SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT
The play reflects some of the key Greek ideals of the time
- The importance of being a citizen
- The importance of sophrosyne/ moderation
- The importance of man – ‘man is the measure of all things’
It also reflects the way that women were regarded in the time.
To a Greek it was a ‘sin’ to
- Disrespect the dead
- Not fulfill an oath
- Commit hubris/excessive behaviour
- Kill a member of the family
If you committed any of these sins you would be punished.
RULES OF DRAMA
- Only three actors of stage
- No death on stage
- Play must be set in a foreign country or based on a myth
The main focus of the audience was WHY things happen. They all knew the story of Antigone; they wanted to hear what Sophocles had to say about what she did.
WHO IS THE PLAY ABOUT?
It is called Antigone but is it really about Creon?
Antigone is not in the final scene of the play – her actions have made the plot of the play possible but the focus of the play is on the lessons Creon learns – he is the last person left on stage he is our focus.
Greek plays had to be didactic – teach a lesson and it is Creon who learns the lessons of the play – Antigone and Haemon are the ones that teach them.
WHAT ARE THE LESSONS OF THE PLAY?
Laws vs Morals/ Private vs Public
To be a citizen of Athens was the most important thing to the audience of the play.
Sophocles explores the conflict between the two areas of a person life- the private and public worlds.
Antigone represents the private world; she believes in family and the rights of the individual to a proper burial.
Creon represents public life; his concern is the state; he is not against the burial of Polynicies because he is against burials but because of the corpse belonged to a traitor.
Moderation
The other lesson Creon learns is the need for moderation is life – being flexible – hence all the imagery about bending trees.
Interestingly, Ismene is the ‘survivor’ of the play and she is the compromise between Antigone and Creon.
