The Law of God versus the Law of the State is displayed in amazing drama. Love, listening, and understanding, are shown to be superior to either argument. ( )

How does one actually rate a book which has lived on as a classic for nearly 2500 years? That fact alone implies it's worth reading. ( )

Hachette, beau livre

Using the Kitto translation. And obviously the rating is personal enjoyment rather than a critical judgment of ancient Greek plays, haha.

The confrontations between Antigone and Creon are incredibly powerful and well written and still resonate. Creon's fixation on not giving into a *woman* specifically is fascinating especially as Antigone is of course totally right within play. Of course too Antigone is acting based on her responsibilities to a man, and it's only by her death that her actions can be acceptable, but still.

Dramatically, the play feels like it burns out when Creon suddenly changes his mind for very vague reasons. His motivations through the play are obscure, despite being the driving force in a way Antigone can't be (Antigone is doing a brave thing, but in defence of tradition, Creon is the one who changes things). There's no reason given as to why he's so fixated on not burying one person, outside of him being (kind of) a traitor. It's just strange that a play held together by the force of his will suddenly abandons it right at the climax. ( )

Haemon to Creon: That is no state Which hangs on one man's will.

The BBC podcast In Our Time was recently on Antigone so...
This is an 1865 translation of Sophocles' Antigone by E. H. Plumptre into Shakespeareian English. I liked it, and the introduction and biographical material by J. Churton Collins (died 1908) are very good. I did wonder if perhaps I too should initialize my first name and be M. Lawrence Mitchell, but I don't think it would have worked in my field, at least not in this century. ( )