Customer Reviews

Antigone (Methuen Drama, Methuen Student Edition)

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Anoulih's version of Antigone was adapted for the time in which he lived. It contains hidden symbols to, at the time, both get the book past the censors and give the french audience moral and courage to stand up to the Nazi's and follow their beliefs. The characters are adapted slightly to fit his version, ie Tieresas is left out and a nurse is introduced. He also had to adapt the personalities of the characters, for instance Antigone develops a whiny habit, and Creon is seen as a "good guy". This was also done in order to get the play by the sensors. It is a well-written play with rounder characters than the original. This version would be better read after reading the original.

This is a modern version of Antigone that helps students relate the themes of the original version to modern times. The concepts of a higher law than man's is certainly expressed, but more importantly, the determination of the few and the role of Haemon are stressed. This is an excellent piece for an Advanced Placement class to use after reading both OEDIPUS AND ANTIGONE BY SOPHOCLES.

A play (tragedy) about collaboration and resistance, intending to be an allegory of France (could be replaced with about any invaded country) during WWII set in the context of greek mythology.
The play focus on the moral dilemnas of collaborating authorities hating to do a dirty work but doing it anyhow (because someone "has to do it" for the population, for the sake of keeping on living, even if a "lesser" life) versus individual acts of resistance, refusing any concession to their liberty and happiness. War, freedom, politics, inviduality. The book is summary but invites to an eternal discussion.

I did not care for the transaltaion, nor did I care for the commentary--
except in as much as it made me want to compare translations.
I am an adult reader, and theater artist.

I read Sophocles Antigone for graduate Humanities class. It is an essential reading to understand Greek Tragedy. It is also a foundation stone of literature in studying Western Civilization.

Antigone, daughter of Oedipus in 3-cycle play, faces capital punishment for burying her brother who rebelled against Thebes. Obeying instincts of loyalty of love and the divine law, she defies Creon, the King and her uncle. Creon says laws of states outweigh all other laws, and family loyalty, when he finally relents it's too late.

Over the centuries there has been a great deal made about the conflicts played out in the play, law of state vs. law of goods, personal vs. state duties. Loves knowledge vs. state knowledge. Greek understanding of tragedy- Aristotle lays down understanding of Greek tragedy. He based it on Sophocles. Tragedy- most important thing for tragedy is plot, it is all essential. Tragedy defined as- is imitation of an action that is serious, complete and of a certain magnitude in language embellished with incidents arousing pity and fear ant to the audience it accomplishes catharsis of such emotions. Every tragedy must have six parts that determine its quality. 1. plot 2. character 3. diction 4. fault 5. spectacle and 6. melody.

According to Aristotle, tragedy is higher and more philosophical than history or poetry; it is one of the highest expressive forms because it dramatizes what may happen. History is a narrative that tells you what has happened tragedy shows what is possible. History deals with particulars, tragedy deals with the universal. Tragedy creates a cause and effect chain and shows how the world operates. It frames human experience in universal discourse, tragedy is central in this effort. Tragedy arouses pity and fear in audience because we can envision ourselves caught in this cause and effect chain. Plot most important feature, the arrangement of incidents, the way incidents, and action is structured. Tragedies outcome depends on the outcome of these cause and effect changes not on being character driven. Plot must be whole, beginning middle and end. Beginning must have a motivation that starts the cause and effect chain of events must be a center or climax that is caused by earlier incidents. There must be an end some kind of closure caused by earlier events in tragedy. This is all part of the complication of the tragedy all must be connected. You can't have a dues ex machnia in a superior tragedy.

In tragedy, the hero or heroine walks knowingly towards the fate that is written and can't be changed. Unity of action plot must be structurally self-contained, each action leading invariably to the next without outside intervention. The worst kinds of plots are episodic, like a Jerry Seinfeld sitcom, can't be something about nothing, must have unity of action. Magnitude, quantatively meaning length, and quality of action, it must be serious. Must be of universal significance, depth, and richness. Character- most important feature is the fatal flaw. Motivations of characters are important but character is there to support the plot. Character must be a prosperous renowned personage. Change of fortune from good to bad will really matter and bring fear and pity to the audience. In ideal tragedy, the hero will mistakenly bring about his own downfall. Because they make a mistake, because knowledge of our selves is always partial, we can't have complete knowledge of ourselves. Hall quotes Descartes in the article, "The limited error prone perspective of the individual. Subject is always imperfect and human and these limitations include our ability to know in any reliable way ourselves." The fact that we as subjects, as agents can never fully know ourselves means that we are always prone to error, error is the essence of the tragic hero, tragedy is the essential drama of human subjectivity.

What is Hegel's understanding of concept of tragedy? He revises Aristotelian principals and logic. Immensely influential German philosopher, he writes about; tragedy in the Aesthete 1820-29, he proposes, "the suffering of the tragic hero are merely the means of reconciling the opposing moral clients." According to Hegel's account of Greek tragedy, the conflict isn't between good and evil, but between competing goods, all is good. Between two entirely ethical worlds that clash and can't come together. Both characters have an ethical vision or belief that they have to follow it is there one-sidedness of their vision that clashes with the one-sidedness of the other character. Both sides of contradiction are justified. Conflict of irreconcilable justifiable ethical worlds, ethical visions. Just as his dialectic must lead to an ultimate synthesis, so to must tragedy lead to a synthesis. This is dramatized in the death of the tragic actor, which becomes the synthesis. Hegel says; "the characters are too good to live." They are too good to live in this world. What is interesting is that Hegel so wants to correct moral imbalances his emphasis is on moral balances.

The better translations are Paul Roche, and Robert Fagles.

Greek tragedy is great reading for people interested in aesthetics, history, psychology, and philosophy.

This was an excellent book. It is an adaptation of the Greek play "Antigone," by Sophocles, written here by a French existentialist author and playwright. The ending contains something of a twist from the original, and there are some excellent symbolisms contained in this play as well. Both of these elements stem from rich existentialism views. The book makes one think of the meaning of life, when and if it is worth living, or better to die instead, for a cause.

I was extremely annoyed with the translation of this play. The description of the book should warn costumers of the EXTREMELY different translation!!!!!!!

Ok, I'm french and I'm VERY surprised AMAZON sells some of our books... Anyway, Antigone is my favorite story, I'll read it everyday if I could. It makes me cry everytime and it's the coolest story about life.

Jean Anouihl is a very good writer. He did an excellent job with this play. And to the person who said Antigone was selfish, she is not selfish, why would the author paint his hero to be selfish?

Why not die? For fear if God? For fear of being forgotten? For fear of not "is-ing"? For fear of worms! For fear of life eternal? For fear of night?

For his warmth, we go on living -- knowing that this is not as good as it gets. What dreams may come, O Antigone! Antigone, you are a selfish vitch!

PS: I am mildly manic-depressive, sometimes I eat toothpaste and at others, I gag at the sight of it...