J o Love and hate, bright light and dark shadows, proud determination and angry fear emphasized the unusual drama of ANTIGONE, a modern French tragedy by Jean Anoulih, taken from Sophocles' Greek drama of the same name. Chorus, knowing all the thoughts of the characters, introduced them and brieRy outlined the plot. Antigone was the daughter of ex-king Oedipus, who had exiled himself after discovering that he'd killed his father, unknowingly, and, also unknowingly, married his own mother. Antigone's uncle Creon was made king, and as the play began, had ordered the body of one of her two brothers left outside the city gates without a burial. thus con demning him to eternal wandering. Despite the penalty of death ordered by the king for anyone who tried to bury the body, Antigone was determined to do as she thought right ... she tried to convince her beautiful sister Ismene to help her bury their brother, but Ismene had thought too much about the consequences and could not bring herself to face death: Antigone had to do it alone. Having done the deed, Antigone told her fiance. Haemon, Creon's son, that she could never marry him although she loved him very much: she would not tell him why. Creon, hearing of the burial. ordered the body uncovered and guarded. When the guards brought Antigone before him after her second attempt. Creon told the guards to keep the incident quiet then proceeded to try to convince Antigone of her erroneous thinking. Creon pleaded, threatened, and stormed. while Antigone taunted him with his cowardice until the king gave up try ing, for his own protection from the wrath of the people if he had to have his own niece. to save her. and ordered Antigone taken away to be buried alive in a cave. Not even for his son's angry plead ing would he revoke his law. As a result. Haemon ran off and hid in the cave before Antigone was imprisoned within it. The guards, hearing a man's cry after sealing the cave. hurriedly unsealed it. finding that Antigone had hanged herself and Haemon stabbed himself. This was the tragic news brought to the king and ending the play. 200
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