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Antigone
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Introduction-Act 1, Page 36Act Summaries & Analyses
Introduction Summary
Lewis Galantière’s Introduction examines the Antigone myth by putting it in the context of the Oedipus trilogy by Sophocles, written over 2,400 years ago, as well as the historical context of Anouilh’s adaptation of the myth.
Antigone is the daughter of the former king of Thebes, Oedipus, and Queen Jocasta. In Oedipus Rex—the first of the Sophoclean trilogy—Oedipus discovers that he has accidentally fulfilled a terrible prophecy that predicted he would kill his father and marry his own mother. Horrified to learn of what he has done, Oedipus blinds himself and goes into exile, while Jocasta dies by suicide. In the second part of the Oedipus trilogy, Oedipus at Colonus, Oedipus ultimately dies in exile; after his death his daughter Antigone returns to Thebes. His sons, Eteocles and Polynices, take the throne in what are supposed to be alternating years of rule. However, “[t]he sons have incurred their father’s wrath and he has laid upon them a curse that they will die at one another’s hand” (8). This curse comes to pass, and it is Polynices’ resulting death that sets the stage for the conflict in Antigone, the third and final play of the trilogy, in which Antigone defies her uncle Creon to bury her brother.
Galantière also explains the historical and cultural significance of Anouilh adapting a play about an unlikely hero standing up to a dictator. While he writes that the play’s conflict “might occur in any country where a dictator sets himself above both religion and the people” (9), he notes that in Anouilh’s case, that country is Nazi-occupied France. Galantière writes that Anouilh’s play would have had to make it past Nazi censorship. American audiences, he predicts, will not feel as much of an impact from the play as the original French audience did when they watched it under German oppression. He ends the Introduction by talking about the continuing relevance of Antigone.
Act 1, Pages 7-36 Summary
Antigone is performed as one continuous Act, with no intermission. Antigone, Ismene, Haemon, King Creon, the Guards, the Nurse, Queen Eurydice, the Messenger, and the Page are all onstage at the beginning of the play, frozen in a tableau. The significance of fate—a common thematic component of traditional Greek Tragedy—is immediately introduced, as the Chorus says that Antigone is “an instrument of the gods” and under the sway of “inhuman forces” pushing her forward (14). Her beautiful sister Ismene is in a tableau looking at Haemon, King Creon’s son. Haemon once seemed attracted to Ismene, but abandoned her in favor of her sister. He and Antigone are now engaged.
Creon, the King, “practices the difficult art of a leader of men” (15). He is the brother-in-law of the now-deceased Oedipus, and uncle to Eteocles, Polynices, Antigone, and Ismene. He tells himself, the Chorus informs the audience that he is only taking on the job of King because he must. Creon thinks that it weren’t for his duty, he would go back to his old and artful leisurely habits of shopping at antique stores, listening to music, and serving as a patron of the arts. The Chorus warns the audience not to be fooled: Creon loves his status as King.
The queen, who only appears in this first scene, is Eurydice. She is described as “the gracious lady with the knitting” (16), who will “go on knitting throughout the play, till the time comes for her to go to her room and die” (16). The Nurse, who is beside her, is a mother figure for the sisters, as she raised the two of them after the deaths of Oedipus and Jocasta.
The Chorus then informs the audience that what they are about to see occurs just after Eteocles and Polynices kill each other. Creon has decreed that Eteocles will receive a proper burial, but Polynices will not. This injustice is what incites the action of the play, causing Antigone to take her place as a hero, and eventually, a martyr.
It is early morning, and Antigone is sneaking back into the castle after having left her bed under the cover of night. The Nurse confronts her, demanding to know where she has been at this hour. Antigone is vague with her answers and avoids telling the Nurse where she really was. The Nurse accuses her of having met a lover, and Antigone, wanting to put an end to the interrogation, pretends that the Nurse has guessed correctly. The Nurse is stunned by this, since Antigone was always the least likely of the two sisters to interact with boys. She responds angrily; Antigone quiets the Nurse by assuring her she was not meeting a lover after all, and promises never to have any other lover besides Haemon.
Ismene, Antigone’s younger sister, joins them, and the Nurse rushes off to get them both breakfast. Once they are alone, Ismene tries to persuade Antigone not to bury their brother. She is certain they will face death if they do so. Though she admits that what has happened to Polynices is horrible, Ismene doesn’t feel that their brother’s body is worth risking their lives. She asks Antigone if she wants to die, to which Antigone replies “I’d prefer not to die, myself” (23). She tries to talk Antigone into accepting a happy life, one which will not be possible if she continues down the path of civil disobedience.
In a last attempt to make Antigone prioritize herself and her loved ones, Ismene mentions Haemon’s name. Antigone promises Ismene that she will take care of Haemon and tells her to go back to bed in the meantime. The Nurse arrives, and Antigone asks her to comfort her like she did as a child, as she prepares to do something that will require more courage than she feels she possesses. She tells the Nurse to watch after her dog if anything happens to her, and to put the dog to sleep if life is too hard without her owner. The Nurse is confused by Antigone’s words, but her questions are interrupted by Haemon’s entrance. Antigone ushers Nurse away so she can greet her lover.
When Haemon enters, Antigone flings herself into his arms. She apologizes profusely for having quarreled with him the previous night, but Haemon assures her that he had already forgiven her. He is, however, puzzled at why Antigone appeared that night wearing perfume, a dress, and rouge, all of which are out of character for her. Antigone admits that she took the items from Ismene because she wanted to be sure that Haemon found her attractive. She apologizes again and asks Haemon to hold her close.
As they embrace, Antigone tells Haemon about the boy they would have had together, had they been able to wed, and how she would have given him her strength. She questions Haemon, wanting to be sure that he really did mean to propose to her and not Ismene. Haemon replies by kissing her, and Antigone’s fears melt away. She pulls away from him and finds the courage to say goodbye. She makes Haemon swear that he “will go away without a single word” (31). She tells him that she is unable to marry him after all, and that soon all will be clear to him. He tries to ask her why, but she reminds him that he swore not to speak, and sends him out without another word. Just as Haemon is leaving, Ismene re-enters, pleading with Antigone, “You can’t bury Polynices. I won’t let you!” (33). Antigone replies solemnly, telling her sister that it has already been done. This morning, when Antigone left the palace, she went to bury their brother.
The scene shifts to several hours later that day, where Creon and his Page are greeted by a guard, Private Jonas, who has come to deliver some disturbing news. He is one of three guards who was standing watch by Polynices’ body, and the three of them flipped a coin to decide who would have to tell Creon that, under their watch, someone had buried the body. The body snatcher left a small, child-sized shovel left behind at the scene of the crime, so they assume that the guilty party is very possibly a child. Creon is furious at this news; he laments that the temple priests would stoop so low as to use a child martyr: “A real white-faced baby of fourteen who will spit with contempt at the guards who kill him. A free gift to their cause: the precious, innocent blood of a child on my hands” (35). Creon realizes how bad this could potentially make him look and leaps into action to fix it. He demands that Private Jonas tell him how many people know what has happened. When Creon is satisfied that it is only the three guards who know, he sends Private Jonas back to re-cover the body, but instructs them to make an immediate arrest if someone tries to bury the body again.
Introduction- Act 1, Page 36 Analysis
The first part of the play does a great deal of world building. First, the Chorus frames the show as meta-theatrical, meaning that the characters in the play are aware that they are performing, and the play itself reminds the audience that they are watching a fictionalized, constructed reality. The Chorus subverts the audience’s ability to suspend their disbelief by making comments such as Antigone “is thinking that the instant I finish telling you who’s who and what’s what in this play, she will burst forth […] and face the world alone” (13). This alienating narrative effect, popularized by German playwright Bertolt Brecht, keeps the audience slightly removed from the characters and their emotions, so they can better engage intellectually with the philosophical rhetoric woven throughout the dialogue. The Chorus is also introduced as the voice of fate. His character tells the audience from the beginning which characters will die, which characters will or will not learn lessons in the play, and so on. Unlike traditional Greek Tragedy, the Chorus is portrayed by one character in this adaptation, as opposed to a large group.
The themes of sibling rivalry and femininity (and the intersection of those themes) make their first appearance in this part of the play. The inciting incident stems from two brothers who kill each other, and Antigone and Ismene are frequently compared to one another, to the point where Antigone becomes convinced that Haemon could not have willingly chosen her over her sister for his bride. She asks Haemon, “It was me you were looking for? It wasn’t another girl? And that not in your secret heart of hearts, have you said to yourself that it was Ismene you ought to have asked to marry you?” (30). In questioning whether Haemon was actually looking for “another girl,” Antigone reveals her insecurity about her lack of femininity. Her insecurity directly feeds into her rivalry with Ismene, who is considered to be traditionally beautiful and feminine.
Most importantly, Antigone and Ismene are diametrically opposed on the topic of Polynices’ body. Despite Ismene’s pleas for her to change her mind, Antigone is steadfast in her need to bury Polynices. She tells Ismene, “I only understand that a man lies rotting, unburied. And that he is my brother […] and that he must be buried” (24). Although Antigone is aware that she is risking her life for the burial, she feels compelled to obey her conscience and to place traditional moral and religious laws above the civil law of her uncle, Creon.
Meanwhile, Creon is equally unwilling to budge. When Private Jonas tells Creon that the body has been buried, he commands them to uncover it, and threatens to shoot Jonas and the other two guards if word gets around that someone defied him. For Creon, traditional morality and familial ties must give place to his supreme power as king, and maintaining his own authority will remain his motivation throughout his conflict with Antigone.
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