{"id":6782,"date":"2022-08-24T21:55:09","date_gmt":"2022-08-24T21:55:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/?p=6782"},"modified":"2022-08-24T22:01:06","modified_gmt":"2022-08-24T22:01:06","slug":"the-birth-of-tragedy-antigone-at-the-epidaurus-theater","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/2022\/08\/the-birth-of-tragedy-antigone-at-the-epidaurus-theater\/","title":{"rendered":"The Birth of Tragedy: Antigone at the Epidaurus Theater"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Ancient Theater of Epidaurus was built in the 4th century BCE atop Cynortion Mountain, near the Sanctuary of Asclepius, the Greek God of medicine. It is the best-preserved amphitheater in Greece, and with a capacity of roughly 13,000 people, it is one of the largest outdoor theaters in the world. The theater is renowned for its acoustics; in fact, it is said that if you drop a coin onto its stage, its echo can be heard all the way in the topmost row and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The annual Epidaurus Festival is a top-rated cultural tourist attraction, with people from all over the world attending every summer. It hosts everything from ancient plays to operas, and many great artists have performed in it, such as the Greek soprano Maria Callas. Typically, attendees stay in Nafplio, the closest city to Epidaurus, and drive to the theater shortly before showtime. Almost as amazing as the theater itself is the journey it takes to get there. Scattered across the road that joins Nafplio to Epidaurus are fascinating archaeological sites, remains of ancient edifices, beautiful mountainous landscapes and quaint old buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Ancient Greek tragedy can be a cathartic experience. The purpose of tragedy, argued Aristotle, was to cleanse the soul, rid us of petty worries, and teach us that there can be nobility in suffering. This summer, the festival staged several tragedies, including Alcestis<\/em> and Helen<\/em> by Euripides, The Persians<\/em> and Agamemnon<\/em> by Aeschylus, and Ajax<\/em> and Antigone<\/em> by Sophocles, the latter of which I attended on August 5. These works are timeless, as they capture the essence of human nature and enchant audiences to this day; after all, people still travel to Epidaurus to see them thousands of years after they were created.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In The Birth of Tragedy<\/em>, Friedrich Nietzsche, a staunch philhellene, wrote that the works of Sophocles, in particular, were the apex of artistic creation. Sophocles was one of three Ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived, the other two being Aeschylus and Euripides. Sophocles was the most successful of the three, winning 24 Dionysian festivals, compared to Aeschylus\u2019 13 and Euripides\u2019 4. Antigone<\/em>, the third play in the Theban <\/em>trilogy, <\/em>is arguably Sophocles\u2019 greatest work. The play contains one of the most beautiful odes to love ever written: \u201cLove, invincible in battle; you, who always prevails \u2026 you, from whom no one, God nor Man, can escape\u201d. Many dramatists have produced adaptations of Antigone<\/em>; for example, Bertolt Brecht staged a variation in which Creon was portrayed as a Nazi-style dictator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Antigone<\/em> concerns themes such as fate versus free will, the individual versus the state, femininity, hubris, and the nature of tragedy. Few works have been more rigorously analyzed. Is Antigone a heroine? Is Creon a villain? Is he deserving of sympathy? These are only a few of the many questions the play makes us ask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are few female figures in theater on par with Antigone in terms of bravery and determination. She courageously defied the King\u2019s demands and in the end, got her way, having buried Polynices and accepted the consequences. The relationship between men and women is a primary theme in the play, particularly the dynamic between the sisters and the patriarchal state. In the first scene, Ismene remarks, \u201cWe are only women, we cannot fight with men, Antigone!\u201d and later, Creon says, \u201cNo woman shall seduce us. If we must lose, let\u2019s lose to a man, at least! Is a woman stronger than we?\u201d In the end, Antigone breaks these preconceptions and dies a strong and independent person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The role of the state is another important theme. While Antigone believes that the Gods\u2019 desires supersede all man-made laws, Creon maintains that the law of the state is of primary importance. Creon defends his authority throughout the play, even saying that \u201cthe State is the King!\u201d when challenged by Teiresias. Creon\u2019s excessive pride and hubris do not go unpunished, as he is left miserable and alone at the end of the play, having effectively caused the deaths of his whole family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This production of Antigone<\/em> was conceptualized by the acclaimed Lithuanian director Cezaris Grau\u017einis. His production, intended to resonate with modern audiences, presented the drama in a contemporary setting and included numerous innovative elements. For example, the chorus, representing the citizens of Athens, was made up of an unusually small group of seven people. They wore modern-day suits and top hats and oftentimes sang and danced together. Furthermore, the actors on several occasions broke the fourth wall, directly speaking to the audience as though they were members of the chorus. \u201cThe rationale of the performance,\u201d said Grau\u017einis, \u201cwas formulated with the aim of poetically reflecting the current new reality of society’s life and, in this new light, to reflect and explore the concepts of Ancient Drama, as well as to establish communication with the audience not only aesthetically or intellectually but also on an emotional level.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Elli Tringou was superb as the title character. Her resonant and unwavering voice projected throughout the theater, from the moving interaction with her loving sister in the first scene, to when she triumphantly trod towards her death. Tringou\u2019s Antigone was confident and strong as she boldly stood up to Creon, smiling as she exclaimed, \u201cunhappy daughter of kings, your kings, led away to death\u2026 come: let us wait no longer\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vasilis Bisbikis, one of Greece\u2019s finest actors, presented a stubborn and oppressive Creon. He was convincingly angry and irritable in his conversation with the edgy sentry, speaking the lines \u201cyour very voice distresses me\u201d and \u201cyou talk too much\u201d with a blend of exasperation and anguish, and fierce and forceful in his interaction with Antigone, standing by his law and sending her off to die. At the end of the play, overcome with regret and sorrow, he sat down with his head in his hands, whimpering as he said, \u201cLead me away. I have been rash and foolish. I have killed my son and my wife\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kostas Koroneou was an excellent sentry, providing comic relief as he nervously tip-toed across the circular stage, and Christos Sapountzis was pristine as the blind seer Teiresias, for instance when he loudly exclaimed, \u201cYou are sick, Creon! You are deathly sick!\u201d Stratis Chatzistamatiou was notably wonderful as Haimon, Creon\u2019s distressed son; in one of the most emotional moments of the play, he fell to his knees, shouting, \u201cAh! Who is it that\u2019s talking like a boy now?\u201d during his acrimonious dispute with his father. The dark music composed by Dimitris Theocharis and the remainder of the cast were superb, rounding out a fantastic performance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An evening at the Epidaurus Theater is always a privilege and a pleasure to enjoy, but this Antigone<\/em> made my experience all the sweeter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Ancient Theater of Epidaurus was built in the 4th century BCE atop Cynortion Mountain, near the Sanctuary of Asclepius, the Greek God of medicine. It is the best-preserved amphitheater in Greece, and with a capacity of roughly 13,000 people, it is one of the largest outdoor theaters in the world. The theater is renowned for its acoustics; in fact, it is said that if you drop a coin onto its stage, its echo can<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":335,"featured_media":6785,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[319,318],"tags":[],"coauthors":[486],"class_list":["post-6782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Screen-Shot-2022-08-24-at-5.59.57-PM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/335"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6782"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6782\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6786,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6782\/revisions\/6786"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6782"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=6782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}