Khanh's answers to Questions 2 & 3

Q2. What themes does each version choose to highlight more and what effect does it have?


I think the British version is more inherent in its portrayal of the themes presented in Antigone. Central themes to the drama such as Duty VS Authority, represented by the conflicting opinions of the sisters, Antigone and Ismene. During their conversation, Antigone's tone is very harsh and dominant, which shows her fearlessness of the authority and pride in her belief that burying Polyneices is a duty that she certainly will fulfill, whereas Ismene's voice sounds shrill with fear and keeps on pleading Antigone, her face is full of worry.


This theme is further reinforced through the moral conflict between two equally justified belief of 'what is right', between Antigone and Creon. The British version has highlighted this theme very effectively by including a typical aspect from the modern society, which is the equality between men and women. I agree with Annette that this version supports feminity, in which case, Antigone stands opposite with Creon and both talk to each other like of equal status, whereas in the Greek version, Antigone has to look up to speak to Creon. Therefore, in the British version, Antigone is given power to speak out for her belief, together with the cultural setting that allows women to freely express their emotions, enhances the dominance of Antigone's Duty over Creon's Authority. 


The British version is more effective in highlighting the themes of Antigone through focus in characterisation, as there is less movement compared to the Greek version and more speech is made, which further emphasises the distinct personalities of each character: Antigone being headstrong and fearless, even harebrained sister, Creon being a demagogue who rules a tyranny, Ismene


The Greek version only highlights the theme of tragedy in a generic way through movie conventions, such as the setting of war's aftermath: rubble and deaths, Polyneices' rotten body as a symbol that foreshadows the decay of Creon's reign, the transition from Creon's victory of his seized control of Thebes to his bewilderment from Antigone's violation of his edict. It certainly brings tension to the audience, and also encourages their sympathy for Antigone.

Q3. Which version did you like the most and for what specific reasons?
I think both versions are successful in their respective ways. I like the British version in terms of its characterisation and its "compliance" to the rules of Greek theatre, evident through the performance of the Chorus and the stage-like setting of the play, which makes the audience feels like watching the actors in an amphitheatre. Although the speech made in the British version retains its meaning as the original script, but the words that are said and the style of speaking is of the modern colloquial manner, which somehow distorts the formality of the tragedy.


The Greek version is more attractive in terms of the movie conventions used: the outdoor setting - where the King and the Chorus makes speeches is a very similar representation of the communal life of Greek society; the costumes and music are also done well. I also like the formal and sincere way the actors and actresses speak, not only close to the original script, but also distinguishes the importance of men and women, through Antigone's reserved manner when speaking to Ismene in a crowded place and Creon standing high above Antigone when he speaks. These dialogue conventions really helps to establish the patriarchal society that Ancient Greece possesses, and thus contributes to the distinctive culture of Sophocles' Antigone.

A comparison between two adaptions of "Antigone"

2. What themes does each version seem to highlight more and what effect does it have?

In terms of the theme and the characterization I think that the Greek version is truer to the original text. There is much emphasis on the resolve, the courage and morality Antigone possesses. These hero like qualities stand at odds to Ismene's cowardice. This is shown when Antigone displays immense grief filed with anger that fuel her heroic yet recalcitrant actions whilst Ismene, filled with grief is frightened rather than angry. Through characterization and the portrayal of Antigone as a hero figure, in contrast to her submissive sister Ismene the director makes it clear that the wrath of the gods is greater than the punishment of men as the audience is led to both sympathize and commend Antigone for her self-destructive valor.

The BBC adapted play however is strongly laced with notions of feminism and the wrath of patriarchy. This can be seen through first the setting- cold stone walls reflecting Creon's callousness, adorned with several copies of Creon's intimidating portraits - placed near the ceiling so that the audience and the cast are literally under Creon's "command". This also supports the idea that Creon is playing god whilst suggesting how contemptible his actions due to the dominating nature of the portrait that inspires discomfort in the audience.

The characterization of the two sisters is slightly different, Antigone still portrays courage yet this is paired with recklessness. She does not portray the same steadfastness the greek version of Antigone does thus implicating that her actions, albeit valiant are rather rash- considering the circumstances. In short, BBC's Antigone does not evoke so much admiration as speculation. Ismene, viewed through more modern lenses does not seem cowardly but practical. As the elder sister we can see that she is wiser and more contemplative of the consequences. Through this characterization the audience is led to sympathize with both sisters, Antigone for her rebellious bravery and Ismene for her wise submissiveness. In this, I also think that the sisters are made into more complex characters, characters closer to real life (as in the genre of realism rather than Greek tragedy) whom contain both traits and faults that inhabit the everyday individual, thus allowing the audience to engage with the moralistic themes of the play- patriarchy and feminism and to recognize the messages the director sends out about these issues. Although this does not stay true to the original intent of the play, to humble human beings and worship the gods, I believe that changing the moral message makes it more compatible with the audience of the current era and that the messages hold equal moral value to the audience at the time.

3. Which version did you like the most and for what specific reasons?

I prefer the BBC adaptation because Sophocles created Antigone for the reason of humbling the people and pleasing the gods by enacting a tragedy centered around the theme that man shouldn't act like a god. Even through the Greek version stays more true to this I believe that it is great thinkers, like Sophocles who send out compelling moral messages to their audience. This is why i prefer the English version- the BBC version subverts the original theme to address issues that our modern culture compels us to explore. By using an existent medium but by installing a touch of the modern the BBC version emphasizes on symbolism, edits the play so that the dialogue still flows like poetry but can be understood by the 21st century man, and enhances both the enjoyment of the play and the ingestion of valuable ideas that are worth learning or at least contemplating. The Greek version displays less thought on moral messages and more on the immaculate detail of costumes and setting. Although more visually stimulating, the Greek version fails to evoke the same sentiments from a modern audience that Sophocles' original would have in ancient Greece, a trait the BBC version can flaunt.

Rosa's Answers to Antigone Movies Questions 2 +3 


Q2. What themes does each version choose to highlight more and what effect does it have?
Answer 2: The British version seems to focus more on the textual implications and characterization- each character was distinct, and a bit exaggerated (the sentry) as in an actual play; I could easily remember how Creon was characterized as a demagogue: dominant, intimidating, and antagonistic (theme: threat of tyranny?). Themes of duty vs authority are present through Antigone’s conversation with Ismene, in which both characters have different attitudes (Antigone is more dominant and harsh with tone than Ismene, who seems scared), highlighting the contrast of opinions. There was less movement than speech, with close-ups to see facial expression during dialogue. This gives the effect that the conversation is very significant and serious (draws attention of viewer). Themes of tragedy are present as well, in which speeches are exaggerated (loud at specific words to emphasize importance), expressions are easy to recognize, and the timeline is very fast-paced (giving a feeling of urgency as the moments of tragedy come quickly- not allowing the viewer to absorb it all before moving on. Finally, sister rivalry between Ismene and Antigone is noticeable, through the sisters’ argument in which the sisters do not seem to relate to each/ share a strong bond as shown in the Greek version. While Antigone is portrayed as strong-minded, Ismene contrasts with a scared, mindful demeanor.

              The Greek version demonstrates tragedy related themes through  visual imagery of post-war rubble, dead soldiers, the quick change of mood from celebratory to shocked (from Creon). This gives the feeling of tension to audience, and empathy to the “victim”, Antigone, even though it can be interpreted that there is more than one victim in story.

Q3. Which version did you like the most and for what specific reasons?

Answer 3: I preferred the Greek version to the British version due to the increased amount of visual focus in the movie. The Greek version seemed more spread out in space and time, filming in more locations and offering black-outs to signify a change in time, to make the story more realistic than happening all at once like the British adaptation, which relates more to a play-like scenario. The Greek version offered flashbacks to specifically visualize how Antigone buried her brother, and to allow the audience to actually see this brings forth more empathy to Antigone. The costumes were more like those of ancient Greece (more drapes), increasing the credulity to the film being set in ancient Greece. The acting was more subtle, like of a film, to make it more realistic rather than in the British version where the lines were filled with more expression, almost exaggerated like a play. The British film seemed out of place with the irregular scenery (only situated in Creon’s palace…) and costume (Creon’s costume looked like something from Star Trek), along with the British accents and modern dialogue, where in the Greek film, the fact that the lines are spoken in Greece brings in an air of authenticity to the story. The British film didn’t have enough movement (seemed limited, one dimensional), while the Greek film balanced between it and speech, creating a harmony in which the audience can relate to with their own way of thinking.  Overall, I think the British version tried too hard to create a movie as similar to the Ancient Greek Ampitheatre plays, while also adding in elements of modern-day British culture (accents, colloquial dialogue), but by doing this, the film seemed too awkward and artificial. If this was to be a movie, then BBC should have integrated elements of movie production to create a more natural viewing experience- to “work with what you have”, rather than to elicit the true essence of Sophocles, since no one can recreate Antigone better than Sophocles did himself. 

Antigone the Play: Personal Response

1. Which is more true to Sophocles' script and in what ways?

Purely script wise, I believe that the BBC version is more true to the Sophocles script, in that I believe it is more faithful to Sophocles' original rendition of the story (depth of character of Antigone, employment of full chorus as opposed to solo sentries as shown in the Greek adaptation, representation of Creon as an autocrat in Thebes--especially the enlarged photos of him hanging in the main hall... just a few that crop up to mind right now). However the Greek version does provide interesting deviations and anecdotes as to how Greek life was like at that time which I found fascinating, especially as I really am not at all familiar with that time period, including the scene right before Creon makes his great entrance. Although the 'deviations' were somewhat informative to begin with, they sometimes deviated too much to the point that I thought some scenes did little to help shape and develop the character and overall plot of Antigone.

2. What themes does each version choose to highlight more and what effect does it have?

In my view, I think the Greek adaptation was more geared towards the public and mostly for entertainment purposes rather than retelling the story of the play itself. As I've mentioned, there are some tangential events and some fictional details added to the Greek adaptation for embellishment and general entertainment which (I think) were in plain view ... one that comes to mind right now is how Antigone came to be found by the soldier; following the capture of Antigone, the soldier goes up to Creon and somewhat theatrically retells his adventure, about how there was a sandstorm and how he and his fellow soldiers had to be stationed atop a hill to 'spy' on Antigone. While I can see how some moviegoers would be interested in such a deviation, I for one was skeptical as to how much of the real plot this particular scene connoted.

The BBC version on the other hand was in my opinion overly modernized. As Rosa briefly mentioned in the discussion in class today even from their costumes we could directly pick up that the British adaptation was not set in the same era. When I first saw the chorus on the screen I was briefly confused as to who they were (partly due to their costume)-- members were wearing cravats and a black overcoat which I thought were, again, too modern. All that notwithstanding, the degree to which the BBC adaptation 'stuck' to the original play was far greater than the Greek one did. What I specifically liked about the BBC version was the portrayal of Antigone especially personality-wise; more than once I thought that the Greek Antigone (I mean the Antigone from the Greek adaptation) was too acquiescing, very unlike the headstrong, confident, almost stubborn Antigone I had pictured in my mind. I was glad to see that the BBC's interpretation of Antigone was far more active and true to my understanding of the character. This is why in a sense I sympathize with Annette's earlier comment of the feminism in Antigone the play. I feel that the BBC adaptation did Antigone's feminist, traditional, determined side justice.

3. Which version did you like the most and for what specific reasons?

I'm honestly torn. As for the representation of Antigone I much prefer the Juliet Stephenson version, as I believe a woman willing to risk her life for the proper treatment of her brother must be fiery and passionate to the point of singlemindedness, and in my view the BBC version did that a lot better than the Greek version did. I have to say I was disappointed in the Greek version for failing to include more Antigone after the altercation between Ismene and Antigone in the first part of the adaptation; isn't Antigone the main character of the play? I felt that the tragic heroine--Antigone--was actually playing a more supporting role as opposed to being the protagonist of the story. All this aside, the sixteen year old impatient side of me much prefers the Greek adaptation as it is not altogether dry (as true adaptations can often be) and provides insight into life in Ancient Greece.

Sophocles' Antigone: various cultural interpretations

After watching the 1961 Greek version (click here) of the Sophocles play:



And the English 1983 production :(click here)

Complete and post your response to the following questions - (you can copy and paste from Word here)

1. Which is more true to Sophocles script and in what ways?

2. What themes does each version choose to highlight more and what effect does it have?

3. Which version did you like the most and for what specific reasons?

Aim to be as specific and detailed as possible in your responses - in order to develop a strong sense of personal connection and understanding of the text.