Sophocles - Antigone - In a New Translation - Nicholas Rudall

Sep 29, 2026

Antigone is a foundational Theban tragedy written in 441 B.C. and presented here in Nicholas Rudall’s new translation. The introduction frames the play’s historical and political resonance for Athenian audiences, emphasizing themes of Thebes, Persian Wars, and the tyrant Creon’s misuse of power. It outlines the plot’s central dilemma: loyalty to family and divine law versus loyalty to the state and human law, including Antigone’s arrest and Creon’s escalating confrontations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages68

Reading Time1 h 45 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

The Plot

The Play of Ideas

Sophocles Antigone In a New Translationby Nicholas Rudall P LAYS FOR PERFORMANCEA Series Designed for ContemporaryProduction and StudyEdited by Nicholas Rudall and Bernard Sahlins Elephant Paperbacks EL428/$7.95 YA PA4414 .A7R84 1998 Washington Village Boston Public LibraryBoston,MA 02116 2103 A series designed for contemporary production and studyEdited byNicholas Rudall and Bernard Sahlins Digitized by the Internet Archivein 2012 http://archive.org/details/antigone00soph_0 SOPHOCLES Antigone In a New Translation byNicholas Rudall Ivan R.DeeCHICAGO ANTIGONE.Copyright ◎1998 by Ivan R.Dee,Publisher.Trans-lation copyright ◎ 1998 by Nicholas Rudall.All rights reserved,including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof inany form.For information,address:Ivan R.Dee,Publisher,1332North Halsted Street,Chicago 6o622.Manufactured in theUnited States of America and printed on acid-free paper CAUTION:Professionals and amateurs are hereby warned thatthis edition of ANTIGONE is subject to a royalty.It is fully pro-tected under the copyright laws of the United States of Americaand of all countries covered by the International CopyrightUnion (including the British Commonwealth and Canada),andof all countries covered by the Pan-American Copyright Conven-tion,and of all countries with which the United States has recip-rocal copyright relations.All rights,including professional,amateur,motion pictures,recitation,public reading,radiobroadcasting,television,video or sound taping,all other forms ofmechanical or electronic reproduction,and the rights of transla-tion into foreign languages are strictly reserved. All inquiries concerning performance rights should be ad-dressed to Samuel French,Inc.,45 West 25th Street,New York,NY10010,in advance of anticipated production. Copying from this book in whole or in part is strictly forbidden bylaw,and the right of performance is not transferable. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:Sophocles. [Antigone.English] Antigone/Sophocles;in a new translation by NicholasRudall. p.cm. ISBN 1-56663-210-2(alk.paper).一ISBN 1-56663-211-0(pbk.:alk.paper) 1.Antigone(Greek mythology)—Drama.I.Rudall,Nicholas.II.Title.PA4414.A7R841998882'.01一dc2198-29136 Y -2003 # INTRODUCTION by Nicholas Rudall The Antigone was written in 441 B.C.when Sophocleswas in his mid-fifties.Although it is clearly the work ofan artist at the height of his powers,it is nonethelessthe earliest of the so-called Theban plays.Oedipus theKing was written some fifteen years later,and Oedipusat Colonus perhaps in 406 B.C.The fact that all threeplays focus on Thebes is simply an accident of the ge-ography of the compelling story of the house ofOedipus.But it is an accident that Sophocles exploitsfor its contemporary historical reverberations.Thebes was the only Greek city to side with the Per-sians in the then-recent Persian Wars.Its politics weretherefore suspect to the Greeks and easily associatedwith the excesses of Eastern despotism.And one ofthe major themes of the Antigone is the excessive useof his power by the new tyrant,Creon. But this play was performed at Athens,and its ar-guments were directed at Athenians.Much of theforce of Creon's downfall would not have been lostupon the more self-reflective of the Athenian audi-ence.Athens,though an often self-congratulatorydemocracy,was,when the play was written,exercisinga virtually despotic rule over its so-called allies,itsfriends,its political family.Sophocles'warning hadcurrency then and has retained its power since. # The Plot The play is meticulously structured.It begins with asuccinct and powerful prologue between Antigoneand her sister Ismene.We learn of the death of theirtwo brothers.We learn that Creon willbury Eteoclesand deny burial to Polyneices.But most important weare thrust into the essence of the play:loyalty to one'sfamily versus loyalty to the state.The loyalty to one'sfamily is under

FAQs

When was Sophocles’ Antigone written, and how does its timing relate to other Theban plays?

Antigone was written in 441 B.C., when Sophocles was in his mid-fifties. The introduction contrasts it with Oedipus the King written about fifteen years later and Oedipus at Colonus placed in the late period around 406 B.C.

What is the play’s central conflict according to the introduction?

The introduction presents the central conflict as loyalty to family versus loyalty to the state. It highlights the issue of divine law versus human law as Antigone’s burial decision comes into collision with Creon’s decree.

How does the introduction describe Antigone and Creon’s beliefs?

Antigone believes in the right and duty of individual conscience and sees burying her brother as a moral and spiritual obligation that outweighs mortal law. Creon believes the state is the supreme authority for the survival of the body politic and insists on punishing those who defy him, even within his family.

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by Mafia Boss