Elements of Sound/Song present in Antigone
1. Chorus chanting and singing: In the time of Sophocles a chorus consisted of 15 men who sang or chanted (as specified by the playwright) in unison. As is displayed in Antigone, the chorus provides a lot of exposition and places emphasis on the views of the author through the power of their unified voices. The power in volume much louder than any one actor of the show could attain is what sets the chorus's sound apart from the rest of the show. Also, the chorus's change from chanting to singing back and forth within the same scene and throughout the show provides a certain rhythm and musical quality to the text.
2. Antigone and Kreon sing: Along with the singing and chanting of the chorus, Antigone and Kreon also flip back and forth from chanting to singing when we arrive at peak moments in the events of the play. For example, just before Antigone is taken away by the guards (the last point in the play when she is seen) there is an entire scene of chanting and singing between the chorus and herself, followed by a long speech from Antigone and another section of chanting/singing including Kreon. Again this gives the play a certain rhythm through small portions of chanting and singing with interludes of long speeches. We see this type of wave pattern exists throughout the play with characters like Kreon, Haimon, Eurydice and the Guard.
3. Voice Types: Considering all the main characters in Antigone are some form of royalty we can conclude that in order to voice the royal power which each character (specifically Kreon) possesses, the actors that would have been used in this play would all have very powerful and amplified voices. However, since Greek tragedies were only acted out by men and not women, in order to note the differences in gender it is possible that women's roles could have been played by younger male citizens with more youthful voices while older, more experienced and strong voiced men would play roles like the King or Teiresias. In order to note the gender differences between the male and female characters some sort of vocal or physical distinction would have been made, but there is no proof that it was done in one constant manner. Therefore we must explore all options when analyzing the sound and spectacle according to gender. As for the other characters like the Guard and the Messenger , since their roles are less powerful they would have been played by men with less powerful and dramatized voices. Especially for the Guard and the Messenger, their lines lend themselves to a "matter of fact" like speech, which sets them apart from the vocal power or grandeur of royalty and the chorus.
4. Haimon and Kreon argue: In episode three or scene four there is an argument between Kreon and his son Haimon. We note this as an important moment in sound/song due to the stature of the two men in the argument. Kreon being the king and Haimon being his son, they would both be of great power and have powerful and loud voices between the two of them. This scene has great emphasis on sound due to the argumentative force behind both of their voices. It would definitely stand out as being one of the loudest and most intense vocal points of the play.
5. Emotional changes: The most prominent emotional change we witness in the play is the emotional fall of Kreon and Eurydice once they learn that Haimon and Antigone are dead. We include this because as emotions change, the voice tends to alter itself to fulfill that emotion. At this point near the end of the play we might hear a vocal change from Kreon while his whole world caves in around him due to his own foolish actions. His voice would fall from the powerful and full sound it was in the beginning to match his current emotional state of pure despair. This also happens to Antigone when she goes through her may stages of fear for her life. In the performance we should be able to hear that fear in her voice, but no emotional change is quite as prominent as the ending of the play with Kreon.
6. Trumpets or fanfare: Social standards of the time tell us that with any entrance of a king it would have been announced with a sort of fanfare of trumpets. Also, specific to Antigone, it is stated that Kreon always enters flanked by "his men." Therefore we not only have the sound of the trumpets announcing his entrance, but the march of men behind the king to exaggerate his arrival.
7. Sound in the ancient Greek theatres: Ancient Greek theatres were widely known for having some of the best acoustics in the history of theatres, some even say they hold better acoustics than most modern day theatres. Carved out of a natural sloping hillside. and curved to create a half funnel shape, the audience looked down on the orchestra (playing space) from the theatron (where the audience sat). This type of structure helped the sound to be expertly amplified from the orchestra to the highest points of the theatron. Practiced mathematicians helped in building most Greek theatres as they would often use formulas to figure out the best acoustics for each different space. The most prominent sound structure change that was witnessed in ancient Greek times in the theatre was the change in the seating materials going from wood to stone. Since wood more easily absorbs sound, by switching the seating area to stone the acoustics became more helpful to the actors as less sound was being absorbed by the wood and was instead bouncing off stone to allow it to travel farther up the theatron.
Elements of Spectacle present in Antigone
1. Chorus and choreographed dance: Within Antigone it is specified that the chorus has choreographed dances they perform almost every time they have a section of singing or chanting. This is a large element of spectacle due to its sheer size. Fifteen men dancing in unison had the ability to create a large visual effect that could no doubt be clearly seen by all audience members, which was not always the case with just one actor. These dances also create visual breaking points after each scene for the audience, bringing the focus from 2-3 characters to a body of 15 people instantly.
2. Large entrances and exits: Within the script we see many potential moments for grand spectacle with the entrances and exits of large amounts of people at one time. For example: the chorus's parados (first entrance), the many entrances and exits of the king along with his men, and the moment in the play when Ismene and Antigone are taken away by the guards (after line 632). Emphasis is placed on these aspects of the play as these are the only times we see sweeping movements of many people at once entering and exiting the stage. All other entrances and exits happen with no more than 2 characters at a time. Therefore the power in numbers moving together creates moments of spectacle throughout the show.
3. Antigone being brought on stage by the Guard: We only include this in the list of spectacle because, it has potential to be one of the only parts in the play when we can infer that props might possibly have been used. Since Antigone is being pulled on by the guards after having been taken away by them, it is possible that she might have her hands or feet bound, showing that she is a prisoner to Kreon. It is visual proof of how he exerts his power over her.
4. Reveal of the bodies of Haimon and Eurydike: This specific time in the script is what we consider to be the most prominent spectacle throughout the entire play. Not only are the dead bodies of two people being brought out on stage, but they are being brought out within 37 lines of one another. As I stated before, the sound aspect at this time is a rhythmic flip from singing to chanting and adding the action of these two quick reveals, we consider this moment to reveal itself as the culminating spectacle of the show. There is a great shock value of two bloody dead bodies being revealed on the "clean stage" meaning that nothing in the play like this has yet happened.
5. Masks and exaggerated movement: The use of masks in Greek theatre is something we know to be fact through research. Masks in the time of ancient Greece were made for actors to wear throughout shows because they had the ability to show gender and social rank in a large manner that could be seen throughout the theatron, where as just the face of the actor would be nothing but a speck to the furthest audience members from the orchestra. These masks were often made of wood or stone making them incredibly heavy to wear. They were also used so that one actor could play more than one role in a play. Simply by changing masks actors visually changed their character. The downfall of wearing the masks was that actors could not act through facial expression because the mask surrounded their entire head. They had one facial expression etched in the mask, to depict to the audience emotion throughout the entire show. Therefore, actors had to use grand and exaggerated movements to express themselves to the audience. It has been said in studies done about Greek theatre that to audience members half way up the theatron in large theatres all they could see were colors and patterns of movement, so we know that every movement done on stage had to be greatly exaggerated so they could be seen and understood by all spectators.
6. Costumes: not much about costumes in the Greek theatre is known. Most researchers believe that actors brought their own costumes with them, and the main costume was simply the mask they wore. It is a strong possibility that actors picked the color of their costume to emphasize the power or lack of power of their character to assist in making the movement understood to audience members.
7. Environment of the play: From the hints we are given in the text we can build a general "set" for the play Antigone. It is stated in the first stage directions we are given that Ismene and Antigone are standing in front of the doors to the royal house, therefore those probably would have been the most prominent visual setting on the stage sitting directly in front of the skene (tent where the actors changed throughout the play, located directly behind the playing space). In addition to the great doors, it is also known that the entrance from either stage left or stage right was the entrance from the city walls of Thebes, and it is specified many times throughout the play that certain characters enter from that side of the stage. Also, the chorus's entrance and exit would have been made on either side of the stage from ramps called the parodoi; the only entrance and exit spaces large enough to accommodate all 15 men. Actors could enter from these ramps, but they were also able to enter and exit through the doors that led to the royal house. In terms of the reveal of the dead bodies, this could have been done by rolling the bodies out on a moving platform as was custom at the time.
What does it all mean?
The following is our analysis of what the play means through this exploration of song/sound and spectacle. We used the lines said around these great actions or sounds to come to our conclusion; with great spectacle the author wishes to create focus on certain moments of the play:
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 for the gods and man leads to his own unhappiness and failure."
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 gods. This reinforces the idea that the gods and men are of great importance, and they should be revered.
The exit of Antigone, as she heads her way to execution, is another great example of emphasis through spectacle. 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 onto the stage and revealed to the audience. This is the most shocking scene to the audience, as there are two waves of shock coming in a short amount of time. In between the reveal 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 would be 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 has fallen and lost everything because of his wrongdoing, his abuse of power and lack of respect to the gods and of man. 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 for the gods and man leads to his own unhappiness and failure," which we believe to be the principle concept of the play through our analysis of sound and spectacle.