GP1: Relationship - Application: Antigone and the Chorus/State

GP1: Relationship - Antigone and the Chorus/State

Overview Antigone's last scene is spent talking with the Chorus, a group of people that represent the city of Thebes. It is important then to consider what Antigone's relationship is with the Chorus in order to pursue whatever her objective may be. The core question "Where is the love?" must be answered.

Application The plays Oedipus Rex and Oedipus at Corilianus take place before Antigone does. An actor can use these two plays as backstory for Antigone's character. Antigone and her siblings had to live through the shameful incest of her father as well as the dishonorable death of her mother. Therefore, it can be assumed that Antigone, in suffering through the shame, had the bad reputation forced upon her.

So, where is the love?

A very possible choice that I am working towards is the choice that Antigone desires love from the Chorus/citizens of Thebes. They have always seen her as a product of incest and perhaps even a sub-person. Therefore, in addition to burying her brother for all of the right reasons (honor, familial duty, etc.), she may also feel that by doing the right thing, the people will finally stop their judging and accept her for who she is. She can finally remove the shame of her parents and gain the honor and the love she has always wanted.

This choice is helpful in that the stakes become higher. She fights harder to convince them that she is doing the right thing, and when they still refuse her, she is even more distraught.


Critique Answering this love question for the Chorus has been very helpful. I would say that it requires a supplement of Stanislavski's paperwork preparation. The background information had to be researched in order to fully understand the magnitude of Oedipus's shame. It could have been imagined, but then the performance may lack a certain rock-solid historical foundation.