Antigone, Research #1

Antigone as a Greek tragedy -

• Greek tragedies looks suffering and misery directly in the face, its truthful and blunt. It transcends cultural and temporal boundaries due to the fact its themes are so universal and widely recognized. This is evident in the fact that most of the themes presented in greek tradegies are still relevant today, because even those culture and language may change these basic themes always stay the same and can be seen in any culture or society. Greek tragedy also enables us to reflect on society and the current issues around the world, because these issues are presented in such a bold and forceful way that you have no choice but to recognise and accept that these problems are a part of society.
• Aristotle came up with a 'formula' for a good tradegy. The hero's of the tradegy would have to be good, but no so good that you can't relate to them or that it seems unrealistic. They would have a good heart and try to do good things but make mistakes along the way like any normal person does.He said that one of the key things that leads greek tragedy is the 'Hamartia'. This is the error of judgement. Most Greek tradegies aren't about wicked people who do things in order to hurt or cause pain, it usually revolves around some one making a bad desicion that leads to terrible things. In that moment that decision seems like the right thing to do and there is no way of knowing what terrible fate will come out of it. The hamartia shows us that we live in a flawed world, yet a lot of this comes out of our actions and decisions and therefore we are responsible for these flaws. 
• Death is a key feature in Greek tradegies. One of the strongest metaphors do with death is around the sun. Characters who know or fear that they're about to die often address the sun. It revolves around the concept of 'leaving the light '(life) and entering the darkness(death).   
• Structure - Greek tradegies always start with a prologue that sets the scene. This is then followed by the chours. This allows for the passing of time after the prolouge, what may be several minutes on stage can be made into several hours by the chours.  
• Greek tradegy has had an enormous impact on the world. The plots and structures that feature in greek tradegies have been replicated in loads of ways over the years. One example is the soap operas that we get on T.V. Nearly all the plots and themes shown in these soap operas have been taken from Greek Tradegies. Arthur Miller is also a well-known writer who takes greek tradegies and the themes within them and
• Aristotle talks about something called Cartharsis (the concept of cleansing and purifying). This is the idea that you watch the end of a tradegy you feel pity and fear, and these emotions get cleansed via watching the play. Its the idea of emotional draining - however traumatic watching these plays may be, by the end you feel a sense of healing/cleansing of all the emotions you've released while watching that play.     

Antigone and Creon:

• The relationship between Antigone and Creon isn't family one, its a political one.
•  The realtionship is complicated as they are related yet that doesn't count for anything. Creon treates her as a criminal and refuses to acknowledge their familly bond. Yet deep down I think that they both feel betratyed that they are family and can't work and support each other.
• Creon puts politics and what people think of him above the duty to care for your family and therefore care for Antigone.
• Creon isn't the 'bad guy' he just thinks differently and takes on a different opinion. 

Political of Women in Theatre - 

Women were sometimes seen but definitely not heard. Women were discarded and were treated appallingly compared to the way  men were treated. Yet, Greek plays featured a lot of strong female characters who commanded power and respect. It showed then fighting back and resisting the rules that were in place for them. However, they did recognise how important women were. Women were given credit for the fact they gave birth and organised many of the religious festivals. Tragedies show the tension between the women's importance and the fact they dominate male must keep they under control and subdued. The

 character of Medea represents this tension in the greek society. 
Issues in greek society were often raised in theatre as a safe way of discussing and bringing attention to these issues. 
Writer recognised that the storyline of somebody striking back against power created a griping and emotional story. Women participated heavily in religion so it is possible they participated fully in the theater, but they were excluded from the festival where the dramas that have come down to us were performed. Greece valued a womens submission, yet most greek tragedies show the opposite to this trait. Plays like Antigone present women who will fight for what they believe in and even die as long as their voice is heard. This makes me believe that a lot of these plays were done to push and go against these views as a political statment. 

The Social Context -

At this time society in Athens was very male-dominated. Only men had the rights to be citizens and upper-class men were the only ones to enjoy a formal education. There were few political rights given to women as they were expected to stay at home and bear children. The Greeks also had salves, these were usually people who had be captured during the clashes that extended Greek influence overseas. One quarter of the population was made up of slaves. The salves were used to provide much of the manpower that fuelled the growing economy, they worked in shipyards, quarries, mines and as domestic servants. The houses were mostly modest and without widows. The homes were generally built around a central courtyard, furniture was rare. People spent most of their time out doors while enjoying the sun. Wealthy upper/middle-class people would attend markets or shows during their spare time.