Antigone (Anouilh)

Antigone
Written by	Jean Anouilh
Chorus	Chorus
Characters	Chorus Antigone Nurse Ismene Haemon Creon First Guard (Jonas) Second Guard (a Corporal) Third Guard Messenger Page
Mute	Eurydice
Date premiered	February 6, 1944
Original language	French
Subject	War
Genre	tragedy

Jean Anouilh's play Antigone is a tragedy inspired by Greek mythology and the play of the same name (Antigone, by Sophocles) from the fifth century B.C. In English, it is often distinguished from its antecedent by being pronounced in its original French form, approximately on-tee-GONE.

In print

The play was first published in 1943, during the period when the Nazis occupied France. The character of Antigone took on the role of the French Resistance and Creon took on the role of the Vichy Government, symbolising the power struggle in France at the time. As a result, the play, both in print and performance, placed Anouilh in a dangerous position, though he himself would experience no lasting consequences.

In Performance

Original production

The play was first performed in Paris on February 6, 1944, during the Nazi occupation. Produced under Nazi censorship, the play is purposefully ambiguous with regard to the rejection of authority (represented by Antigone) and the acceptance of it (represented by Creon). The parallels to the French Resistance and the Nazi occupation are clear, however.

British première

The play received its British première by the Old Vic Theatre Company at the New Theatre, London, on 10 February 1949. The production was produced by Laurence Olivier (who also played the role of Chorus) and had the following cast:

• Chorus - Laurence Olivier
• Antigone - Vivien Leigh
• Nurse - Eileen Beldon
• Ismene - Meg Maxwell
• Haemon - Dan Cunningham
• Creon - George Relph
• First Guard (Jonas) - Thomas Heathcote
• Second Guard (a Corporal) - Hugh Stewart
• Third Guard - George Cooper
• Messenger - Terence Morgan
• Page - Michael Redington
• Eurydice - Helen Beck

Plot

Just as in the myth and original play, the action follows the battle for Thèbes in which both of Antigone's brothers have been killed. Créon, now king, has decreed that while Antigone's brother Etéocles should be given the usual respectful burial, Polynices must be left as carrion for scavengers. Antigone chooses to attempt to bury Polynices, and is brought before Créon as a prisoner. Créon attempts to cover up the offense, perhaps because Antigone is engaged to his son Hémon, but Antigone refuses to be denied the responsibility for her actions, whether they be viewed as guilt or credit. A twist in this version is that Créon is not certain and does not care which body is lying on the pavement, and decided it would be Polynices. Thus, the noble cause that Antigone champions in Sophocles's drama is undermined here. No longer does Antigone nobly choose death; in Anouilh, she rejects life as desperately meaningless but without affirmatively choosing a noble death. The crux of the play is the lengthy dialogue between Créon and Antigone concerning the nature of power, fate, and choice, during which Antigone says,

"I am disgusted with your happiness! With your life that must go on, come what may. You could say you are all like dogs that lick everything they find. You with your promise of a humdrum happiness--provided a person doesn't ask much of life. I want everything of life, I do; and I want it total, complete: otherwise I reject it! I will not be moderate. I will not be satisfied with the bit of cake offered for being a good little girl. I want to be sure of everything this very day; sure that everything will be as beautiful as when I was a little girl. If not, I want to die!"

Antigone's actions eventually leave the king with no choice but to execute her, as the incident becomes impossible to cover up.

Differences from original Sophocles text

Although Anouilh based his play on the Sophocles play of the same name, there are a few differences. These include the absence of the blind prophet Tiresias (who was central to the Sophocles' "Antigone"), the substitution of the Choral Odes for a single character representing the chorus, and the addition of a nanny that takes care of Oedipus' two daughters. A main difference is in Creon's character; in the original Sophocles, he is adamant in his conviction of Antigone and refuses to yield to any means. But in the Anouilh, his character is much more forgiving; he offers to execute the guards that found Antigone to save her life. In addition, there are deliberately anachronistic references to modern items such as playing cards and sports cars.

Aside from the two major speaking roles, also appearing are:

• Ismène, Antigone's sister
• La Nourrice, Antigone's nursemaid
• Hémon or Haemon, Antigone's betrothed and Créon's son
• Les gardes, Theban royal guards
• Le chœur, a variation of a Greek chorus
• Le messager, a messenger
• Le Clerc, a clerk

Créon's wife Eurydice is spoken of and sits on stage knitting for most of the play, but is not a speaking role. She commits suicide at the end of the play, having heard that her son, Hémon, has died.

Adaptations

Actress Katharine Cornell produced and starred in a 1946 production. Sir Cedric Hardwicke played the role of King Creon. Also performing were Bertha Belmore, Wesley Addy, Ruth Matteson, George Mathews, and Oliver Cliff, and Marlon Brando (as the Messenger), Michael Higgins (The Third Guard). The production was staged by Cornell's husband Guthrie McClintic.

There was an English-language television production in 1959 starring Dorothy Tutin.

In 1974, an American television production of the play, presented on PBS, starred Geneviève Bujold. It is available on DVD.