Skip to main content

Antigone Lecture #2

It was interesting to see both how the assignment of a single line can so drastically change the meaning behind an entire play and how historians go about figuring out how to assign the line to a character. Depending on who says the line, it changes the meaning while also showing the deeper motivations behind the speaker. This shows how important the speaker is in a text. It is easy to forgo discussions on speaker in a play because line assignments make it very clear who is speaking. However, disagreement on this line shows how important it is to dive deep into the meaning of a certain character saying a specific line. 

Either the lecture or one of the articles (I cannot remember which) mentioned that one way to assign the line to a character was to look at the structure and format of other plays during that time period. Generally, in Ancient Greek plays, dialogue was between two people. So, to have Antigone enter into dialogue that, until that point, was only between Creon and Ismene would be unconventional. Not unheard of, but not the general practice of Ancient Greek plays. Historical context gives historians insight into what the most likely situation was outside of the text. While understanding what this line assignment would mean inside the text is important, it is difficult to distinguish intent. Knowing the external context helps to show—from a formatting point of view—what the conventional format of Ancient Greek plays was.

Comments

  1. Eloise DanielloOctober 21, 2022 at 1:36 AM

    Hey Noah! I think it's interesting too how significantly one line can change the whole meaning of the passage and a character. In this case, it even changes the storyline slightly and adds a whole new side plot between Ismene and Haemmon. It makes sense what you said about the conventionality of the dialogue between two characters and it would be odd for Antigone to interject in their conversation.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousOctober 22, 2022 at 11:46 AM

    Hi Noah! I didn't know that dialogue was generally between two people in ancient Greece. That makes sense that Antigone entering the dialogue would be out of place. One line can seem quite minute, but in the context of the Antigone, it can completely change it and raise more questions about Antigone or Ismene. I think that it makes sense that Antigone having the line would be unconventional for an ancient Greek play. I wonder what are some other typical conventions or features and how that might be in Antigone or not.

    ReplyDelete
  3. James MaddenOctober 22, 2022 at 9:58 PM

    Hey Noah! I also find it fascinating how one singular line can change the entire meaning of a passage so significantly. I agree that the particular line mentioned in the microlecture was strange because it would be awkward for Antigone to make an abrupt remark during an exchange between Creon and Ismene only.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Antigone vs. Home Fire

What stood out to me at the beginning of Antigone was the parallel fight between Ismene vs. Antigone and Isma vs. Aneeka. Ismene—like Isma—took the logical stance of conservative protection, opting to sacrifice a proper burial of her already dead brother for the safety of the two living sisters. Both Ismene and Isma sacrifice a level of their integrity for the larger picture, knowing they would like to fulfill their religious obligation to bury their brother as they are supposed to. But at the same time, knowing that adherence to their beliefs would be detrimental to their lives. They both choose to look towards the future and what their—and Antigone/Aneeka's—lives could hold if they do the socially expected outcome of not properly burying their brother. They choose to avoid conflict in the name of safety.  Whereas both Antigone and Aneeks cannot continue their lives if they sacrifice their integrity to abide by social pressures. Both of their lives are so dependent on faith and fa...
7 comments
Read more

Final Project Update

My research for my final project has not really officially started, although I have started doing some brainstorming on potential topics that I would like to write about. At mid-quarter, it can be challenging to envision the final project, especially when have only been in class for a short time because of the quarter system. Also, we still have a book and a half to read, which will influence my research and help me develop new ideas. And seeing how other people start/plan to start their projects will help me navigate my own.  As for questions or struggles, at this stage, I am mostly worried about figuring out the focus or direction of my project. I have not yet chosen a platform to use, however, depending on the specific topic I choose, I really liked the interface of StoryMap. I think it portrayed the text and map better than Neatline. If I have a final topic that uses geography, I will definitely consider using StoryMap. Overall, I feel a little overwhelmed and unsure at this st...
2 comments
Read more

Equiano Team Project

 The utility of Benin is interetsing because of how it is closely connected to the European demand for slaves. I was interested to learn the center of Benin state was located along the coast, so it was a lucrative location to trade and transport slaves. This made it more accessible for European slave traders to transport slaves to European countries efficiently. I never considered how geography would affect which African communities were affected more.  What was even more interesting was the specific methods used during this time to secure slaves. Internal and external slave raids with firearms and surprise attacks were common. I was surprised to learn how members of the Benin community would sell slaves to traders. Even though it was a socially unaccepted practice, I was interested to see that it still did happen relatively frequently. I never considered that African people would also try to benefit financially from the slave trade. And to see how brutal the methods people fr...
2 comments
Read more