Preview

How Does Jean Anouilh Use Theater In Antigone

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
480 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
How Does Jean Anouilh Use Theater In Antigone
The theatre, being a place where entertainment and leisure is demonstrated, can also be a place of meaning, connotation, and implication. The question is, why use theater to convey such facets? The answer is simple: to learn justice, or iniquity in our society. Jean Anouilh's revised version of the tragedy "Antigone" deals with such a dilemma associated with the Nazi invasion of France during WWII. Anouilh, with such passion and ardor, made the play in order to advance political action in France during the year 1943.
The antagonist of the play was Creon. Just like Hitler, Creon was unjustly brought to rule over Thebes. The man was ever so loved by his people. His love for the law has left him with one thing: pride. With arrogance on his side, he was blinded and could no longer see compassion over the situation being that he only buried Eteocles in an honorable fashion and left Polynieces' corpse desecrated. Seeing this, the protagonist, Antigone, takes matters into her own hand and tries to bury her brother Polynieces, but is eventually caught, questioned, and killed by Creon
…show more content…
On the contrary, this play was a political statement made by Anouilh not just to entertain, but because he was inspired by an act of resistance during the occupation of the Nazis in Paris. Paul Collette, a man who fired and wounded a group of directors during a meeting, acted alone and with the knowledge of his inevitable death. Anouilh saw this as an opportunity to take matters into his own hands, and attacked the Vichy government with the play Antigone. Of course, the Nazis saw through this thin shroud and censored it until the end of the war. Anouilh saw Collette's action as the essence of tragedy and revived Antigone into a modern

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In Sophocles' play "Antigone”, the ideas of obeying the law of one’s community and following ones own moral beliefs come into conflict. The plot revolves around two brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices having killed each other in an attempted to gain rule and their Uncle Creon gaining power after their deaths. He orders Eteocles given an honorable funeral and Polyneices to be left in the streets to rot. Creon believes that Polyneices' body shall be condemned to this because of his civil disobedience and treachery against the city. However, the dead brothers’ sister, Antigone, believes this unfair to Polyneices and insulting to the Gods.…

    • 103 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The most significant theme in Sophocles’ Antigone is whether or not the law of man conquers divine law. Amidst the play, the newly crowned king Creon proclaims that the body of Polyneices will not receive a proper burial, but instead will be publicly shamed and left to be preyed upon by wild animals. Upset with Creon’s mandate, Antigone mourns the death of both of her brothers, Polyneices and Eteocles, and gives Polyneices a proper burial so he can move on to the afterlife.…

    • 302 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the story “Antigone” there are characters who are honored and characters who are a disgrace based on their actions in the story.…

    • 417 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Greek culture was expressed through many ways in the Hellenistic era. Many authors rose to fame for plays and stories. Although many know of Homer, author of the Odyssey, many most likely don’t know Sophocles. Sophocles was the author of the Theban trilogy, a collection of three plays that examined philosophical themes and Greek life. Antigone, the second play in the series, is based around a major conflict between Creon and Antigone over the burial of Polyneices. The evidence is absolutely overwhelming for the burial of Polyneices. Haemon, Tiresias, Antigone, and practically every character in the play turn against Creon at the end of the play. These characters bring out Creon’s worst traits, such as stubbornness and pride. The evidence in the play for Antigone is clearly overwhelming and shows that Creon is not fit to rule Thebes, and thus he was wrong when it came to Polyneice’s body.…

    • 698 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ruler of the Thebes, the fictional kingdom in the play Antigone, Creon in his speech argues that Polyneices, son of the late ruler Oedipus ought to have no burial. He supports his clam by first appealing to false authority, then using sentimental appeals, and lastly by comparing Polyneices to his brother, Eteocles. Creon’s purpose is to make sure nobody disobeys him in order to seem powerful in the eyes of his citizens. He adopts a demanding tone to assure he is well respected.…

    • 671 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The play Antigone is a tragedy play that most of the characters were killed at the end. The central theme of this play is “civil disobedience” and is about the controversies between gender, power, age, religion, beliefs, and laws. The script begins with Antigone asking Ismene to bury their brother because Creon, their uncle passed down a decree saying no one is allowed to bury Polynices because he betrayed his country can killed his own brother. Antigone chose to disobey the law and was sentenced to death. Every one advised Creon to rethink his decision, but he didn’t listen until the end when everything was too late. There was a total of 11 actor used in this production (9 male and 2 female). This production is not a traditional play that have all the performer stand on stage and speak. It included the uses of music. Slow movement/dance, and the inclusion of English and Ancient Greek. The play started with Creon sitting on a podium facing the Leader of Chorus that was standing on another podium on the…

    • 843 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Antigone Outline

    • 2616 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Antigone is a Greek dramatic play tragedy by Sophocles. Sophocles was born into a wealthy family (his father was an amour manufacturer) and was highly educated. Sophocles' first artistic triumph was in 468 BC, when he took first prize in the Dionysian theatre competition over the reigning master of Athenian drama, Aeschylus. Sophocles wrote the three Theban plays, a collection that has survived for centuries, and for good reason. One of these plays was Antigone. It follows the struggle of a young woman, Antigone who disobeyed the law of King Creon (who is also her uncle) that no one should bury Polyneices (Antigone’s brother) who Creon believes was a traitor.…

    • 2616 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sophocles' play "Antigone" illustrates the conflict between obeying human and divine law. The play opens after Oedipus' two sons Eteocles and Polyneices have killed each other in a civil war for the throne of Thebes. Oedipus' brother in law Creon then assumes the throne. He dictates that Eteocles shall receive a state funeral and honors, while Polyneices shall be left in the streets to rot away. Creon believes that Polyneices' body shall be condemned to this because of his civil disobedience and treachery against the city. Polyneices' sister, Antigone, upon hearing this exclaims that an improper burial for Polyneices would be an insult to the Gods. She vows that Polyneices' body will be buried, and Creon declares that anyone who interferes with his body shall be punished. This is where the conflict begins. Thus the theme of this play becomes the priority of unwritten law. The question is whether duties to the gods are more essential then obedience of the state and law. Creon calls the rotting of Polyneices' body an "obscenity" because he believes that burial of the dead is a necessity of human law and not of a citizen. . There is no compromise between the two – both believe in the absolute truth of their obedience.…

    • 1755 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Burial In Antigone

    • 852 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Antigone is the problem in this play, she wants to go against Creon's orders which declared that Polynices body may not be given a proper burial for helping the forces which invaded Thebes, but Antigone knowing this insists on giving him a proper burial nevertheless. She felt that she was right, and the Creon laws had no right to decide who does and who doesn’t have the right to a proper burial. Polynices fought because he was following his morals. For some reason, he was in favor with the other side…

    • 852 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The tragic act of violation and large capacities for suffering are shown throughout this story. These elements are part of what make Antigone a tragedy and are manifested well.…

    • 591 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Henry VIII of England was infamous for executing people who contested his views. He was a ruthless ruler and most of his citizens were compliant to him due to consternation. In Antigone, a play written by Sophocles, the actions of King Creon are closely akin to Henry VII of England. King Creon declares a decree that prohibits the burial of his nephew, Polynices, because Polynices had betrayed the city of Thebes and started a rebellion. Creon is enraged when his niece, Antigone, defies his decree and sentences her to death by entombment. Creon is tyrannical, selfish, and stubborn in the ways that he commits double blasphemy by letting Polynices body decompose unburied and cruelly entombing Antigone alive.…

    • 826 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Creon In Antigone

    • 496 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Antigone is a tragic play wrote by Sophocles about the conflicts between family members. Oedipus the king of Thebes and his wife both killed themselves due to a mistake that they made in the past. After Oedipus died his two son Polyneices and Eteocles killed each other to see who will be the next king. Both die and Creon, Oedipus’s brother in law, is the next in line to became king. The first law that Creon made since he became king is no one is allow to bury Polyneices body because he is a traitor to Thebes. Anyone who buries Polyneices will die. This law has everyone involved in suffered greatly. Creon has suffered enough for his actions and the Thebens people should not punish him any further.…

    • 496 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Antigone Research Paper

    • 602 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The play exemplifies the love that a family can protect each other with, and how this can connect an audience to the characters. Antigone’s love and respect for her brother was unlike any other character in an ordinary story. Her sacrifice of her life for her family makes her a true tragic hero, especially because she does not hesitate to bury her brother’s body. The emotions of fear, love, pity, and more are aroused from the play and entice the reader further into the story. Antigone is a true classic example of tragedy, and the tragic qualities found in this play can assist the audience in analyzing other tragedies as…

    • 602 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Research Paper On Antigone

    • 1178 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Antigone is a tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright Sophocles. It deals with Antigone’s burial of her brother Polyneices in defiance of the laws of Creon and the state, and the tragic repercussions of her act of civil disobedience. Antigone defies the law, buries her brother, and is caught.…

    • 1178 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Antigone is an award winning play by Sophocles, one of the three best Greek dramatists of all time. Antigone is a mythical princess of Thebes. She is the product of the accidental incestuous marriage between King Oedipus and Jocasta, whom is Oedipus’ mother as well. Antigone had two brothers and a sister: Polynices, Eteocles, and her sister, Ismene. After Oedipus discovered that he had married his mother, he fled, leaving Thebes to be ruled by his sons. Polynices and Eteocles had their differences arguing over the throne. Polynices left Thebes and returned with an army to declare war on Thebes. The two brothers killed each other during the war, leaving Thebes to be ruled by Jocasta’s brother Creon,…

    • 626 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays