Nothing. Then I have it all.2
Creon’s disregard for Antigone’s emotions suggests that he does not see her as a human but rather as somebody that has already died. The second statement proposes that with her death, Creon will achieve full control over Thebes and Antigone is just a tool used for manipulation. Sophocles generates preference towards Antigone since she is a religious figure and this, in turn, honours the Greek gods. Creon is unable to ‘tame’ her because
this would give the play an atheistic moral. Sophocles has given Creon the traits of a Greek hero (pride and power) to emphasize his downfall.
In contrast to Sophocles, Anouilh’s Creon is much more understanding towards Antigone’s actions and at one point he even begs her to reconsider:
I want to save you Antigone.3
The use of personal language suggests a rise in desperation. This could have applied to France’s Vichy government. The Vichy government was set up in 1940 by the Germans to control France. Creon may have symbolized its leaders since they didn’t have as much control as the Nazis. Creon’s compassionate behaviour
towards Antigone would have therefore symbolized the Vichy government and such an idea along with Creon’s list of advantages of dictatorial rule (pages 50-51) might be what granted the play its right for performance by the fascists.
In addition to being more merciful, Creon is also a much more rational character in Anouilh’s Antigone. Creon’s justifications for his actions convince the audience his form of governance might prove to be productive. A different reaction is seen in Sophocles’ Creon. His exclusive weapon is the death verdict but Antigone’s willingness to die blocks the strike. Antigone has put Creon in a checkmate and, in my opinion, this makes the climax of tension here one of the strongest in the play. Alternatively, Creon, the symbol of male power, is defeated against Antigone, the power of religion.
Anouilh’s Creon uses a very strong argument regarding Polynices’ burial to counter strike Antigone’s rebellion:
…which you would have been the first to be embarrassed by if I had allowed it…4
A clarification of Antigone’s motive is provided, hinting her suicide is an act of desperation for glory or a pursuit for voice. The significance of this sentence is it informs the audience Antigone may be searching for identity through religion. Haemon’s mockery of Antigone’s physical beauty demonstrates her lack of social acceptance. From the pro-fascist point of view, Antigone’s hypocritical stance should romanticize Creon while the opposition would see her as the individual battling society and this isolation would signify bravery. In my opinion, this reversal of Antigone’s character from Sophocles’ version where her independence is more extreme makes the play more fascinating for the audience.
Another essential feature of Creon’s rationality is his lack of external influence in Sophocles’ version and the reversal of this attribute in Anouilh’s. Sophocles’ Creon ignores even the oracle whose shabby physical appearance is a semiotic for divinity. Religion reimburses the oracle with celestial vision for his blindness which widens his comprehension beyond that of Creon’s. Such an imbalance on stage illustrating a feeble, old man as superior to the leader would put emphasis on the oracle’s religion since this quality escalates his influence. Sophocles uses this imbalance to honour the gods by creating an image of a pious man as more powerful than any atheist.
The Creon Anouilh creates is very open to external opinions and this is shown in his dialogue to the Chorus. Creon seems to echo the Chorus’ words at one point:
Chorus: And now you are alone, Creon.
Creon: Yes, all alone.5
Such a submissive and repetitive tone of voice diminishes Creon’s influence in the story; the Chorus is basically putting words in his mouth. The pro-fascists would interpret this dialogue as an expression of remorse from Creon’s side while the opposition would see the Vichy government as inexperienced and manoeuvred. In the end, rationality doesn’t save any of the characters and knowledge of the historical backgrounds of the two eras explains the authors’ motives for the amount of logic endowed to Creon’s character.
Sexist ideology is present in both versions of the play. Sophocles inserts this explicitly in Creon’s character who sees Antigone’s gender as a threat:
…never let some woman triumph over us.6
Anarchy-
…She, she destroys cities, rips up houses…7
Personification of anarchy as being female is used to emphasize Antigone’s sex as inferior to man. Repetition of the pronoun ‘she’ serves to show Creon’s disgust and fear
towards women being given power. In my opinion, such resentment is simply Creon’s disguise of his fear of Antigone. Death would put Antigone on a pedestal in the citizens’ eyes since a sacrifice of such magnitude would prove her bravery.
Anouilh seems to place sexist ideas behind Creon’s exterior. Although at first he doesn’t appear so, Anouilh’s Creon does have a stereotyped view of women and his description of Eurydice as the perfect woman reveals his chauvinism:
Always busy with the garden, her preserves…8
In Creon’s opinion, a woman’s world is confined to ordinary tasks. Gardening emerges as a simple errand that can focus the woman’s attention and prevent her from achieving a high status. The audience at this point feels that Eurydice faces the same obstacles as Antigone since only suicide will give her a voice.
Similarly, both plays suggest that women’s positions in society were undermined. Under both Nazi and Ancient Greek ideologies, women’s sphere of influence was very restricted. Sophocles makes Antigone a woman to promote the idea that with the power of the gods, even a prosecuted member of society can achieve high status. It was appropriate for Anouilh’s Antigone to be a woman since in French villages, most of the men were recruited for the army prior to 1942. Female resistance would have been considered a very courageous move then. Using this, Anouilh puts emphasis on the tributes received for opposing the fascists. In my opinion, Anouilh’s ability to appeal to two contrasting audiences is the key reason a strong catharsis is present in the play.
Each party’s beliefs are reinforced through arguments and both sides leave the theatre satisfied that no ideology has distinctly triumphed.
In conclusion, Anouilh’s variance of Creon’s initial characterization has been generated to coincide with the different ideologies of the governments at the time. Sophocles’ intentions were to honour the Greek god Dionysus. The elaboration of Creon’s character as a powerful, irrational, ruthless, and arrogant figure accentuates man’s defeat against holiness. The main moral of the play is that the gods’ rule should not be defied. Contrarily, Anouilh’s Creon is rational, merciful and quite humble. It is proposed that these qualities represent the Vichy government’s dictatorial rule over France. Conformity with Nazi theories was a prerequisite for any theatrical production of the time. In my opinion, Anouilh’s simultaneous presentation of pro-fascist and anti-fascist ideas proves his expertise in dealing with sensitive issues. In both of the plays, the gods have destined Antigone to death and nobody except Creon is opposed to this decision. Neither an aggressive attempt from Sophocles’ Creon nor a reasoned one from Anouilh’s changes her fate. The final message is clear: no matter what form of opposition the protagonist has to deal with in a tragedy, the outcome will always be death.
Bibliography
Sophocles; The Three Theban Plays; United States of America; Penguin Classics; 1984
Anouilh, Jean; Antigone; Great Britain; Methuen Modern Plays; 2000
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