26th Annual Student Research Conference
But for you they hold their tongues: Modern Adaptations of Sophocles' Antigone and The Shift from a Female-Powered Play
to a War-Powered Political Agenda
Fallyn M. Lee
Dr. Bridget Thomas, Faculty Mentor
Sophocles' Antigone was originally focused on conflicts of family, death, public duty, and loyalty. As discussed by scholar Mark Griffith, the female characters have conflicts of interests as they straddle the lines between bride, sister, and mother archetypes. This research explores what happens to the female characters (Antigone, Ismene, and Euridice) as they journey from ancient Thebes to Nazi-occupied France and finally to George W. Bush's War On Terror. As modern wars have come and gone, this text seems to lose the central conflicts and some character development. Instead, modern texts focus on the oppressor and the oppressed: Creon and Antigone. This presentation will look at Jean Anoulih's and Seamus Heaney's adaptations comparing female weakening to the original text as well as looking to see what new messages are brought to light in these newer versions.
Keywords: Sophocles, Feminism, War, Theatre
Topic(s):Classics
Theatre
Women's and Gender Studies
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 307-2
Location: MG 1098
Time: 1:15