Antigone (The Theban Plays, #3) in Catching up on Classics (and lots more!)

Aug 26, 2017 Kenny rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: theatre, greek, classics, scripts

"Your soul is blowing apart."
Antigone ~~ Sophokles Anne Carson

I love Antigone. I think it is one of the very best of the Greek tragedies ~~ no one of the very best of all tragedies ever written.

Random thought ~~ I suspect there is a play that is part of this cycle that is missing ~~ a play that focuses on the brothers.

This review will not focus on the play itself, but on the wonderful translation by Anne Carson.

Anne Carson is a poet. She is a wordsmith in the highest sense of the word. Sh ...more

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Jun 03, 2021 Lekeshua rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-2021

This was my first Greek Tragedy. Thanks to Angelina Stanford, Cindy Rollins, and Thomas Banks for introducing my to how to read a Greek play in their podcast, The Literary Life Podcast. Looking forward to the discussion of this tragedy.

Antigone was a riveting tale of Antigone, family responsibility, family betrayal, omens, and death.

“Now don’t please, be quite so single-minded, self-involved, or assume the world is wrong and you are right. Whoever thinks that he alone possesses intelligence, t ...more

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Aug 21, 2019 Franky rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, drama

“It is no shame to pay respect to our own flesh and blood.”

“Well, I was made for fellowship in love, not fellowship in hate.”

“All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride.”

I will say that there is definitely a certain power in reading the rather tragic play of Antigone (or, for that matter, any of Sophocles’ work). He always offers little nuggets of wisdom that we as readers can ruminate on and think on long afte “It is no shame to pay respect to our own flesh and blood.”

“Well, I was made for fellowship in love, not fellowship in hate.”

“All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride.”

I will say that there is definitely a certain power in reading the rather tragic play of Antigone (or, for that matter, any of Sophocles’ work). He always offers little nuggets of wisdom that we as readers can ruminate on and think on long after the reading experience.

I think there are two key themes that surround this classic tragedy, that of one being honorable and moralistic, and the other, well, to put it in more contemporary terms, sticking to one’s guns, even in the face of harsh punishment.

That we see in the character of Antigone. I thought one of the more impactful moments from this rather short drama is early on when Antigone is accused and first brought forth to face Creon for her crimes. Her first response to justifying the whys of her “crimes” her actions speaks volumes for her strength of character. She does not back down to Creon, accepts what fate comes her way, good or bad, and ultimately gives reasons for her actions of burying her brother with a faithful and honorable approach.

In another sense, Sophocles’ play examines abuse of power and the repercussions of such abuse on the individual. We see this in the Creon, who at points has duty and authority in mind over morality. He fails to see the many warnings and omens for good portions of the play.

However, the play is much more complex than I am articulating. There are many tragedies piling up to many characters as the drama progresses. Quite a bit of pathos and sadness and woe. One could argue that two of the key leads Creon and Antigone take on roles of tragic hero, but in vastly different ways. Antigone’s primary “flaw” is not conforming to authority, whereas Creon’s is much more pronounced in various ways.

On a side note: if a blind old, wise man warns you about something and you happen to be a character in a Greek tragedy (or for that matter, a Shakespearean play), please do take note.

I think the staying power of Antigone is that we live in an age where individuals struggle to overcome conforming to the masses due to the threat of being ridiculed, humiliated, embarrassed, or defamed in some manner. Sometimes one act and “do the right thing” because it is just and righteous and moral, even if said act fails to be in accordance with the powers that be.

Antigone is a short play, yet it is really deep and there is quite a bit to consume, digest and ponder about after the final line, which really is the brilliance in the work. A reader could probably read this play five times and find five different ways to examine and look at this work.

...more

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Sep 02, 2019 Katy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Reading from this book: The Three Theban Plays: Antigone, Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus

Very readable and enjoyable translation by Robert Fagles
Truly a classic play ...more

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May 03, 2017 Jack rated it it was amazing

Shelves: classic-literature, classics-of-antiquity

Another ancient Greek play down. I now understand that Antigone is a sequel to Oedipus. Still tragic. Still everyone that is cool dies. Gods get pissed off and humans get it. Normal plot.

I am still happy I read it. Now I know where all our movie plots come from. Some Greek guy back around 400-500 BCE. I dig it.

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