Antigone (Anouilh play)

Infobox Play
name = Antigone


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writer = Jean Anouilh
chorus = Chorus
characters = Chorus
Antigone
Nurse
Ismene
Haemon
Creon
First Guard (Jonas)
Second Guard (a Corporal)
Third Guard
Messenger
Page
mute = Eurydice
setting =
date of premiere = February 6 1944
country of Origin = France
original language = French
series =
subject = War
genre = tragedy
web =
playbill_event =
ibdb_id =

Jean Anouilh's play "Antigone" is a tragedy inspired by Greek mythology and the play of the same name "(Antigone," by Sophocles) from the fifth century B.C. In English, it is often distinguished from its antecedent by being pronounced in its original French form, approximately "An-tea-GAWN"."

In Performance

Original production

The play was first performed in Paris on February 6 1944, not insignificantly during the Nazi occupation thereof. Produced under Nazi censorship, the play is purposefully ambiguous with regard to the rejection of authority (represented by Antigone) and the acceptance of it (represented by Creon). The parallels to the French Resistance and the Nazi occupation are clear, however.

British première

The play received its British première by the Old Vic Theatre Company at the New Theatre, London, on 10 February 1949. The production was produced by Laurence Olivier (who also played the role of Chorus) and had the following cast [Jean Anouilh (1951): "Antigone". Methuen & Co Ltd, London. ISBN 0-413-30860-X.] :

*"Chorus" - Laurence Olivier
*"Antigone" - Vivien Leigh
*"Nurse" - Eileen Beldon
*"Ismene" - Meg Maxwell
*"Haemon" - Dan Cunningham
*"Creon" - George Relph
*"First Guard (Jonas)" - Thomas Heathcote
*"Second Guard (a Corporal)" - Hugh Stewart
*"Third Guard" - George Cooper
*"Messenger" - Terence Morgan
*"Page" - Michael Redington
*"Eurydice" - Helen Beck

Plot

Just as in the myth and original play, the action follows the battle for Thèbes in which both of Antigone's brothers have been killed. Créon, now king, has decreed that while Antigone's brother Etéocle should be given the usual respectful burial, Polynices must be left as carrion for scavengers. Antigone chooses to attempt to bury Polynices, and is brought before Créon as a prisoner. Créon attempts to overlook the offense, perhaps because Antigone is engaged to his son Hémon, but Antigone refuses to be denied the responsibility for her actions, whether they be viewed as guilt or credit. A twist in this version is that Créon is not certain and does not care which body is lying on the pavement, and decided it would be Polynices. Thus, the noble cause that Antigone champions in Sophocles's drama is undermined here. No longer does Antigone nobly choose death; in Anouilh, she rejects life as desperately meaningless but without affirmatively choosing a noble death. The crux of the play is the lengthy dialogue between Créon and Antigone concerning the nature of power, fate, and choice, during which Antigone says,

"I am disgusted with your happiness! With your life that must go on, come what may. You could say you are all like dogs that lick everything they find. You with your promise of a humdrum happiness--provided a person doesn't ask much of life. I want everything of life, I do; and I want it total, complete: otherwise I reject it! I will not be moderate. I will not be satisfied with the bit of cake offered for being a good little girl. I want to be sure of everything this very day; sure that everything will be as beautiful as when I was a little girl. If not, I want to die!"

Differences from original Sophocles text

Although Anouilh based his play on the Sophocles play of the same name, there are a few differences. These include the absence of the blind prophet Tiresias (who was central to the Sophocles' "Antigone"), the substitution of the Choral Odes for a single character representing the chorus, and the addition of a nanny that takes care of Oedipus' two daughters.

Aside from the two major speaking roles, also appearing are:
*"Ismène", Antigone's sister
*"La Nourrice", Antigone's nursemaid
*"Hémon or Haemon", Antigone's betrothed
*"Les gardes", Theban royal guards
*"Le chœur", a variation of a Greek-style chorus
*"Le messager", a messenger
*"Le Clerc", a clerkCréon's wife Eurydice is spoken of and appears briefly, but is not a speaking role.

Adaptations

In 1974, an American television production of the play, presented on PBS, starred Genevieve Bujold. It is available on DVD.

References