Antigone

Antigone is the protagonist of the play and is based on a famous character in Greek mythology. Antigone is the daughter of Oedipus, the former king of Thebes, and Queen Jocasta. She is sister to Ismene, Eteocles, and Polynices, as well as niece of the current king of Thebes, Creon. At the start of the play, she is engaged to Haemon, Creon’s son. In this adaptation, Anouilh uses Antigone to represent French Resistance under Nazi occupation.

The Chorus describes Antigone as a “dark, tense, serious girl” (13), and she is not as fair and feminine as her sister, Ismene. Early in the play, Antigone reveals signs of insecurity about her femininity and attractiveness, as when she recalls visiting Haemon wearing perfume and a dress stolen from Ismene to appear more beautiful to him. While these insecurities about her looks suggest that Antigone has her weaknesses, she also reveals her strength of character and inner confidence when it comes to acting on her convictions. Antigone is someone who “doesn’t think, she acts. She doesn’t ‘reason’, she feels” (14), as she is always driven more by her conscience and intuitive sense of what is morally right rather than pure logic or calculating self-interest.