Date of Award
1970
Document Type
Thesis
Department
Theatre Arts
First Reader
Professor Dennis Holt
Abstract
From 441 B.C. to 1958 A.D. is a long time, yet people have had basically the same problems for more years than that. In approximately 441 B.C., Sophocles wrote a story about a young girl who defied civil law in order to preserve the freedom of her convictions. In 1958 A.D., Mr. Dennis Holt restated this story in what he calls a "theatre poem." Antigone is considered to be perhaps the first important statement of "civil disobedience" in the western world.
Sophocles did not create the story. The content of the Oedipus trilogy, of which Antigone is a part, was handed down to the Greek theater from ancient folklore. Many people since have been drawn down to this compelling story of a brave girl and a well-meaning king. Every generation and separate society seem to have found the conflict pertinent. There has never been a thoroughly satisfying solution to the conflict--hence its perennial fascination.
The following is a comparison of the version of Antigone by Sophocles and Mr. Holt's version. 2399 years separate the two, and probably so 2399 differences. Mr. Holt's script is a complete restatement, not a paraphrase. Both versions are beautiful in their message and the way each brings it out.
Recommended Citation
Reynolds, Sherry Gail, "Antigone: 441 B.C. to 1958 A.D." (1970). Honors Theses. 678.
https://scholarlycommons.obu.edu/honors_theses/678