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In terms of sound and spectacle, the principle concept of a play should be expressed in scenes which have the biggest emotional impact, arousing great pity and fear to the audience, so that the message of the play will be communicated to the audience clearly and effectively. By focusing on what actions are taken and what is being said in those shocking scenes, one will be able to analyze the concept of a play. As for Sophocles' "Antigone," the examination of such scenes leads to the conclusion that the principle concept of the play is that "a man's abuse of power and lack of respect to the gods and the men leads to his own unhappiness and failure."
One of the ways Sophocles creates a spectacle is by the entrance of characters. The first spectacular scene in "Antigone" is the entrance of the Chorus. Prior to this scene, there are only two people on the stage, that being Antigone and Ismene. In contrast, the entrance of the Chorus, which consists of 12 men, will have a significant visual impact to the audience. The Chorus then chants its lines, which is in contrast to the spoken lines between the previous two characters, making it a significant scene in terms of sound as well. In this scene, there are two things that the Chorus mentions: the war between the two brothers, Eteokles and Polyneikes, and the intervention by the god. This reinforces the idea that the gods and the men are of great importance, and they should be reverenced.
In the same way, the exit of a character can create a spectacle. The exit of Antigone, as she heads her way to execution, is a great example. In this scene, "Kreon's men begin to take ANTIGONE toward the side leading out beyond the city walls." The picture of Antigone being held by men and heading towards execution has a strong visual impact that arouses pity and fear. In addition, in this scene, the Chorus, Kreon and Antigone are all chanting their lines, making it an intense scene to the audience's ear. In this spectacular scene, the last thing that Antiogne says is that she "must suffer For having been Reverent toward reverence!" Again, the idea of reverence is expressed in this scene.
A scene can also be emphasized through the rhythm of dialogues. During the interrogation of Antigone by Kreon from line 559 to 574, all the lines contain less than 11 words. This quick exchange of lines between the two characters will stand out to the audience's ear, as it is more rhythmical and intense compared to the previous scenes. In this scene, the topic of argument between the two characters is reverence to the dead brothers, as can be seen in such lines as "No – no shame for revering those from the same womb" (Antigone, 562) and "It will, if you honor him the same as the irreverent one" (Kreon, 567). This reinforces the idea of reverence to the men, and shows the contrast of opinions between Antigone and Kreon.
However, of all the scenes in "Antigone," the most audio-visually spectacular scene is when the bodies of Haimon and Eurydike are revealed. In terms of spectacle, this scene is significant because within 40 lines, between line 1340 and 1380, two bodies of the characters are brought into the stage and revealed to the audience. This is the most shocking scene to the audience, as there are two waves of shocks coming in a short amount of time. In between the entrance of the bodies in this scene, there is a dialogue between Kreon and the Chorus. The clash of voices of the strong and authoritative Kreon, and the 12 Chorus members in unison will sound as an intense and thrilling scene. In this scene, some of the key lines are: "The stubborn wrong-Doing and death-Dealing of mistaken Thinking!" (Kreon, 1348), "Ah me! Because of my Guilt, these things will Never be fitted to Any other man" (Kreon, 1403), and "I who am no more Than nothing!" (Kreon, 1408). In this scene, the concept of the play is concentrated, as well as the spectacle. Kreon's lines clearly represent the man who had fallen and lost everything because of his wrongdoing, his abuse of power and lack of respect to the gods and the men. At the end of this scene, which is the end of the play, the Chorus reaffirms this idea before creating a spectacle by exiting the stage and ending the show. "Good sense is the First principle Of happiness. We Must not act Disrespectfully Toward the gods. Grand words of arrogant Men, paid back with Great blows, in old age, Teach good sense."
As one can see, within all the spectacular scenes both in terms of spectacle and sound, there is a recurring theme of how "a man's abuse of power and lack of respect to the gods and the men leads to his own unhappiness and failure," which is the principle concept of the play.