishing to pursue her ideals, she actually wishes to die. Freeman suggests that she is very much like the stereotype of the modern "unhappy teenager" who wants to find a way to deny growing up and deal with the disappointments of adult life. In this theory, she is a suicidal teenager, who invents reasons to end her life (xxxix-xli). He asserts that "Antigone's seemingly noble cause is insincere, an excuse given by an emotionally unstable young person to spare herself the impending disappointments of adult life" (xliv). He also states that, in her letter to Haemon, Antigone almost admits how "easy" it would have been to live and that she no longer really knows why she is dying. Freeman states that "in aa disturbing moment of inconsistency and perhaps even cowardice that no commentator has noted, she prevents this truth from being known... [and she] commits her own sin of omission, a kind of lie. » (xlii). This is not necessarily true. Antigone always has a motivated and pure character. Anouilh wants to make the conflict between Antigone and Creon ambiguous and confusing. If Antigone were simply portrayed as a suicidal teenager, her arguments could never be taken seriously. This theory goes against the main themes of the play. Antigone is disillusioned with growing up, not because growing up is disappointing, but because, in this world, growing up requires abandoning one's ideals. Antigone does not want to live in a world without principles or ideals. Her noble cause is to attempt to martyr herself for the world she wishes existed. In her letter to Hémon, she states how “easy” it would have been to live. She doesn't question whether her decision was the right one or not. “Easy” is not the same as “good.” And then she removes the “uncertainty clause” and replaces it with “I’m sorry.” She dies in her convictions. Antigone is not an unhappy teenager, but an idealistic young woman who is unwilling to compromise her principles, even when the results aren't quite what she wanted. The character of Creon is also very different in Anouilh's Antigone. He is not the harsh absolutist that Sophocles presents. This Creon is a realist, not a villain. He sees the explicit need to control the chaos and possible anarchy in his state (Freeman xv). It was a dirty job, but someone had to do it. His harsh regime is justified. In fact, his rule isn't even that harsh. Anouilh's Creon prefers to hide the problem with Antigone rather than actually enforce his rule. Rather than the evil autocrat created by Sophocles, Anouilh's Creon is “human and sensitive,” someone who commands great respect, even sympathy (Freeman xli). He wants to save Antigone, not punish her with death. He spends a third of the play arguing with Antigone, not about punishment, but about whether she can see that she was wrong. He wants her to move on with her life and leave it alone. But he realizes that he is unable to understand her or save her from herself (Howarth 38). Once the die is cast, every challenge thrown at Creon is met with a harsh defense of his actions. The Chorus challenges him directly and he maintains his right. Haemon challenges him, and he again maintains his right. Anouilh's Creon never weakens in his insistence on the good order of the State. The conflict between these two characters occupies a third of the play, a much more important place than in Sophocles' version. This illustrates the shift in focus from individuals and their lessons to the conflict itself (Freeman xliv). This conflict pits the experienced realist against the young idealist. There is no absolute right or wrong here. It is a debate between two rights. In an attempt to persuade Antigone to give in, Creon told her how horrible her brothers had been and that she should feel no familial (or other) connection to them. This crushes Antigone, and Creon almost succeeds in persuading her to "comply, survive, [and] marry Haemon", but Creon goes on to mention the word "happiness" (Freeman xvi). With this, all of Antigone's previous beliefs about the good life return. She “explodes in a tirade of contempt towards all those who accept that this conception of happiness can compensate for the decline of fierce ideals” (Freeman xlv). This conflict is between the value of reason and the value of ideals. Who can choose between them?The final momentsNow that the tragedy is over, Creon must continue his work. There is no rest forthose who are tired. Because Creon has opted for life, even if it is a life without ideals, he must continue to assume his responsibilities. It seems he feels little remorse or loss, and so we feel very little for him. Freeman states: “Creon is struck by the deaths of his son and wife, but cannot be held responsible for these disasters” (xli). Howarth states that because Teiresias is not there to be the spokesperson for the Gods, Creon “remains unrepentant to the end” (45). At the end of Sophocles' Antigone, Creon is left with a lesson to learn. He and his pride are responsible for the tragedy, and through this tragedy he gains wisdom. In Anouilh's Antigone, no such lessons are learned. Creon is not responsible. He was simply taking care of the business at hand. He acknowledges it was a bad deal, but says, "You can't just sit back and do nothing." They say it's dirty work. But if you don't do it, who will? (60). He is exonerated from his guilt by way of responsibility and necessity. Finally, the Chorus makes the final statement, very different from Sophocles' Chorus, which gives the audience lasting wisdom. Here, the chorus tells us: All those who had to die are dead: those who believed in one thing, those who believed in the opposite. . . even those who believed in nothing, but were caught up in the story without knowing what was happening. All dead: very stiff, very useless, very rotten. And those who are still alive slowly begin to forget them and confuse their names. It's over. . . . A great and sad peace descends on Thebes and on the empty palace where Creon will begin to await death. Only the guards remain. Everything that happened is indifferent to them. It's none of their business. They continue their card game. (60-1)Anouilh offers no catharsis. Creon is simply left behind, while the guards forget what, in any case, never mattered to them.PoliticsIt seems that the inspiration for Antigone came from the resistance fighter Paul Collette who, in August 1942, shot a crowd of collaborators. leaders at a rally in Versailles. Although it would seem that this would lead to a reading of the play favorable to the Resistance, the political interpretation proved controversial. Both camps (collaborator and resistance) claim allegiance to Anouilh's Antigone. French resistance fighters claimed that Antigone was “the embodiment of the spirit of resistance to tyranny” (Freeman xlvi), while the Germans and their collaborators saw the play quite differently. According to collaborationist critic Alain Laubreaux, Antigone's spirit of purity was admirable, but her resistance to authority could only lead to "chaos, disorder and suicide" (qtd. in Freeman xlvii). Another collaborationist critic, Charles Mere, found nothing admirable in Antigone. She was a “degenerate and unintelligent madwoman whose revolt produces only anarchy, disaster and death” (quoted in Freeman xlvii). These critics believe that Creon is the true hero of the play. He is the righteous ruler who “sacrifices all that is dear to him for the good of his country” (qtd. in Freeman xlvii). These oppositions are possible because, instead of focusing on who was right, Anouilh chose to focus on the confrontation between realism and idealism, without truly committing to one side or the other. Each character (representing each ideal) is presented with enough sympathy and concept of “rightness” that it is difficult to tell who is actually “right.” Albert Camus wrote of Anouilh's Antigone: "Antigone is right, but Creon is not wrong" (quoted in Freeman xiv). We sympathize with Antigone, but we also know that the argument.