Antigone
by Sophocles
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Book Summary Information
Author: SophoclesEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-12-01
ISBN: 1580493882
Number of pages: 80
Publisher: Prestwick House, Inc.
Book Reviews of Antigone
Book Review: Immortal Play, Perhaps Not Best Translation
Summary: 4 Stars
The third of Sophocles' Theban plays chronologically and the first written, Antigone is his second greatest world literature contribution, second only to Oedipus the King itself. Like that work, its greatness has reigned for nearly 2,500 years, and it is still a model of what tragedy should be; deftly plotted and perfectly executed, it has a sympathetic protagonist, a crushing climax, sublime poetry, and a wealth of meaningful themes. Though less famous than Oedipus the King and not quite as great, it is so tantalizingly close that it remains an immortal masterpiece. It is essential for everyone.
As in Oedipus the King, the title character may be the aspect that has always spoken most strongly. Though not a tragic hero in Oedipus' strict sense, Antigone has fundamentally human thoughts and feelings that make her supremely relatable; we feel with and for her because we see ourselves in her. She may be extremely high strung, and her actions and emotions may be highly wrought, but she is an extreme case of what the dark, often contradictory emotions at humanity's heart can lead to if followed to the logical conclusion. Whatever her faults, she is far more sinned against than sinning, and the depiction of her doomed love and tragic end are profoundly moving; few portrayals are more pathos-drenched. However ostensibly different from us, she has the indisputable human core necessary for a truly moving character. Whether or not we agree with her, we sympathize strongly, and her determination and resilience are truly admirable.
We must not overlook the significance of a female protagonist in an ancient Greek work. Greek society was truly a man's world; women were oppressed to an extent that has long been unthinkable in the Western world. They were not considered unequal so much as hardly thought of at all; indeed, they seem not to have been allowed at dramatic performances - a true irony here. Antigone has thus unsurprisingly been the focus of much feminist criticism. Calling it proto-feminist would be too much, but having a female protagonist - much less a sympathetic one - was indeed notable. Though lacking Greek male heroes' attributes, she is a far cry from the wily but essentially frivolous goddesses and women in Homer and elsewhere, to say nothing of helpless damsels like Helen. The play vividly showed that, however insignificant women were, their wishes could not simply be ignored - and that tragic consequences may result if they are. It was not until far later - perhaps the mid or late Victorian era - that literature had another heroine of comparable strength.
Yet she is not the only interesting character; indeed, strictly speaking, Creon is the true tragic hero. Much like Oedipus, he has tragic flaws - arrogance, narrow-mindedness, impulsiveness - that lead to his downfall. It is hard not to hate him at first, especially considering the story's background, but at least as hard not to be moved by the truly pathetic picture of the broken man he is at the end. He may have deserved punishment, but few would say he deserved the catastrophe he got, which is one of the most vivid and deeply stirring illustrations of how a rash act done quickly with little thought can lead to fatal conclusions. As important as Antigone is to the play's core emotion and thought-provoking aspect, Creon is also essential.
The story itself is key as well. The original audience knew the background well, and it has continued to be so famous that most will know a lot before reading, but Sophocles portrays it with such skillful mastery that it affected Athenians with mesmerizing power and continues to do so. Only Oedipus the King even rivals it for plot tightness and perfect execution; no one has ever made better use of foreshadowing or dramatic irony, and the breathtaking climaxes have rarely even been approached. The story is put together with almost mathematical precision, and the close is simply devastating. The totality of bitterly ironic events is so crushingly malevolent that it shows the absolute worst that can happen to people. For this reason among many others, the play remains a consummate tragedy.
The work's lasting value may be due primarily to its extraordinary dramatization of numerous weighty themes. All Greek tragedies were broadly philosophical in a way later plays - to say nothing of current ones - rarely are, but this is a prime example. Women's issues aside, it deals with important subjects like family relations, questions of political succession, private vs. public loyalty, pride vs. humility, etc. That Sophocles was able to do all this in a work of less than fifteen hundred lines - about one third of Hamlet - is a testament both to his genius and to ancient Greek art's essential concision.
There are few works for which reviews are more superfluous; the real question is what translation to get. Robert Fagles' is undoubtedly the best for current readers. It is not that prior ones are inaccurate, but inevitable language changes have made them ever less readable; some may think them more stately, but they lack Fagles' flow and readability. All one need do is compare his rendering of the famous closing speech to prior ones; his is so much more immediate yet also more poetic. Dedicated Greekless readers will of course want several, but neophytes should start with Fagles, the only version most will ever need.
Translation aside, the question of what edition to get is also important. The play is well worth reading on its own, but many versions pair it with Oedipus the King and Oedipus at Colonus, Sophocles' other two Theban plays. The former is even greater than Antigone, and the latter has substantial merit, meaning the trilogy is ideally bought complete. Standalones are hard to justify unless one wants a deluxe edition with Greek text, extensive criticism, or some other bonus, but the important thing is of course to read the play in some form.
Summary of Antigone
To make this quintessential Greek drama more accessible to the modern reader, this Prestwick House Literary Touchstone Edition? includes a glossary of difficult terms, a list of vocabulary words, and convenient sidebar notes. By providing these, it is our intention that readers will more fully enjoy the beauty, wisdom, and intent of the play. The curse placed on Oedipus lingers and haunts a younger generation in this new and brilliant translation of Sophocles? classic drama. The daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta, Antigone is an unconventional heroine who pits her beliefs against the King of Thebes in a bloody test of wills that leaves few unharmed. Emotions fly as she challenges the king for the right to bury her own brother. Determined but doomed, Antigone shows her inner strength throughout the play. Antigone raises issues of law and morality that are just as relevant today as they were more than two thousand years ago. Whether this is your first reading or your twentieth, Antigone will move you as few pieces of literature can.Greek & Roman Books
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