Antigone

By Splendid Productions
Directed by Kerry Frampton

Antigone is an Athenian tragedy written by the Greek tragedian Sophocles in 441 BC and
was first performed at the Festival of Dionysus the same year. This performance by
Winthrop High School- Drama Society is an adoption of the original play. Through the play,
the actors portray the theme of determination and power using special effects, masks,
costumes, and motifs of the genre(examples, catharsis, peripeteia, hamartia, and others).

Plot Summary

The play is about a young girl, Antigone who learns that both of her brothers are dead. King
Creon, (Antigone's uncle) has issued a law stating Eteocles has been given a proper burial,
while the other, Polyneices isn’t because he was a traitor. Antigone defies the law, buries her
brother, and is caught. When Creon locks her away in a cave, she kills herself. Unaware of
this, the blind prophet Teiresias, Haemon (Creon's son and Antigone's fiancé), and the
Chorus plead with Creon to release her, unless his court is doomed. Creon finally gives in,
however, it's too late. Out of despair, Haemon killed himself, leaving Creon in distress and
sorrow.

Cultural & Historical Context and Relation to Aristotle's Greek Tragedy

Antigone is the tragic hero of the story as her fortunes(marrying the love of her life, and
living a happy and comfortable life) change the moment she decides to bury Polynice. As
mentioned earlier, Creon’s law states that Polynice shouldn't get his last rights, which
prevents him from entering the afterlife. This is what Aristotle would refer to as the
character's hubris. More than just Creon’s fatal fault, even his ego, disdain, and disregard
for the gods' will ultimately bring him to ruin. Another example of Creon's hubris is when he
refuses to show mercy to his niece. The story also has two plot twists or as Aristotle called it,
two peripeteias. The first is when Antigone is brought to trial in front of Creon, who
condemns her to live the rest of her days in a desolate cave. The second is when Antigone
commits suicide in the cave. Another of Aristotle’s principles, nemesis is used in the play.
There is also catharsis when Ismene feels pity for her sister Antigone as Creon threatens to
kill her. Lastly in the plane, you can see the use of nemesis. After learning of Antigone's
demise, when Haemon, commits suicide himself, it’s Creon's tragedy and the nemesis that
he suffers.

Special Effects

Special effects weren’t very prominent in this performance. However, there were a few
points to note. Firstly, the sound and music were very loud and exhilarating. In my opinion,
this was done to enhance the impact of the play and engage the audience. Secondly, the
delivery of the story was made more interesting by the stage's unusual shape. In my
opinion, it was a very interesting concept on how the cast descended a step each time their
social status is impacted. For example, the chorus which generally represented the common
man was at the bottom and Creon(the king) was on top. Another prominent use was how at
the beginning of the play Antigone was at the top(as the king’s niece) and towards the end
was on the last few steps, because she was exiled. This also clearly shows that she was the
tragic hero of this story.

Costumes and Masks

Costumes and masks played a huge role in the play. All characters wore nondescript
clothing. For example, the chorus wore theater blacks and white masks showing their unity.
Creon wore the most exquisite outfit portraying his high status. He was covered with gold
and silk which was only then reserved for people with higher status. Antigone, Ismene, and
Hamone also wore chitons made of silk showing their high status. The use of masks was
purely for design unlike the original purpose of bringing the audience closer to the
performance. They were also made of plastic unlike the original material of choice; clay and
the shape of the masks were also very different than the original. However, one thing the
masks did do like the older masks helped the chorus provide a more unified front.

The overall plot, in my opinion, was a bit too cliché, and I predicted the ending. However, I
think the scriptwriters did a phenomenal job of suppressing dramatization in their version of
Sophocles' play. This made the story more simple and improved the plot as the earlier
version, in which Creon's wife also committed suicide, was a little over the top.