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Author: Sophocles

Number of Pages: 80

Date of Publication: 441

“The curse placed on Oedipus lingers and haunts a younger generation in this new and brilliant translation of Sophocles’ classic drama. The daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta, Antigone is an unconventional heroine who pits her beliefs against the King of Thebes in a bloody test of wills that leaves few unharmed. Emotions fly as she challenges the king for the right to bury her own brother. Determined but doomed, Antigone shows her inner strength throughout the play.”

– Goodreads.com

I read this with my AP English class after reading Oedipus Rex. Technically it is the third play in a series of sorts written by Sophocles and following the same family, but my class skipped reading the middle play due to the time constraint of our class. As long as you have an idea of the story and circumstances, however, I don’t really think it matters the order in which you read them.

I did like this play more than Oedipus Rex because I think it has a stronger connection to modern-day society. At its core, this story is about standing up for what you believe in as well as about where your loyalty and duty should lie- with the law or your personal beliefs? It’s a clash of conflicting ideas and it’s so very interesting to read about from a modern perspective. This conflict occurs all the time in our daily lives on a small-scale, and it is definitely happening on a much grander scale in nations around the world today. People are rising up and fighting for what they believe in, just like Antigone goes against the law to avenge the disrespect Creon has shown her deceased brother by not giving him a proper burial.

Antigone is very much a feminist character, which I absolutely loved reading about. It makes you wonder: What made Sophocles want to challenge the cultural norms of his society by writing about such a strong, independent female? Did he know someone in real life that acted a similar way, or was it simply a creation of his own imagination and he thought that more women should act that way? The fact that this play is so incredibly relevant today even though it was written thousands of years ago astounds me. It just goes to show that technology may progress and society may change and advance, but humans are still humans and most likely always will be. We face similar ideological struggles to the ones they had to endure in the time of Sophocles, and this play is concrete evidence of that.

Overall, Antigone is a dramatic, engaging, fascinating play that evokes empowerment and wonder in the reader. It’s as relevant today as any newly released novel, which is all the more reason to read it.

My Rating: :0) :0) :0) 3 out of 5 smileys.

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Yes!

Have you ever read this play? If so, what were your thoughts on it? Let me know in the comments section below!

Yours,