The Antigone of Sophocles / translated by R.C. Trevelyan

by R. C. (1872-1951) [trans.] Sophocles. Trevelyan

Hardcover

Published January 1, 1924

Reviews

[Rick Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came to this with almost no background in Greek tragedy—my only real exposure to the ancient world has been Stephen Fry’s Mythos. I read it as part of a Booker Book Club exercise, paired with two modern novels (not read yet) - I’m not normally into reading plays, poetry or anything in translation. Despite the mind blowing age of the text (two and a half thousand years or so?) and the century-old translation, I still found it a page turner (it’s also really, really short, which helps if you’re a newbie like me ), psychologically sharp, and unexpectedly contemporary in its themes.
The English of Trevelyan’s 1924 translation has a formal, antique tone that was obscure and jarring at times for me as a modern reader of English but it kind of works well with the starkness and tragic nature of the story. And you can’t read it without seeing it played out on a stage in your mind’s eye, as opposed to playing out in real life. What stood out most was how balanced the tragedy is. Antigone represents moral conviction and sacred duty; Creon represents civic order and political authority. Neither is completely wrong, but both are completely inflexible. Their refusal to bend is what destroys them, and everyone around them.
As a modern reader, it’s tempting to view Antigone as a feminist heroine defying a patriarchal tyrant, but I certainly don’t think the play is about women’s rights. Rather, Sophocles uses a woman’s voice to heighten the clash between human law, divine law, pride, certainty, and the failure to listen. The play becomes a warning against extremes of opinion, rigid thinking, and the inability to compromise: a message that feels remarkably relevant now.
Not exactly a happy story (understatement of the week…), but powerful one.