Introduction
Playwrights often portray particular social groups in a way that represents the societal issues he/she wishes to critique in the text. Social groups can be symbolic in the sense that they stand for something more significant than what is shown. Jean Anouilh’s adapted Greek tragedy, Antigone, makes use of the guards to represent the social group of myrmidons, individuals who follow orders unquestioningly. Anouilh was a French playwright living in France during World War II when he wrote the adapted version of Sophocles’ play Antigone using inspiration from anti-Nazi sentiment. Specifically, the guards in Antigone are a social group portraying Anouilh’s Perspective of the war in German-occupied France. The guards are represented in a specific way to draw comparisons with WWII and thus used as a means of critique by the playwright. This Essay will explore the way in which this is done.
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The Historical Parallels: Guards as Myrmidons
Firstly, the author’s use of the historical context of WWII is represented in the guardsmen. In 1940, France was divided into two zones. Where one zone, called Vichy France, was under the control of the German military. The Vichy France government willingly collaborated with Nazi Germany, which is seemingly similar to the guards in Antigone. For example, “We drew lots right away, and I came straight here” highlights the guard’s nature to blindly follow the command of their leader to apprehend the incriminated, much like how the Vichy government followed commands such as partaking in raids to capture the Jews. Furthermore, Anouilh makes use of military diction within the dialogue between the guards, as seen in Act 2 with the quote, “Jonas, your honor. B Company.” The term “company” refers to a military unit which creates an anachronism as the play is set in Ancient Greece. The term is intentionally added to emphasize the timeline of this play. Anouilh rewrote this tragedy with the intention of avoiding being detected by the Germans because of the underlying tone of rebellion performed by the protagonist Antigone. However, he chose Greek tragedy to bring across his message yet implemented themes that the audience of France would have been able to recognize and put into Perspective. This is the alienation effect where the chorus of Antigone allows the audience to have a meta-perspective in order to reflect on the story as the audience is well aware of the character’s tragic fate.
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Tragedy and Hopelessness
Secondly, the use of a tragic structure creates an underlying tone of hopelessness for the characters, with the exception of the guards, who lack emotional depth. The stage directions in the chorus of Antigone are a sardonic commentary of the tragedy that befalls the characters in the play and provide comic relief for the audience. For example, “The guards have entered, sat down on a bench with their caps pushed back and a bottle of wine within reach, and begun a game of cards.” This shows that the guards are indifferent to Creon’s mourning of his family. The stage directions reveal the lack of empathy the guards possess and the imperviousness they pertain. Through Anouilh’s implementation of a chorus with a critical attitude toward the events in the play, it can be interpreted as a critical response to the actions and people involved in WWII. Throughout the play, the guards are further placed in a position of indifference, as shown by the quote, “None of their business. They go on with their game of cards.” This embodies yet another anachronism of card games and emphasizes the pessimistic attitude of people who have their own interests at heart and perhaps towards human beings in general.
Characterization of the Guards: Obedience and Indifference
Lastly, Jean Anouilh’s characterization of the guards placed them in a distinct role within the play. The play begins with a prologue that describes the guards as innocent agents who follow orders blindly which is shown by the quote, “They are the agents-eternally innocent, eternally complacent- of justice.” The Perspective is altered in which the audience views these three men as neutral individuals rather than defining roles such as protagonists or antagonists. This is further heightened by the portrayal of the guardsmen as normal citizens. For example, “They’ve got wives… children…little worries”. By mentioning the emotional attachments that the guards have, the audience is forced to associate them with innocence and thus empathize, much like Antigone’s strong tie to her brother. Despite this, the guards still seem to lack human compassion as they follow Creon, the antagonist, blindly. All throughout the play, the contrast between the guards and the main characters is emphasized through a sense of comic relief as they constantly bicker among themselves. In Act 3, the duologue between captured Antigone and the leading guard further emphasizes the lack of remorse and empathy the guards have as she questions why he hurt her in their altercation, as shown in the quote, “Now then. No nonsense! It was either you or me.” This creates a sense of dramatic irony that adheres to the dark humor in which one would assume that family men would hold compassion but in fact do not. The guards believe they are doing the city justice by apprehending the culprit but are only concerned with themselves and how they perform their duties.
Conclusion
Anouilh mockingly presents the guardsmen as uncompassionate, selfish individuals that double as collaborators of the Nazi regime during WWII to convey his Anti-Nazi sentiment thoughts. The guards are indifferent to the tragedy and concern themselves with their duties rather than moral integrity. In comparison to WWII, perhaps it’s the guard’s carelessness that makes them dangerous, as seen throughout the dialogue among the characters. The chorus reflects cynicism by mocking the drama in the middle of the play as well as referencing the fated death of Antigone in the prologue. Perhaps it is not the characters that Anouilh is mocking, but, in fact, the entirety of WW2 itself, as the play includes elements of dark humor.
References
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“Antigone” by Sophocles
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“Antigone” by Jean Anouilh
Oedipus Hubris And The Dangers Of Pursuing Truth
Introduction
The common saying “ignorance is bliss” is an expression used to describe a person’s avoidance of a negative situation or idea to maintain their ‘happy bubble.’ In the renowned Athenian tragedy Oedipus Rex, Oedipus Tyrannus, or Oedipus the King, seeks ultimate knowledge and truth to end the plague that ravages the city of Thebes, all while juggling ignorance and self-knowledge.
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Tragic Lesson in the Consequences of Unchecked Hubris
This strong ambition to delve into the truth that was meant to be hidden eventually destroyed the king himself after being so sheltered by the blindness of ignorance. The king’s revelation of his taboo origin and self-obliteration then makes one question: Was seeking the truth well worth it despite the pain it came with, or is it better to rely on the saying “ignorance is bliss”? Oedipus is presented as someone with great insight and intelligence through his prior accomplishments of liberating Thebes from the Sphinx. Due to his inflated hubris, fed by his people’s faith in their great leader, Oedipus believes he is intellectually superior to others, “kneeling at [his] feet” (13-15), waiting to be pitied. Although seen as a man of great knowledge and wisdom, even by himself, Oedipus ironically carries little to no self-knowledge about who he is and where he came from. As he confidently seeks the truth to eradicate the plague, the king gains more knowledge about his background. Ultimately, all former schemas and beliefs of Oedipus shatter as he encounters the terrors of self-knowledge of his ancestral marriage and being the source of the plague. His pursuit of truth, once on behalf of his city Thebes, transitions to a personal and less noble endeavor of his taboo origin. Oedipus is so blinded by their own hubris and rage he begins to disregard all other opinions and deviates far from the wise leader he was known for. Albeit “something monstrous may come bursting forth” (1182) was predicted by his comrade, Oedipus encouraged all disasters to “let is burst! Whatever will, whatever must!” since he “must know [his] birth, no matter how common it may be” (1183-1185). The obtention of all knowledge narrows Oedipus’s mind as he becomes so determined to unearth the truth only for himself. All honorable intentions are now cast away as Oedipus proclaims to his wife, who pleads him to stop for the better good, “Listen to you? No more. I must know it all, must see the truth at last” (1169-1170). The truth means everything to Oedipus, and he is willing to face whatever may come at him, even if it means going through extreme measures. This pursuit of knowing all truth, obscured by his hubris and arrogance, brings Oedipus’s dreadful hamartia.
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The true tragedy of the play Oedipus Rex was not the extrinsic misfortune that landed upon the great king (regarding the marriage to his mother and murder of his father). The actual conflict that brought Oedipus his fatal downfall was the gaining of knowledge of these facts that were in complete contradiction to his self-identity. Oedipus’s own perception of himself as “the land’s avenger by all rights, and Apollo’s champion too” (153-155) transforms into a man accused of being “the curse, the corruption of the land!” (400-401) and the very “murderer you hunt” (413). This revolution completely destroys his own self-perception. Oedipus’s discovery of his legitimate origin is not, however, a simple futile effort in the end. Whether it be for himself or to extinguish the plague, Oedipus manages to achieve a greater good despite his life being in ruins as he professes, “quickly, cast me away, my friends — this great murderous ruin, this man cursed to heaven, the man the deathless gods hate most of all!” (1478-1480). He calls for the city of Thebes to exile their very king to abolish the curse and personal guilt that lay within him. By doing so, the plague would be lifted from the city of Thebes, the crops replenished, and the town would hopefully flourish once again. Thus, Oedipus’s restless pursuit of truth had a greater purpose, which is the lives of the people he loves so dearly. The truth Oedipus so greatly yearned for ultimately destroyed him but, in the end, rescued the city of Thebes from the plague.
The Climax of Oedipus’s Journey
If Oedipus were to not seek truth so fiercely and if the tragedy did not link the plague to the free will of the gods, it would be presumed he would have continued living in ignorant bliss to find an alternative solution to the plague. In this unique circumstance, the uprooting of knowledge, originally meant to be hidden, would prove to be a worthwhile effort. However, real life rarely mimics that of Oedipus in which such strange events would occur. Oedipus’s story is an example of how knowing too much knowledge is a dangerous asset that may reveal a truth that was better left unknown. Sophocles asserts this claim through the texts of Tiresias, who educates Oedipus on the brutality and horror that all knowledge and wisdom come with: “How terrible—to see the truth when the truth is only pain to him who sees!” (359-360). What terrible truth Oedipus tried so hard to squeeze out of Tiresias turned out to hold only pain for the king.
Conclusion
Without realizing it, we are also guilty of being so adamant about finding knowledge and truth that surrounds us, potentially containing just sorrow and pain. Our strong desire for knowledge comes at a price, and we may not love the results; that is the truth that is later unveiled. This leaves us with two options: to accept the outcome and become lovers of the truth or blind ourselves through ignorance to maintain happiness. Complete oblivion, after all, could be a subconscious “blessing for the mind to dwell a world away from pain” (1523). Oedipus Tyrannus, in the tragedy Oedipus Rex, reveals the ancient reflection on the dangers of knowledge. Sophocles’s work exposes certain ideological questions about whether the over-consumption of knowledge and truth is beneficial or should a person remain ignorant to maintain happiness. Ultimately, destruction does not come down to how much knowledge is obtained, as it is dependent on the person. Rather, it is determined by how a person may react to this truth that will define whether all-knowing knowledge shall educate or demolish someone.
References
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“Oedipus Tyrannus: Tragic Heroism and the Limits of Knowledge” by Charles Segal
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“Oedipus Rex: A Mirror for Greek Drama” by Marjorie Barstow Greenbie
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“Oedipus: A Folklore Casebook” edited by Lowell Edmunds
