Review of the play 'Antigone'

Introduction

Antigone by Sophocles is a tragedy which acts and operates on the struggle between Antigone, who is a representative of the laws as regulated by gods, and the Creon, who is a representative of the laws of the state. The Play sets in 442 B.C, in the city of Thebes; this play is the third of the Theban plays. The play places itself on the Thebian tale which dates back before this play and comes into the light as the 'Seven Against Thebes' comes to stop. Four major players which drive the, play include Antigone, Creon, Guards and the chorus. Antigone acts as the play's heroine around whom the tragedy set's upon; in the initial moments, Antigone faces resistance from her sister known as 'Ismene'. Antigone is shaped up as a girl who has a boyish look who, therefore, is not at all pleased by her girlhood. Antigone has always managed to frighten her sister 'Ismene' in the childhood; she always used to go an extra mile in order to fulfill her desires and was resistant of the limits around her. Whereas her sister was tailor made object for the world and acts as the desire of everyman (Rosenfield, 2010, pp.5).

Stage Settings

Creon is the Antigone's uncle who plays the role of a very powerful king but is lumbering with weights put on him by the rule. To him there is nothing more subsequent than politics and social order, he is a man of creative ideas and is very simple in nature. He has dedicated himself fully for the affairs of the state. Chorus in the Greek terminology means the group of people acting as death messenger translating here as the people who are commenting throughout the play from the sidelines (Willink, pp.275). Chorus acts as a narrator who sets themselves up in the prologue and epilogue and thus provides the introduction of the characters and actions to be performed. The chorus also tries to influence the play as the Theban people or in the form of the spectators. Guards acts as a trio, who are mindless and insensitive people but not bad people in general. They adheres themselves to the orders and cover each other if things go wrong, they are innocent and serve to the powers who acts as the authority (Willink, pp.276).

Tragedy which would occur, as the story unfolds also fails to have any effect on the guards. The story imitates with battle between two brothers characterizes as Polyneices and Etocles who killed each other for the throne. Etocles, the king of Thebes; his brother rebelled against him and led an army towards the king in order to dismantle him from the throne. Since both killed each other in the battle to conquer the throne, the new king Creon rises to the occasion and orders the burial of Etocles, as Polynieces was his rival. He orders the body of polynieces will be left unbarred and thus will serve as food for animals and vultures, ...