Places Discussed

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Thebes

Thebes (theebz). Ancient Greek city located in Boeotia, a district northwest of Athens, Thebes was famous in the ancient world for its tragic royal family and the seven-gated wall surrounding the city. The long-standing enemy of Athens, Thebes was the setting of several Greek tragedies. Despotic Thebes seems to have served Athenian playwrights of the fifth century b.c.e. as a kind of inverted mirror image of democratic Athens, providing them with a context within which to discuss social and political issues that might prove too disturbing if dramatized within a contemporary Athenian setting. By setting Antigone in Thebes, in the remote, mythical past, Sophocles freed himself to explore the tensions between personal freedom and legal restraint, household and city, male and female—all tensions of keen interest to contemporary Athenians, whose radically democratic system of government involved a constant program of public discussion and debate.

Royal Palace

Royal palace. Represented, probably with no attempt at physical “realism,” by a two-story wooden building at the rear of the stage. Athenian audiences would have been well versed in the tragic history of the royal house of Thebes, a history of internecine conflict, incest, and treachery, and may well have recognized the palace as a place where the two meanings of the word “house” mingle in interesting and problematic ways. The palace, as the royal residence, is Antigone’s home.

Cave

Cave. Place in which Creon entombs Antigone. It is an axiom of the Greek tragic theater that particularly unpleasant events, especially those involving violence and death, occur offstage but are described on stage, after the fact, by various characters. In Antigone, the most interesting offstage place is the cave in which Creon entombs Antigone. This “bridal-cave of Hades,” where Antigone hangs herself, is one of the play’s more important symbols, representing death but also, in its symbol of the womb and thus the female, ironically commenting on Creon’s stridently masculine rhetoric and political stance.

Expert Q&A

Where is the story Antigone set?

Antigone is set in the capital of the kingdom of Thebes, which is located in what is now Greece. Settings within Thebes include the royal palace, the grounds outside the palace, and the entrance to Antigone’s tomb. The battlefield where Polynices’s corpse was left to rot is also referenced but not shown.

What is the significance of the setting in Antigone?

Analysis

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In ancient Athens, Greek playwrights crafted their works for the Great Dionysia festival, which took place every spring. Attending these plays was considered a civic duty, as they addressed significant moral and social issues relevant to the community. Sophocles drew inspiration for Antigone from the Theban myths surrounding the legendary rulers of Thebes. By using an already ancient story, even in his time, he commented on themes such as the absolute power of monarchs and the role of women in society.

Tragedy

Antigone is a classic example of Greek tragedy. A tragedy is a drama that revolves around a noble, brave hero or heroine of high character who, due to a tragic flaw, brings about their own downfall. Tragedies treat their subjects with a dignified and serious tone, employing poetic language to evoke feelings of pity and fear, ultimately leading to catharsis, or the purging of these emotions. In Antigone, the central conflict involves two tragic figures, Antigone and Creon. Antigone defies a royal decree to bury her brother and faces death as a consequence, while Creon disregards the gods and loses his wife and son to suicide. Both characters evoke pity and meet tragic ends.

Catharsis

Catharsis refers to the release or purging of emotions like fear and pity, typically brought on by art, especially tragedy. It serves as an act of spiritual renewal. A notable convention in Greek drama was that all violence occurred offstage and was then described to the audience. This is evident in Antigone, where the messenger narrates the deaths of Antigone and Haemon to Eurydice. The messenger's words in Antigone aim to provoke catharsis in the audience without directly showing the violent events. Through Antigone, Sophocles sought to demonstrate the emotional consequences of his characters' actions, encouraging the audience to gain new perspectives and exercise caution in similar situations.

Chorus

Another key element in Greek drama is the chorus. Traditionally, a chorus is a group of actors who comment on and interpret the onstage action. The Greek word choros means "dance," and sometimes the chorus acted as a character in the play or represented a group of citizens similar to the audience. In Antigone, Koryphaios, the chorus leader, is a character within the play, while the rest of the chorus comprises Theban elders who alternately support Antigone and Creon. The chorus's wavering loyalty highlights the complexity of the play's issues.

Dramatic License

Many scholars have shared views similar to Braun's, who contended in his introduction to his translation of Antigone: "Until new evidence appears, one must presume that Sophocles invented many events in the story of his Antigone: (1) the form of Creon's decree; (2) the quarrels between Antigone and Ismene; (3) the double burial of Polyneices by Antigone and the final creation-burial by Creon; (4) the love of Antigone and Haemon; (5) the entombment of Antigone; (6) Teiresias's intervention and Creon's change of mind; and (7) the suicides of Antigone, Haemon, and Eurydice."

These events are absent in other accounts of the Theban myths, appearing solely in Sophocles's interpretation. The playwright's use of "dramatic license" or embellishment serves to elevate the story's tension, add complexity to the plot, and enhance the emotional release at the play's conclusion. Scholars debate the precise reasons for these additions, but most concur that the modifications render the story more intense and immediate.

Given the scarcity of surviving plays from Antigone's era, it is speculative that these events were invented and incorporated into the story. Nonetheless, no other known versions of the Theban myths include this information.

Expert Q&A

What is your analysis of the play Antigone?

The play Antigone explores the conflict between individual moral duty and state law through Antigone and Creon's differing values. Antigone prioritizes divine laws and tradition by burying her brother, while Creon upholds state laws, leading to tragedy. This central conflict raises questions about the balance between civic duty and personal beliefs. Both Antigone and Oedipus Rex highlight human hubris and the consequences of defying divine will, emphasizing wisdom and humility over pride.

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