Anouilh Antigone Journal 4

Two Themes in Antigone and how they relate to other tragedies:

1. Hubris: Antigone has an idea in her head that she must die to avenge her brother's death. She later reveals that even she does not know why she wants to die. Antigone's unwillingness to change her position and her desire to stand her ground ultimately cause her own death and great pain for her family and those who love her.
-Medea has a theme similar to this. She takes her wounded pride too far-she feels that to get back at her husband, she has to hit him where it really will hurt him-by killing their sons. Her hubris prevents her from realizing the damage it will cause to her own life.

2. The power of illusions: Illusions lead a person to believe something strongly, but once that illusion is disputed, the belief still stays strong. Even though Antigone's belief about her brother has been dispelled, she stil has the steadfast belief that she ahs to stand up for this thing. She refuses to move past this idea that she has of dying because it is an illusion that she has had for a long time that dying is the right thing to do.
-Similarly, in Medea, she has a persistent Idea that killing her sons is the best way to damage her husband's life. But ebven after she deals with an internal struggle over whether killing them is the best way, her desire to get revenge upon Jason gets the best of her. Her illusion that revenge will make her feel better prevents her from seeing the truth-that killing the boys and living with the guilt will ruin her own life forever.

Anouilh Antigone Journal 3

During their fight, Antigone repeats the word "happy" many times. She latches onto this word after Creon tells her "And get married quickly, Antigone. Be happy"(41). Antigone then begins to question Creon's idea of happiness, and reveals that their contrasting versions of happiness are one of the things that has made her so angry. Using sarcasm, she asks Creon, "You tell me that life is so wonderful. I want to know what I have to do in order to be able to say that myself"(42). Antigone resents the fact that Creon wants her to be content with settling down, putting big problems aside, and just worrying about being "happy." She feels that he is belittling her and she resents it. Antigone uses the word "happy" with contempt and sarcasm, as if the type of happiness that Creon outlines for her is a thing that only frivolous people want.

An ambiguous term that Anouilh uses both in the beginning and the middle of the book is the word "understand." In the beginning, Antigone is angry that everyone is always telling her to "understand." "Understand! I don't want to understand!(12). Antigone says again during her fight with Creon, "I am not here to understand"(37). Antigone does not specifically state what she means by "understand." She refers to different situations in which she is expected to understand why she should or shouldn't do something. Antigone's ambiguous use of the word "understand" gives the impression that she uses that word as a way to say that she resents being ordered around and expected to obey orders like a docile little girl.

Character Journal

Medea is motivated by anger and revenge. Her anger at Jason for being unfaithful motivates Medea to take rash actions and kill all the people dear to her husband. This motivation has consequences for Medea, though. Because emotion is her primary motivator, good judgement tends to be left out of her actions, causing as much pain and loss for her as for the person she tries to hurt.
"Friends,/ I can think of several ways to bring their death about./ Which one shall I choose?"(45). Medea plots to get back at her husband by ruining his marriage through murdering him, his wife, and his father-in-law.
"It is the supreme way to hurt my husband"(58). Medea refers to how she is going to kill her sons as a way to hurt her husband. She knows that killing her sons will be the most difficult and painful thing that she will ever do, but in her anger she c an only think of getting revenge on her husband.

Anouilh Antigone Journal 2

4 Literary Techniques and Effects
1. Imagery-"Cold, black, beautiful, flowing water"(11). Antigone refers to water this way in frustration, after Ismene tells her to try and be a bit more understanding. Antigone's words display her passionate attitude towards life, and she is frustrated because her passion is always being suppressed.
2. Hyperbole-"A thousand arms will seize our arms. A thousand breaths will breathe into our faces"(Anouilh 12). Ismene describes what she imagines will happen if they disobey Creon and he sends his army to discipline them. While a thousand soldiers will most likely not be sent to stop two young girls, this hyperbole exaggerates Ismene's fear of disobeying rules.
3. Metaphor-"A little young for what, my kitten?"(Anouilh 14). The nurse responds to Antigone's self-pity by trying to console her with affectionate words. While the nurse sees this name as merely a term of endearment, Antigone resents being viewed as a frail, delicate creature because she feels she cannot achieve anything because of this image.
4. Simile-"I'm sallow, and I'm scrawny. Ismene is pink and golden. She's like a fruit"(17). Antigone compares her sister to a fruit to emphasize that she is healthy, available for being picked(presumably by a man), and attractive. Antigone contrasts herself to Ismene for a few reasons: One is to express her confusion that Haemon chose to marry her instead of Ismene, when Ismene is obviously more attractive. She also does this as a way to slyly find out Haemon's affections for her.

Anouillh Antigone Journal 1

The 1940s were a turbulent time for Europe. Half of the decade was consumed in the 2nd World War. After this, the continent was in a struggle between the containment and spreading of Communism. Anouillh's Antigone will most likely be influenced by this by modeling one person, most likely the oppressor, as a purpotrator of Communism, and another person, most likely the hero/heroine, as the country or party that attempts to fight against the growing power of Communism.

Antigone Journal 3

Casting of Antigone:
1. Antigone: Natalie Portman
"Don't fear for me. Set your own life in order"(63).
"Not ashamed for a moment,/ not to honor my brother, my own flesh and blood"(84).
Physical Appearance: Slender, average height, dark brown hair, tan skin, bright green eyes
Personality: Brave, passionate, highly morally correct, impulsive
Why: Portman can portray a variety of characters realistically, especially dramatic ones. Also, she has certain issues she is very passionate about, so that could translate to the stage.
2. Ismene: Kate Winslet
"[...]I'll beg the dead to forgive me-/I'm forced, I have no choice-I must obey the ones who stand in power"(62).
"Then don't, at least, blurt this out to anyone./Keep it a secret. I'll join you in that, I promise"(63).
Physical Appearance: Tall, large-boned, long, light blond hair, thin eyebrows, light blue eyes, fair skin
Personality: Sweet, loyal, timid, protective of family, sensible, obedient
Why: Winslet is good at dramatic characters and can get into character really well. Her physical appearance also fits the part.
3. Creon: Jude Law
"You, get out, wherever you please-/you're clear of a very heavy charge"(81).
"No? Believe me, the stiffest, stubborn wills/ fall the hardest[...]There's no room for pride, not in a slave, not with the lord and master standing by"(83).
Physical Appearance: Tall, muscular, sandy brown hair, tan skin, chiseled features, piercing blue eyes, handsome
Personality: Sarcastic, conniving, insecure, petty, cruel-but charming when necessary
Why: Mischievous face, looks like he could portray a villain well, can be very threatening when he needs to
4. Haemon: Dev Patel
"Father, I'm your son...you in your wisdom set my bearings for me-I obey you"(93).
"Far be it from me-I haven't the skill[...]"(95).
"Protect your rights?/When you trample down the honors of the gods?"(98).
Physical Appearance: Scrawny body, average height, not incredibly handsome, scared but kind brown eyes, dark skin, wavy, long dark hair
Personality: Deferential, awestruck, morally correct, humble
Why: Dev Patel is scrawny and innocent-looking, young, good at underdog roles
5. Sentry: Kevin Connolly
"First, myself, I've got to tell you,/I d idn't do it, didn't see who did-/Be fair, don't take it out on me"(70).
"She's the one. With my own eyes, I saw her/bury the body, just what you've forbidden./There. Is that plain and clear?"(79).
Physical Appearance: Short, stocky, brownish-red hair, small, nervous blue eyes, sheepish grin
Personality: Nervous, defensive, rude
Why: Kevin Connolly fits the physical description, and he also does well in the role of an insecure, nervous person
Leader: Clint Eastwood
"To us,/unless old age has robbed us of our wits,/you seem to say what you have with sense"(94).
"Still the same rough winds, the wild passion/raging through the girl"(106).
Physical Appearance: Old, reddish face, thinning white hair, thin, tall, fragile looking man, blue eyes
Personality: Observant, perceptive, dry, authoritative
Why: Clint Eastwood is great as the dry, perceptive old man who gives his approval distinctly to certain things and frowns on others.

Antigone Journal 2

Bloom's Taxonomy: Antigone
1.Knowledge:
-What does Antigone want that Creon refuses?
-Who buried Polynices?
2.Comprehension:
-Why is Creon angry?
-Why does Antigone want to bury her brother?
3.Application:
-Is Antigone's attitude of defiance to her uncle foreshadowing for her downfall?
-What is the significance of gender roles in this play?
4. Analysis:
-Does Haemon support Antigone out of love alone or out of agreement with her ideas?
-Is Creon's attitude towards women such because he is threatened by them?
5. Synthesis:
-Does Creon want to kill Antigone because she disobeyed or because he feels threatened by her confidence and power?
-Does Antigone feel disgusted by Ismene because she does not share her bold, courageous approach to life?
6. Evaluation:
-Is Creon's reason for refusing to bury Polynices justified?
-Does Antigone feel superiority over her sister, and what does this say about Antigone's view of gender roles?

Antigone Journal 1

Lit. Techniques
1.metaphor: "worth your breeding, Ismene, or a coward"(60)Antigone compares Ismene to an animal, implying that if she does not show courage, she is not up to the expected standard of her family.
2.foreshadowing:"Zeus hates with a vengeance all bravado"(65) The chorus foreshadows that something will happen to Medea when they refer to bravado-Medea is full of tough and angry talk, but we do not know if she will act as she says.
3.metaphor:"The culprit grates on your feelings,/I just annoy your ears"(74) The sentry implies to Creon that he should not be angry at him, but at the culprit, because he(the sentry) is just the bringer of bad news.

Medea Journal 3

Medea and Oedipus have extremely different ways of fitting the description of a tragedy.Medea's troubles are caused by the choices she makes, Oedipus' are caused by fate. Medea acts on planned revenge, Oedipus on his impulses. However, the self-induced downfall that these elements combine to lead to make both Medea and Oedipus tragedies.
Medea decides to kill all the people dear to her husband in order to spite him. She has the choice of not killing anyone and suffering in silence, but such is her nature, and the nature of the situation, that it is nearly impossible for her to not get angry and fight back. Because Medea's nature is such, she must make the choice to kill the people dear to her husband, which includes her sons. Medea's inability to see how much her choice harms her induces pity from the audience. The audience sees Medea's unshakeable anger at her husband, and the things that it drives her to do, and pities Medea's rage.
Oedipus' problems occur based on a prophecy. When he was a baby, a prophecy saying that he would kill his dad and marry his mom made his parents try to kill him. Now, Oedipus has come back and fulfilled the prophecy, but upon having realized that, Oedipus feels unbearable pain for the trouble and shame he has brought both upon himself and on his entire family. This agony that Oedipus feels over something that he cannot control evokes pity from the audience. The audience feels empathy for Oedipus' situation, as if they were in such a situation that they couldn't control, and thus pity is evoked.
Medea's tragedy is based on the revenge she plots against Jason. She becomes so obsessed with getting back at him for marrying someone else, she loses all perspective. When she does so, she fails to see that the person she is going to hurt most is herself, because she will have to live her entire life with the burden of having killed her sons. But she does not see that-she only sees the primary thing at hand-destroying her husband. This evokes fear from the audience not only because of Medea's bloodthirstiness, but because it opens up the idea that we could become so obsessed with revenge that we could take rash actions similar to Medea's without realizing what we are truly doing, and then have to live with it all our lives.
Oedipus' tragedy is based on the impulses he follows. Oedipus' reaction to his discovery is one of agony. He can't bear the thought of what he has done, so he screams and gouges his eyes out. He then asks to be banished. While these events are not tragic alone, the fact that Oedipus is sentencing himself to such a life of pain and lonliness evokes fear. We worry, upon reading this, that we could become so impulsive that in a fit of anguish we could do something like this that could be permanently damaging.
Oedipus and Medea have different ways of depicting tragedy, but both evoke fear and pity through the actions of their heroes.

Medea Journal 2

Medea evokes the gods frequently, as if she has a personal relationship with them. Jason, on the other hand, appears to have a more formal relationship with them. They are similar in that they both evoke them during times of despair.
Medea often calls on Themis and Artemis, goddess of justice and the guardian of women, respectively, in her chants of despair. "O mighty Themis and Artemis, Queen,[...]How dare they do to me what they have done!"(Euripides 38). Medea is disraught because her husband has left her. In her pain, she speaks to these goddesses. In addition to paying respect to their power, this repeated reference to these powerful female figures establishes the important role of women by giving them such roles of power.
Medea also calls on Zeus as the "keeper of vows"(Euripides 38) in many instances. For one, Medea cries to Zeus, wondering "O Zeus, what made you give us [...] but when we need to know the base metal of a man/no stamp upon his flesh for telling counterfeit?"(Euripides 49). Medea talks to Zeus as a means of support-in all instances, including this one, she appears to have infinite trust in him, believing that he does everything for a reason, even if she doesn't understand it.
The other main god that Medea evokes is Helios the Sun. He is her grandfather, and that aspect of having such a powerful person as her family member gives her a sense of security in the midst of unhappiness and insecurity. "[...]the sun/-my father's father-gave me/to keep me safe against my enemies"(Euripides 74). Medea says this as she carries her dead sons away from Jason in vindictive triumph. This sense of power is Medea's way of covering up her insecurities and guilt over killing her sons.

Jason, on the other hand, evokes the gods far less often. His main references to the gods are only for support when he truly needs it, as opposed to in his conversation.
The first reference Jason makes is to Aphrodite, the goddess of love. "[...]as far as I am concerned/it was Aphrodite and no one else in heaven or earth/who saved me on my voyage"(Euripides 50). Jason defends himself from Medea's wrath by telling her, much to her anger, that he does not give her any credit for saving him and sacrificing things that were dear to her. Medea has been hurling abuse at him. Jason knows that Medea has a right to be angry, but because he does not want to admit he is wrong, so he attempts to defend himself by dispelling her reasons for being angry. He feels that by telling her that she does not have as much influence on his life as she thought, she cannot feel as entitled to her wrath as she does then.
The other time Jason evokes a god is at the end of the play as Medea takes the bodies of their sons away in her chariot. Jason cries out to Zeus, the keeper of vows. "Zeus, do you hear how I'm at bay,/So I mourn and call on the gods while I may,/On the powers to witness how you have slain/My children[...]I'd rather they'd never been born to me/Than have lived to see you destroy them this day"(Euripides 77). In this situation, Jason at first calls out to the gods in despair, as if asking for support. However, Jason goes on to blame the gods for allowing his sons to die. Jason sets such store by the gods that he believes that they have the power to control anything. Only after experiencing the worst possible thing does Jason truly turn to evoking the gods. Only after this experience does Jason truly feel passion in the play, which drives him to call on the gods.