Sophocles vs Anouilh

A Comparison of Two Antigones

Introduction

Characters

Antigone
Motivations
Creon
Haemon
Ismene

Relationships

Haemon/Antigone
Antigone/Ismene
Creon/Antigone
Haemon/Creon

Changes

Themes

Teiresias/Nurse
Effects
Minor characters
Guards/Eurydice
The Brothers Story
Anouilh Main Themes
Sophocles Main Themes
Shared Themes

Minor Characters

The Guards
Eurydice

Character Personality- Antigone

In Anouilh

Acts childish and is treated as such

In Sophocles

Loyal

Go on then - play the fool. Im up to all

grows again. That is my principle,

your tricks - I was young once too, and I

was a handful too

which Creon stigmatized as

Caring and Loving

Expressed true feelings of love towards

Haemon, Ismene, and Nurse

Withdrawn

Where she sat dreaming in a corner, as

criminal, my principle for honoring

you, my brother

Independent and Distant

Lacking Self-Confidence

Nothing Nan. Just that Im a bit small

for it all

Antigone buried her brother herself

and pushed away anyone who tried
to help or save her

she is now, with her arms clasped round

her knees

No other brother can be born or

The dead of Hades know whose

act it was. I do not take to those

Antigones Motivations
Sophocles

loyal to her cause

burying her brother
religious reasons
passionate about her
beliefs

ready and willing to

die for them
nothing to lose
thou chosed'st life,
and I to die

Anouilh

reasons for defying Creon were NOT religious

stubbornness to listen to reason
Polynices is dead, and he didnt love you(p21)
Would it have been better to let you die as part of it?
(p44)
changes her mind at the end, showing her intentions were not as
clear cut as she believed them
choosing death was not a concrete decision in the end
I dont know any more what Im dying for (p57)

Character Personality- Creon

In Anouilh

Reluctant yet Strong King

In Sophocles

What Thebes needs now is an

Misogynistic

ordinary king (...) and all I aim at now

Im king is to try to see the worlds a bit
more sensibly run

Cares about his Family

Could have sentenced Antigone to death

Cares more about Power than

Family

I tried everything I could think of to

save her. Everything I swear.

Creon doesnt try to save Antigone

instead he sentenced her to death without

right after she had disobeyed him but

instead he tried to save her

Curse you! (...) No woman while I live

shall govern me.
Submission is a thing shes never
learned

a thought about how it will affect his

niece and son
Youre going to kill your own sons
bride? Why not? There are other fields
for him to plough

Character PersonalityHaemon
In Sophocles
In Anouilh

Antigone uses their would-have-been

son to convince him that she loves him
You know Id forgiven you as soon
as youd gone out and slammed the
door

Loving

And do you think I can go on living,

without her? Do you think Im going
to accept that life you talk about? (...)
All your bustle and blather, all your
emptiness without her?

Loyal to Creon

Love of Family

Father, I am your loving son and

you the wise preceptor of my ways,
whom I must follow. No marriage I
could make would ever match the
good of your abiding counsel.

Advocator for Thebes

Haemon tries to stop Antigones

execution to save Creon from the

people of Thebes
But I from the shadows hear
them; hear a citys sympathy for
this girl, because no woman ever
faced so unreasonable, so cruel a

Character Personality- Ismene

In Anouilh

Gentler

my pet
Forgive me, Antigone

In Sophocles

Realistic

Understands that Antigone must not bury

Polynices because it will hurt her
Well have to suffer, feel the pain

Bold and Outspoken

Condescending

increasing, mounting up till its no longer

bearable

Demonstrates Contagious Resistance

Antigone is brash and rebellious while

Ismene thinks things through and acts more
mature
Ill go tomorrow (speaking about going to
bury her brother when Antigone's arrested)

Talks to Antigone as if she knows that

Antigone doesnt have the ability bury
Polynices

Antigones Foil

firebrand
meddler
foolhardy thing

And you are doomed to fail (...) dont

plunge into such a hopeless enterprise

Demonstrates Contagious Resistance

Wants to join Antigone in the end but

Antigone refuses so Ismene goes on with her

Relationships

Haemon/Antigone
Creon/Antigone
Ismene/Antigone
Creon/Haemon

Haemon/Antigone

In Sophocles Antgone, we only see Haemons feelings for Antigone

Antigone is shown as uncaring/indifferent
In Anouilhs Antgone, there is a clear mutual love

shown through their interactions

ANTIGONE. you do love me, dont you? Your arms dont lie (19)
Haemon represents the idea of happiness and Antigones future with their son

In Sophocles version, Haemon contributes to the conflict between Creon and

Antigone. He tries to convince his father to save her.
In Anouilhs version Creon uses the idea of Haemon and their life to try to save
Antigone

Happiness... (45)
HAEMON. (...) Happiness is full of them. (17)

Creon/Antigone

The centre of the conflict

In both plays these characters have different motivations which changes the
nature and context of the conflict
Sophocles:

Anouilh:

Antigone does not want to continue to live

Creon wants her to live

In both plays, other characters play roles in this conflict to try to persuade
Antigone or Creon to change their minds

Antigone believes she is morally superior to Creon

Creon wants her to die

Haemon
Ismene
Antigones brothers

The changes put characters on opposite sides of the versions themes

Antigone/Ismene

One of the most unchanged relationships

while many others have similar roles (romance, foils), Antigone and Ismenes relationship has a
similar dynamic

Ismene tries to convince Antigone not to bury their brother, and after the deed
is done, she tries to die for or with her sister
Differences in this relationship come from changes in personality, not beliefs or
morals

Differences serve to reinforce the themes

Creon/Haemon

Father/son relationship, however it is portrayed very differently

Sophocles version shows Creon wanting his son to follow and obey his every word and ruling
Anouilhs version shows a Creon who wishes for his son to grow up

In Sophocles version, Creon is a ruler who does not want his power questioned, in Anouilhs
version he is a reluctant ruler.

In both versions, Haemon pleads with his father to save Antigone

In Sophocles version Creon is upset with him and tells him not to disobey and stand against him

in Anouilhs version, Creon tells his son there is nothing left to do, and he must accept his loss.
To every man there comes a day (...) when at last he has to accept that hes a man (51)
Connects to themes of age v. youth/realism v. idealism and rules/order/power

Added/Excluded Characters
Sophocles - Teresas

blind prophet
predicts events of the play
voice of caution
Creons suffering stems from
reasons
religious
familial
highlights Creons wrongdoing
failure to listen
belief that he is always right
leads to death of his
entire family

Anouilh - Nurse/Dog

Antigones Nan
motherly figure who raised
her
treats Antigone as a child
accentuates Antigones other traits
childishness
compassion
responsibility
youth vs age

Effect of Added/Excluded Characters

These characters are pivotal to the storytelling in each play, creating a shift in
which character is the central focus

Teiresiass role in the Sophocles version of Antgone makes Creons suffering a main
focus of the play
Creon is the main character - Antigone disappears for of the play
The Nurse and Floss (the dog)s inclusion makes Antigone a central focus in
Anouilhs version, and draws focus to different themes
Antigone features in most of the play - Creons role is reduced, but his
character is also changed

Discussion Question
(Whether you have read Sophocless Antgone or not)
Did Anouilhs version of Antigone make you
sympathize with the characters in the play? Why or
why not?
If you have read Sophocless Antgone, which play
could you connect with more?

My Answer
Anouilhs Antgone had more well rounded characters that were
easier to sympathize with. The thematic changes - from tyranny and
religion to a struggle between youth and aging made the story relatable
in ways that Sophocless Antgone did not. As well, having provided
more context (like with the backstories of the two brothers), Anouilhs
version makes for more interesting character motivations. Even though
they mention during the play that the characters are only just
characters, the connection was still stronger in my opinion.

The Story of the Brothers

In Sophocles version there was no mention of how Eteocles and Polynices

acted while they younger
In Anouilhs version Creon tells Antigone about how Eteocles and Polynices
were both cruel to their parents and tried to kill their father
Creon also tells Antigone that his decree about the bodies is just about politics
and that he isnt even sure which body was which
This give Antigone the realization that she may not being doing these things for
the reasons she believes and makes her second guess her desire to die
In Sophocles version the brothers were just two brothers who fought and killed
each other, there was no other distinction about them or what had happened to
them

Themes - Anouilh

Youth vs Age

Youth is used to justify Antigones actions

Characters who die are described as youthful (Antigone, Haemon, Eurydice)
Creon is older and wiser
Antigone is young and rash

Idealism vs Realism

Antigone disregards other peoples concerns for her

Sometimes its best not to think too much
Creon accepts responsibility without considering his own happiness

Themes - Sophocles

Spirituality

Gods are frequently referenced throughout the play

More focus on spirituality
Gods are blamed for the characters fates

Female vs Male

Used to further devalue Antigones opinions

Most negative comments about women are from Creon

Themes - Both

Fate

Used as justification by characters to do what they want to

There is a final attitude about fate as if nothing can change it
Often discussed in reference to the story of Oedipus

Death

Many characters have opposing views about death

Anouilh- Antigone uses conflict to get to death
Sophocles- Antigone does not want to die but is not afraid

Minor Characters

The Guards

Anouilh- Jonas, second guard, third guard

used for humour and alienation techniques
Sophocles- guard
a functional character

Eurydice

closed off from the main events

does not do anything until her own suicide
Anouilh- she is compassionate and youthful

Discussion Question
Which of the minor characters were more effective in conveying the aimed message
of the play?

My Answer
I thought that the minor characters in Anouilhs version are used more effectively
than in Sophocles. The characters were each given personalities making the play
more realistic and allowing focus to be drawn away from the main story. The guards
are often used for the alienation technique that helps audience members be reminded
that it is only a play not real life.