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.
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