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Scene Study prepares you to perform key scenes for your theater class or audition. We've got all the information you need for a great performance.
Excerpt from Monologue in Antigone: Antigone
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Understanding the Given Circumstances
- Antigone’s family dynamics are complex because her father is Oedipus, the former King of Thebes, who unknowingly killed his own father and married his mother, Jocasta.
- Oedipus and Jocasta had two sons, Eteocles and Polynices, and two daughters, Antigone and Esme. Therefore, Oedipus is both Antigone’s father and brother.
- When Oedipus abandons his throne in disgrace and goes into exile, Eteocles and Polynices go to war over who will rule. Both are killed in the fighting.
- The new King, Creon, declares Eteocles a hero, and gives him a proper burial. But he declares Polynices a traitor and orders his body to be left on the battlefield, unburied, to rot. Antigone, in defiance of Creon’s edict, goes to the battlefield and buries her brother Polynices.
- Just prior to this speech, Creon has confronted Antigone about her defiance. Antigone confirms that she did know about his edict when she performed the illegal burial. Creon’s line immediately preceding Antigone’s speech is “And yet wert bold enough to break the law?” Antigone’s speech is her response to this question.
- Antigone speaks directly to Creon during this speech.
Blocking and Movement
In theater, blocking is the process of planning the actors’ physical movements and positions. Be sure to show respect and establish trust when working with scene partners. As you prepare to block this scene, ask yourself the following questions:
- Where does the speech take place? Are they in front of Creon’s palace? Are there stairs or large columns? Does it take place in the town square?
- What is Antigone’s status in society, considering her family and its history? What is her status compared to Creon? How might this affect her demeanor toward Creon?
- What is Antigone’s level of resolve in this moment? Whether she is of complete conviction or a little unsure of herself will help you decide how she might hold herself.
- Are there other people watching? How does Antigone feel about those people? How do they feel about her? How do these considerations affect how Antigone moves (or doesn’t move) through the space?
Historical Context
When approaching this speech for performance or audition, it is important to understand how Greeks in this time would have understood Antigone’s responsibility to her slain brother, Polynices. The ancient Greeks believed that the dead must always be buried. Not burying the dead would be considered a profound insult and a denial of the dead person’s humanity. This was understood as a divine law, part of the natural order of the world.
For Antigone, King Creon’s edict not to bury Polynices goes against divine law. Antigone argues that Creon has no right to issue such an order, and that she must disobey his rule to follow the divine law that requires her to bury her brother.
This argument still resonates in modern times. Philosophers like Henry David Thoreau, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr. have made similar arguments. They have called this kind of resistance to an unjust man-made law “civil disobedience.”
Before you begin to practice performing the speech aloud, it may help to read up on the long tradition of civil disobedience. In addition, ask yourself the following questions:
- Why is it so important to Antigone that she bury her brother?
- Why does Antigone feel justified in breaking the law (Creon’s edict)?
Full Monologue: Antigone
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