Antigone Through the Years - Research Paper Example

?Full “Antigone” Through the Years Oedipus was the son of King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes who was given to a servant to be killed because of a prophecy that he would kill his father. However, unable to let the child die, the servant gave the child to another servant who in turn brought him to the king and queen of Corinth who adopted him and was named Oedipus. When he grew up, an oracle of Delphi repeated the prophecy told to his parents. For fear that he would kill his foster father and marry the mother he recognized as his own, Oedipus left the city and went to Thebes and there killed his real father. During that time, the city was plagued by a sphinx which ate the men who were not able to answer his riddles. Queen Jocasta’s brother, Creon, then announced that anyone who can answer the sphinx correctly will be married to his sister. Oedipus succeeded the test and eventually became his mother’s husband, fulfilling the prophecies told about him. Oedipus then sired Antigone, Ismene, Polynices and Eteocles. However, after twenty years of reigning in Thebes, the place was again plagued. Wanting to help the citizens of Thebes, Oedipus was committed to solving the city’s problem which finally led him to know the facts of his birth. Feeling guilty and angry, he then blinded himself and was exiled by his brother-in-law, Creon while his wife and mother hanged herself (Johnston). Consequently, the sons agreed to divide the rule of Thebes but Eteocles banished his brother Polynices. According to Alfred Church’s “Battle of Thebes” though, the latter returned with vengeance and a battle ensued where the brothers both die fighting each other. Recognizing Eteocles as a hero, Creon gave him a decent burial with full military honors while his banished brother, Polynices was disgraced because his uncle ordered that no one should mourn or bury him. Nevertheless, Antigone, the sister of Eteocles and Polynices feels sorry for her brother and vows to bury him. She asks her sister, Ismene, to help her but the latter was very afraid of her uncle’s decree that she refuses her sister’s request. As a result, Antigone had to bury her brother all alone during the night (Rosenberg). The famed author of “King Oedipus” and “Antigone”, Sophocles, was born in 496 B.C and lived to be ninety. He was born to a wealthy family so that he was given the best education during his time. Consequently, he became one of the best writers to survive fame to modern days. He is known to have written more than a hundred plays and ninety-six of which won first prize in the Athenian festivals held in the honor of Dionysius, the god of wine. Unluckily, only a few of his works survived (Rosenberg). Sophocles is recorded not only as a respected literary genius but he is also known for being a good Athenian citizen. Having been borne during the Persian war, a battle fought between the Greek city-states and the Persian Empire, Sophocles became well-informed about wars (Rosenberg). Politics has become important an information that is widely used by Sophocles to give color to his narrations. However, the events during his lifetime were not the only influences to his writing but the existing religious beliefs as well which includes Greek mythology characters as evident in “Antigone”. In addition, he also delves in the personal and familial relationships of his characters. When “Antigone” was written, the Peloponnesian war, the battle between Athens and Sparta, was still ongoing and this perhaps had a great impact on the story. According to historical accounts, the city of Epidamnus sent to inquire from Delphi if they are supposed ask protection from Corinth and an oracle was give that they are supposed to submit to their mother country (Crawley). In relation to Sophocles’ story, it is obvious how he showed such practice of kings, relating how Creon encouraged Oedipus to ask help from the prophet Teiresias on what to do when their city was plagued. It should also be remembered that the reason why Oedipus left Corinth was because of the oracle of Delphi which prophesied that he will kill his father and marry his mother. The mention of such accurate information of history in a literary work perhaps does not only show what a genius Sophocles was but it also shows how active he was in politics and wars. Seamus Heaney was an Irish writer who was born into a Roman Catholic family. Being a brilliant child, he won scholarships to St. Columb’s College, a Catholic Boarding School and then to Queen’s University in Belfast where he later taught. However, he moved to the Irish Republic in 1972 where he became a full-time writer and later became professor to several universities. In 1995, he won the most coveted Nobel Prize in Literature (Reidhed). His work entitled “The Burial at Thebes” is based on the burial scene majorly played by Antigone. However, it is not simply a retelling of Sophocles’ tragedy but is believed to be based from the “history of British colonialism, the oppression of Ireland and the contemporary neocolonialist actions of America and its allies in Iraq” (Wilmer). Being a modern day writer and given the notion that writers often reflect their political opinions through their works, the story cannot escape the presumption that it is a political statement. Tyranny often comes in many forms as the story of Antigone clearly depicts. Truly, it is not just another story that has been immortalized because of a famous writer but because of the truth that it rings throughout generations. Things may have changed through the years but colonialism is ever-present in every era however, it’s face may have changed in form. The fact that it is there makes stories such ass “Antigone” live forever and echo the cries of the people who died fighting for their rights, encouraging those under oppression to continue the fight even if it means death. “The Island” is the recreation of Sophocles’ genius by Athol Fugard. It is believed to be the Black version of the story because it reflects the struggles of the Africans, set in a notorious prison camp in the island of Robben. The story portrays some real-life experiences in the prison and has a lot of similarities to “Antigone”. As the Africans fought for their freedom, they somehow were able to relate to the pleas and principles of Antigone who did not think about her safety but was more concerned about doing the right thing. Similarly, the Africans did not care if they were killed or put in prison as long as they fought for their rights. One of the major role players in the African story is Nelson Mandela, a real-life hero to the Africans who was imprisoned in the island (Devon). “Antigone”, on the other hand, recreated by Athol Fugard, is a full adaptation of the original story to a play. Fugard was born in June 23 in Bordeaux (Bray). At an early age, he was exposed to the thrills of opera and literature. In addition, he also had other work experiences which engaged him in plays and his family life as well and his work went on quite fine. In February of 1944, his play, “Antigone” begun a run of five hundred performances in Atelier, directed by Barascq. This play, along with “Eurydice”, are known to be the first plays written and performed during the Second World War. The play was quite timely because it reflected the despair the nation was going through during that time. A year later, the writer was involved in an appeal made for an anti-semitic journalist and intellectual Raymond Brasillach who was executed through firing squad. Their appeal which was not recognized became a source of hatred to Fugard towards General de Gaulle, then head of the provisional government. As a result of his active involvement in government affairs, Fugard’s Antigone was strongly considered as an “apologia rather than an endorsement of resistance to tyranny” (Bray). References Bray, Barbara. “Jean Anouilh: Antigone”. London: A&C Black Publishers, 2005. Print. Church, Alfred J. “Seven Against Thebes”. George Theodoridis (Trans.). 2010. Web. april 10, 1013 < http://bacchicstage.wordpress.com/aeschylus-2/seven-against-thebes/>. Crawley, Richard. “The History of the Peloponnesian War”. Thucydides. n.d Web. April 10, 2013. < http://classics.mit.edu/Thucydides/pelopwar.1.first.html>. Johnston, Ian. “Sophocles: Oedipus the King”. Canada. n.d. Web. April 10, 2013. < https://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/sophocles/oedipustheking.htm>. n.a. “The Island- A Play Based on Robben Island Prison”. Devon Curriculum Services. The Crossing Project. n.d. Web. April 11, 2013. < http://www.devon.gov.uk/dcs/crossings/lit/island.htm>. Reidhed, Julia. “The Norton Anthology: English Literature, 8th Edition”. USA: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2006. Print Rosenberg, Donna. “World Literature: An Anthology of Great Short Stories, Drama and Poetry”. Illinois, USA: NTC Publishing Group, 1992. Print. Wilmer, Stephen E. “Finding a Post-Colonial Voice for Antigone: Seamus Heaney’s Burial at Thebes”. Classics in Post-Colonial Worlds. n.d. Web. April 10, 2013. . Read More