Journal #10 - Anitgone

In the 48 hours leading up to the Nurse catching Antigone, the siege on the city of Thebes had ended. This siege was due to a powerful struggle between the two brothers meant to rule the city after Oedipus' death. The younger brother, who tried to take the throne due to his right to rule, left the city and came back with foreign princes to lay siege on Thebes. The rebels were destroyed, along with the two brothers, and Creon, Oedipus' brother-in-law, took the throne. He viewed Polynices, the younger brother, as a traitor and did not allow the burial of his corpse, and ordered the execution of anyone who attempted to bury him. Thus the conflict arises, when Anitgone, Polynices' sister, arrives at night and holds gives him a burial ritual, and then comes home to be caught by the Nurse.


Anouilh gives an account of these events through a the Chorus, a character that is similar to a watcher, but knows and understands all that is transpiring. This way of introducing the characters and giving background information on the play forces the watcher to take the point of view of the Chorus. Since the Chorus is similar to the watcher in the way that they are both observing the play, the watcher is able to relate with the Chorus. However, the Chorus takes on a neutral tone, describing the characters and events as how they actually looked.
The watcher takes on the perceptions of the Chorus. For example, the watcher would see Creon as a strong king who struggles with the difficulty of leadership, which is how the Chorus describes the king. Due to this, the watcher will take into account that the king is stressed and must obey the obligations of his position, and therefore sympathize with him even as he orders his niece to be killed.