Antigone - Novel to Film Essay

By: Breanna Smith, 8th Grade

5th block, Mrs. Penegar

The play Antigone was written in 496 - 406 BC by the author Sophocles. In addition

there was a movie produced based off of the play. In many ways ,the play and the movie are

similar, however in other ways the play the movie are different. Antigone is a story about two

brothers who die fighting each other, leaving a new king in power. This new King, Creon orders

that one brother be buried and honored, while the other is to receive nothing. The two brothers

had a sister named Antigone , who disagrees with this ruling and decides to bury her brother

anyway. With this, she must go against the king and face consequences, however she believes

that the laws of the gods triumph those put in place by a legal system. In both forms, Antigone is

presented as a defiant authority figure, however the decree and representation differs across the

platforms.

One example that demonstrates the difference in the film in the text is when Antigone

confesses to burying her brother to Creon. In the text, Antigone simply states, “I do. I deny

nothing " In contrast, in the film Antigone’s response comes across as more prideful. In video

four of Antigone, when Creon confronts Antigone, she powerfully exclaims that she did it, and

continues to defend her actions with increasingly prideful statements. As can be seen through
this example, Antigone proves to be a more authoritative female figure in the movie, in

comparison to the text.

Secondly, another example of Antigone being displayed as a more prominent authority

figure in the film is when she defends her actions to Creon. In the text, Creon questions Antigone

and her actions, to which she replies with prideful statements, however she does so in a more

muted manor by still acknowledging her position in society. On the other hand, in the film,

Antigone throws her societal position to the wind. She raises her voice with the King, in an

attempt to portray her authority and is unwavering in her belief that burying Polyneices is an

honor, rather than a crime. For example, in the text Antigone states, “Your edit, King, was

strong, but all your strength is weakness itself against the immortal, unrecorded laws of God.” In

this excerpt, it can be seen that Antigone is strong in her belief, however she seems to maintain a

more level-headed approach when speaking to Creon. It can be observed that Antigone

acknowledges that he is the King, and is more careful in her wording and expressions. In

contrast, in video 4 , Antigone takes a stand to Creon and appears unphased by the fact that she is

below him in society. She even goes on to question the King, which would have never taken

place at that time. She does so by not backing down, which Creon views as disrespectful,

especially as it is from a woman.

While the film and the movie may have numerous differences, there are also many

similarities. Despite the minor differences presented between the play and the film, the central

idea / the ‘bones’ of the story are ultimately the same. For example, in both the play and the
movie, Antigone’s brothers have both killed each other in battle, allowing Creon to take the

throne. One brother- Eteocles is to be buried, while Polyneices is not. In addition, in both forms,

Antigone decides to rebel against the law and bury Polyneices. The evidence provided shows

that the central idea in both the text and the movie form of Antigone remains consistent.

In addition to consistency in basic plot, both the film and text version of Antigone have

yet another similarity. Another example of a similarity present across the forms of Antigone is

that Antigone still believes in honoring the laws of the gods over the ‘legal’ laws. This is a

consistent theme that develops with the plots of both the text and the movie. For example, in the

prologue, Antigone states, “and if I must die, I say that this crime is holy: I shall lay down with

him in death, and I shall be as dear to him as he to me. It is the dead, not the living, who make

the longest demands…”. In comparison , in the movie, Antigone makes a point to Creon that she

disobeyed ​his​ laws to follow those set in place by the gods. These examples show that in both

forms of Antigone , the central premise remains the same.

In conclusion, in both forms of Antigone- the written play and the movie- are similar in

some ways, and different in others. In both forms, Antigone appears as a defiant character with

authority, however it is represented differently across the platforms.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Antigone Essay with revisions-

The play Antigone was written in 496 - 406 BC by the author Sophocles. In

addition, there was a movie produced based off of the play. Across both works, Antigone, the

sister of Polyneices and Eteocles is presented as a strong and determined female role. In many

ways, the play and the movie are similar, however, in other ways the play the movie are

different. Antigone is a story about two brothers who die fighting each other, leaving a new king

in power. This new King, Creon orders that one brother is buried and honored, while the other is

to receive nothing. The two brothers had a sister named Antigone, who disagrees with this

ruling and decides to bury her brother anyway. With this, she must go against the king and face

the consequences; however, she believes that the laws of the gods triumph those put in place

by a legal system. In both forms, Antigone is presented as a defiant authority figure. However,

the decree and representation differ across the platforms.

One example that demonstrates the difference in the film in the text is when

Antigone confesses to burying her brother to Creon. In the text, Antigone simply states,

“I do. I deny nothing "

In contrast, in the film, Antigone’s response comes across as more prideful. In

video four of Antigone, when Creon confronts Antigone, she powerfully exclaims that she did it,

and continues to defend her actions with increasingly prideful statements. As can be seen

through this example, Antigone proves to be a more authoritative female figure in the movie, in

comparison to the text.

Secondly, another example of Antigone being displayed as a more prominent authority

figure in the film is when she defends her actions to Creon. In the text, Creon questions
Antigone and her actions, to which she replies with prideful statements, however, she does so in

a more muted manner by still acknowledging her position in society. On the other hand, in the

film, Antigone throws her societal position to the wind. She raises her voice with the King, in an

attempt to portray her authority and is unwavering in her belief that burying Polyneices is an

honor, rather than a crime. For example, in the text, Antigone states, “Your edit, King, was

strong, but all your strength is weakness itself against the immortal, unrecorded laws of God.” In

this excerpt, it can be seen that Antigone is firm in her belief. However, she seems to maintain a

more level-headed approach when speaking to Creon. It can be observed that Antigone

acknowledges that he is the King, and is more careful in her wording and expressions.

In contrast, in video 4, Antigone takes a stand to Creon and appears unphased

by the fact that she is below him in society. She even goes on to question the King,

which would have never taken place at that time. She does so by not backing down,

which Creon views as disrespectful, especially as it is from a woman.

While the film and the movie may have numerous differences, there are also many

similarities. Despite the minor differences presented between the play and the film, the central

idea / the ‘bones’ of the story are ultimately the same. For example, in both the play and the

movie, Antigone’s brothers have both killed each other in battle, allowing Creon to take the

throne. One brother- Eteocles is to be buried, while Polyneices is not. Also, in both forms,

Antigone decides to rebel against the law and bury Polyneices. The evidence provided shows

that the central idea in both the text and the movie form of Antigone remains consistent.

In addition to consistency in the basic plot, both the film and the text version of

Antigone have yet another similarity. Another example of a similarity present across the

forms of Antigone is that Antigone still believes in honoring the laws of the gods over the
 ‘legal’ laws. This theme is consistent in developing the plots of both the text and the

movie. For example, in the prologue, Antigone states, “and if I must die, I say that this

crime is holy: I shall lay down with him in death, and I shall be as dear to him as he to

me. It is the dead, not the living, who make the longest demands…”. In comparison, in

the movie, Antigone makes a point to Creon that she disobeyed his laws to follow those

set in place by the gods. These examples show that in both forms of Antigone, the

central premise remains the same.

In conclusion, in both forms of Antigone- the written play and the movie- are

similar in some ways, and different in others. In both forms, Antigone appears as a defiant

character with authority. However, it is represented differently across the platforms.