Antigone Post-Reform, Essay Example

The following scene plan was developed for lines 1090 through 1352 of Elizabeth Wyckoff’s translation for the 1954 University of Chicago Press’s edition of Sophocles I. Immediately preceding this scene Creon seals Antigone away and hears the ominous prophecies of Teiresias. During these scenes Haemon and Eurydice commit suicide because of Creon’s refusal to save Antigone. The scene plan allows for one constant set-up throughout the entire course of the play with only minor prop and changes.

Proposed Cast and Costumes

Only the main characters should wear much color besides black, gray, or white. Antigone should be pale, athletic, and beautiful-but-aged. Her hair should be up in a harsh bun, and her robe should be an inconspicuous blue- a Virgin Mary figure. Ismene should look complaisant, angelic, and proper. Her robe should be a brilliant yellow. She should have an elaborately-braided hairstyle and an engaging demeanor. Creon should be the Narcissus type. He is in love with himself and always wears yellow. This also shows Ismene’s alignment with him. However, for Creon you should choose a more golden yellow. Haemon means “blood” and is an important character also, so his clothing should be red.

Proposed Setting

Use blacks, grays, and white. This is a country in mourning for Oedipus and now for his son, too. It is eerie and cold. Use splashes of primary colors to emphasize certain things. Throughout the play blue should be emblematic of Antigone, yellow of Ismene and Creon, and red of Haemon. Below is a chart which explains the elements and props. (You can easily use a garden trellis, proscenium, or two pedestals to represent the palace entrance.)

Figure 1

The red and blue portions represent lighting. Above you can see the approximate proportions of the arch, steps, and backgrounds. The setting should be simple, so that it will highlight the color choices and movements. Body placement, casting, and acting will be very important.

In the above you can see that a great portion of the background should be taken up by a frieze of gray skies and hills leading up to a rocky cave (which can be used for both the scenes of death for Antigone and Haemon). The arch should be somewhat restrictive. The two ovals are the mirror hanging on the wall. Devise an elaborate chair to represent Creon’s throne and vanity.

Proposed Action

Whenever the chorus comes in they are the mechanical element of the play. They set the tone of the play to be heavy, but they also are a visually stunning component- despite being clad in black, gray, and white. Their costumes should be simple (but have small detailing) with simple masks. They should seem to appear as if always lurking at the edge of the conflict. Their movements should be sharp, 90 degree angles with a pause between each large, mechanical step. Their body language should always be rigid, conveying the impression of the fickleness of the mob.

When they bring Eurydice’s body in, drape her protectively over the remains of Haemon near the arch at Creon’s door, at his feet. When Creon leaves, Antigone’s ghost comes through the arch from upstage left and “wakes” Haemon and Eurydice. The ghosts walk across the stage in a smooth, drifting manner to downstage right. Creon enters- appearing blinded-folded- and sees them staggered in a diagonal line. (The approximate stage placement of Eurydice, Haemon, and Antigone is marked by the purple, red, and blue circles, respectively, that you see downstage right in Figure 1.) The ghosts then point accusingly at Creon and back straight up without breaking eye contact or dropping their arms. Immediately Teiresias the Prophet should enter, holding Creon’s mirror far downstage right. Creon will hear his warning (which will replace the last spoken part of the chorus), track the sound, and be uncovered by Teiresias when he reaches him. The three ghosts should glide into the background upstage left, which means they will have to hurry. Creon will see the three ghosts behind himself in the mirror and faint near the edge of stage right. Teiresias will turn and exit, and a multitude of hands and feet will drag Creon offstage while they moan. Do not underplay or overplay this final detail, or it will not work out well.

Proposed Sound Scheme

The chorus should almost chant their parts in an eerie, lilting, slightly-operatic, Phantom of the Opera’s “Past the Point of No Return” manner. Because the chorus is the third person perspective which fills us in and sets the mood, they should alternate between lines, quotes, and prophecy verbatim from Antigone and layman’s terms, modern translations. There should be one musical phrase which is ironic and sad. The music should be decorative and not overwhelming. Conservative bits of electric guitar during climactic scenes and bass drums during belligerent scenes are recommended.

Past Productions

Several productions of “Antigone”, including those of Cornell, have used masks, usually either for the entire cast or the main characters only. The chorus should form a firm foundation and prove a point. In our “Post-Reform” version they are the only actors wearing masks at any point during the play (Hoebbel 1-2).

The setting remains in ancient Greece due to the overwhelming number of modernized adaptations of “Antigone” being produced currently. When you remove the possibility of death you remove a lot of the dramatic pull of the production. The set is spare (just as it was in the production of The National Theater of Greece) and allows staying power to the tone and keeps the focus on the story (Hoebbel 1-2). However, a few period-appropriate, selectively-chosen props can enhance the ambience, as the Greek producers demonstrated with their lauded setting conception (Brantley 1-2).

The choral sections of Cornell’s production of Antigone used iambic pentameter to produce a rhythm and fluidity that it was missing (Hoebbel 1-2). The proposed “Antigone Post-Reform” version will use hard, broken syllables in an operatic style- along with the movements of the members of the chorus- to create a dramatic support for the plot. The National Theater of Greece also revamped the dialogue between the main characters and their gray-garbed chorus in their 2002 version, following the lead of Deborah Warner’s rewritten choral renditions in “Medea”. This version used well-planned choreography of the chorus and drumbeat to create a tempo to pace the drama (Brantley 1-2).

Pappas’ Italian version was a perfect example of over-the-top. Although it was praised for the use of the contrast of black and white and for its sparse set design, the set design incorporated images that had no relevance to the plot or setting of the play and the actor who played Creon was operatic and loud. It is important that the acting be balanced and prevent the characters from seeming “grotesque” to your audience. Wilson, the critic, was further disappointed by Teiresias’ visions while in a strange and dramatic trance (Wilson 1). Long story short, there is already enough drama in this play, so don’t overdo the details.

Several renditions featured unsettling sounds: screams, crunching stones, babies crying. Be aware of the ability of a background sound to enhance or break the mood of the current scene. Our “Post-Reform” version ends with an image of Teiresias revealing to Creon his blindness and Creon being dragged to what appears to be a living hell. As such, choose actors who will portray Creon in that light. In this version his pride is a constant.

Works Cited

Hoebbel, Thomas. “Sophocles’ Antigone launches season at CU’s Schwartz Center on Sept. 18.” Cornell Chronicle (2003): 1-2. Web. 11 May 2010.             <http://www.news.cornell.edu/chronicle/03/9.11.03/Antigone.html>.

Wyckoff, Elizabeth. “Antigone.” Sophocles I. University of Chicago ed. New York, NY: Washington Square Press, 1954. Print.

Brantley, Ben. “A Timeless Rebel Afire With a Doomed Cause.” New York Times 01 Nov. 2002: 1-2. Web. 13 May 2010. <http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/01/arts/theater/01GREE.html?scp=3&sq=Antigone&st=cse&pagewanted=2>.

Wilson, Andrew. “Drama Reviews: Antigone di Sofocle.” Classics Pages 2008: 1. Web. 9 May 2010. <http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~loxias/greek.drama.reviews.htm#antigone>.