Greek Theatre, Antigone, and Film

Greek theatre was the primary medium of entertainment in ancient Greece, especially in Athens. Interestingly, theatre was inherently associated with the cult of Dionysus, and all performances and competitions were done to the praise of the wine god. The Greeks had three types of plays, each serving a role in Greek thought. The first, called a satyr play, consisted of bawdy and violent humor. The second, the comedy, consisted mostly of satire, and cultural criticism in which common ideas were questioned and mocked in a humorous way. The tragedy dealt with the most solemn topics including aspects of human nature. Tragedies did not mock the Greek ideas, but instead, praised them, and asked the big questions of the nature of man and of the gods in a thought-provoking and deep way. Throughout Greece’s history, Greek theatre progressed and improved, until finally, it reached its golden age in the fifth century during the life of Sophocles. Sophocles wrote one hundred twenty-three plays of which eight have survived. One of these plays, and perhaps his most well-known, is Antigone.

Antigone is part of the three Theban plays, written by Sophocles in the fifth century BC, which dramatize the ruin of the family of Oedipus. The play begins in Thebes after a civil war between Oedipus’ two sons, Eteocles and Polynices. The two brothers died by each other’s hands, and their uncle Creon has taken the throne. Creon’s first decree is that the body of Polynices, who fought against the Thebans, is to be left unburied. In Greek thought, a soul must be buried in order to be sent into the underworld. Polynices’ sister and Creon’s niece Antigone, disobeys Creon’s decree and buries her brother. Creon is then left with the unpleasant prosp...

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... was failing. In order to finish my project with my dignity intact, I had to force myself to accept imperfection. I had to make myself understand that success is not necessarily flawlessness, but instead my own satisfaction with my finished product. As this is my last forty-hour project, I felt an added pressure to accomplish something great, something that would please both me and my audience. But when I let that attitude get the best of me, I was worried and discontented. In the end, I am not working for myself, a teacher, or a grade I am working only to give glory to God. In the end, I think I succeeded and can be proud of what I accomplished. I have learned a lot of stuff while doing the project. I have learned about Greek theatre, filming techniques, and perseverance. However, I think that the most important lesson I learned was the one about myself.