Looking at Antigone

Description

Antigone is one of the most influential and thought-provoking of all Greek tragedies. Set in a newly victorious society, where possibilities seem boundless and mankind can overcome all boundaries except death, the action is focussed through the prism of Creon, a remarkable anti-hero – a politician who, in crisis, makes a reckless decision, whose pride (or insecurity) prevents him from backing down until it is too late, and who thereby ends up losing everything. Not just the story of a girl who confronts the state, Antigone is an exploration of inherent human conflicts – between men and women, young and old, power and powerlessness, civil law and the ‘unwritten laws’ of nature. Lauded in Antiquity, it has influenced drama and philosophy throughout history into the modern age. With an introduction discussing the nature of the community for which Antigone was written, this collection of essays by 12 leading academics from across the world draws together many of the themes explored in Antigone, from Sophocles’ use of mythology, his contemporaries’ reactions and later reception, to questions of religion and ritual, family life and incest, ecology and the environment. The essays are accompanied by David Stuttard’s performer-friendly, accurate and easily accessible English translation. Cover page Halftitle page Series page Title page Copyright page Dedication Contents List of Contributors Preface and Acknowledgements Introduction: Antigone , A Play for Today? The myth of Antigone Moral and societal values in Antigone Antigone and Samos Sophocles: Public servant and dramatic innovator Tragedy in classical Athens Translating Antigone for modern audiences and readers 1 Antigone: Right or Wrong? Notes 2 Antigone as Others See Her* Notes 3 Assessing the Character of Creon Suggestions for further reading 4 Images and Effects of Incest in Sophocles’ Antigone Notes 5 The Two Sisters Notes 6 Antigone’s Change of Heart Notes 7 Antigone and the Rights of the Earth Notes 8 Revealing Divinity in Sophocles’ Antigone Part I Part II Notes 9 Religion in Antigone Notes 10 Euripides’ Reception of Sophocles’ Antigone Notes 11 The Voices of Antigone Notes 12 Antigone Enters the Modern World Early modern Antigones Antigone in Potsdam (1841) Jean Anouilh Antigone , Paris, 1944 The Island by Athol Fugard, John Kani and Winston Ntshona Stefan Hertmans Antigone in Molenbeek , 2016 Notes Sophocles’ Antigone Dramatis Personae Bibliography and Further Reading Index