Antigone

The Scholars’ Play

The third of Sophocles’ Theban tragedies was enacted by Mowden scholars in a powerful dramatic representation of the famous Greek play. The characters of Antigone and her sister Ismene, mourning the death in battle of their two brothers come up against the harsh decision of their father Creon, that one brother’s body, Polyneices, should not be honoured with normal burial rites, on account of his disloyalty. The Chorus of elders issue their warnings and Haemon, the son of Creon, has a blazing row with his father. As in all Greek tragedies, the problems are not fully resolved before further disaster strikes!

The actors performed with great confidence and the long monologues and speeches were delivered with faultless accuracy and conviction.

The Burial at Thebes by Seamus Heaney
(a version of Antigone by Sophocles)

The post-scholarship English and Drama course for 8W has focused on the Greek tragedian, Sophocles and his life and plays, and it has run alongside Mark Weldon’s Classics’ introduction to Greek theatre. Antigone was chosen for its themes and the relevance they have for us today: King Creon’s attempt to forge unity in the state of Thebes after a civil war; the conflict between the laws of the land and the laws of the gods, and the question of the role of women: should they or could they take any part in public action? All this, of course, is overshadowed by the curse of the House of Oedipus which continues to insinuate and influence with tragic consequences. The 8W cast has been supplemented by volunteers from 7D and 6H and the rehearsal process began with a visit to the school from Stephen Chambers, Head of Classics at Oundle. He offered us a Master Class on Sophocles’ text, identifying the play’s themes with crystalline clarity and defining the explosive character dynamics of the antagonists Antigone and Creon. The cast made heroic efforts to learn lines in double quick time.

SRH