1 AA100b Final ملخص الفاينل اإلتحاد الطالبي "ما شاء هللا ال قوة إال باهلل" نسأل هللا الدعاء والتوفيق لصاحبته أم محمد اليافعي )زكاة العلم( لجابتر 6-1-2-3 Chapter 6 Part A You have to concentrate on: 1- The Encounter between different Cultures (Ancient Greek & Modern Theatre) in: "Texts, Themes and Ideas". 2- The Greek tradition values 3- The encounter between two sisters ( Antigone & Ismene) 4- The exchanges between the Guard and Creon. The role of his language (stichomythia). 4- Theatrical conventions of Greek drama (Prologue, Chorus, episode and exodus) and language (stasima, stichomythia, agon, kommos, Rhesis and messenger speech) 5- The relative dramatic importance of Antigone and Creon. Heaney s play is based on the Ancient Greek tragedy Antigone, created by the Athenian dramatist "Sophocles" in the fifth century BCE. Heaney's and Sophocles plays are set in Ancient Greek Thebes. The book was in written in 2500 years ago, in verse, for a certain audience and a certain culture, the language that was used is Greek and involves certain values and traditions. The outline of the story not the details is shown from Greek myth and the actions very early on sunny morning. Heaney s play texts are modern, created in his own idiom and for a contemporary audience.he uses the material that first created by Sophocles to emphasizes some of the aspects with the Ancient Greek and modern Irish consciousness. The structure of the play is marked both by the theatrical conventions of Greek drama and by the language that is used within these conventions. The conventions of Greek tragedy are formal, so when you read 'The Burial at Thebes" You will spot that it's very carefully structured into sections and each of which uses different kinds of language and rhythms. Heaney does amazing job when he communicates between his language (both poetic and prose) and the dramatic turning points and climaxes in the play through the main structure of the play: prologue, chorus, episodes and exodos. The opening sequence of the Burial shows the encounter between two members of the ruling family; Antigone and her sister Ismene. Then it represents the encounter between Creon and Chorus, the exchange between Creon and the Guard, and the debate between Creon and Antigone. First, we will talk about the function of the Prologue, ancient Greek values and the encounter between two sisters. The ancient Greeks audience is familiar with the mythical story of Oedipus and his family.oedipus was the ruler of Thebes who unwittingly killed his father and married his mother. Therefore Antigone alludes to her family's methodical story briefly and puts a new situation into its context and emphasizes the continuity of their suffering. The opening sequence starts with a dialogue between Antigone and her sister Ismene about their brother's corpse. This opening speech is a theme gathers significant throughout the scene which develops the rest of the plate. Antigone focuses on the treatment due to the dead and the potential conflict between the laws of land and the laws of the gods. In Greek social values, social and religious conventions of funeral
rites are elements that bound society together. But leaving a body to rot and to be picked over by wild animals and birds is a standard and often used as an image of sufferings of wars. Moreover, women are not allowed to share in public and political life but they play an important role in funeral rites and practices. The function of the passage within "The Burial at Thebes" has three issues: the first one is: Creon" the king tries to forge unity after civil war, so he put rules. Second, there is a possibility conflict between the laws of the land and the laws of the gods which requires respect to be shown to the dead. The third issue is the question about women should or could take any public action. The discussion between two sisters acts as a prologue to the play to remind audience and guide them to the notable aspects of the myth and Heaney follows Sophocles in this respect. This prologue is different from the kind of prologue that is found in other Greek plays which is usually delivered by a minor character not by one prominently involved in the action. It s also different than the prologue that used at the beginning of Doctor Faustus. The opening sequence provides the audience what has already happened and what may happen in the future. Antigone shows her liberal thoughts when she refuses Creon's edict when he forbids burying her brother's body. Moreover, she believes that she doesn't do something wrong and she has the right to bury her brother to get honor. She stands up in front of Creon bravely and warns him of the bad consequences that would happen if he prevents her. The encounter between two sisters is different. Ismene doesn't agree with her sister Antigone because she is thinks that women are weak and don t have the right to share in public life beside she feels shame from their family's history, so from her point of view they don't have any honor to sacrifice for. But Antigone says that dead people have the right to be buried and Creon rules are not only distinguish between friends and enemies but also families ties.also, she says that there is another life after death where she would meet her brother with honor and gods would be satisfied for her act. Second, the formal Greek theatrical conventions of Greek tragedy are very structured into sections and each one uses different language and rhythms to communicate the feeling of both the Chorus "parodos" and the characters. These conventions have effected on the modern reader and writer such as Heaney who follows these formal conventions. For example, the Chorus in the modern stage is often reduced in number sometimes speaks rather than sings and rarely dances. In ancient Greek the opening Chorus was called "parodos" which means the first Choral song. But in Greek tragedy Chorus is different from the Chorus in the modern life. It used to be a group of fifteen which had a major part in the play, sang, danced and linked episode. It usually combined a number of functions, such as singing in elevated poetic language, interacting and discussing with the main characters and offering moral comment.it also represented a group affected by the main action of the play but not power enough to dominate it such as in the Theban Elders which makes the Chorus "parodos" different from the Chorus that we encountered in Doctor Faustus. The language that is used in the play is strong and communicates the feeling of the Chorus. It shows celebrating the new days of victory and liberation from the civil war and invocation to the gods. The rhythm, tone and language of Creon's speech make an almost shocking contrast with the Chorus. Heaney uses the iambic beat "long sentences with blank verse to represent the public speech and politician. Creon appeals the crew to justify his edict denying burial Polyneices and tells them that he has to be punished due his betrayal. He uses the metaphor of the "ship of state" appeal to the sense of duty and civic identity of the crew. This kind of solo speech of Creon named "rhesis" in the Greek theatre which linked with the English word "rhetoric". Creon becomes less secure and afraid when he turns from public 2
pronouncement to speak directly to the old men in the Chorus. They take on the role of questioners and the people of Thebe start to be against him. Third, Creon talks to the public about his rules to keep the unity and the strength of his people. When we read the exchange between Creon and his Guard, we find that Creon's authority is demonstrated and his fears are justified. The Guard builds up suspense and introduces another register of language which gives different perspective of the ruling elite and expands the social scope of the play. In Heaney's play, register is very important because it allows him to color the text, shape the response of readers and audiences, and it's one way of marking social and cultural identity. The Guard speaks in prose not verse and in different idioms. At the beginning of the exchanging, his idiom is colloquial and Heaney makes it of "Irish/English" such as saying "somebody after attending to it right". After that it becomes plainer and direct to refer that the Guard becomes observer and commentator with the knowledge of the land. The impact of these short one-line exchanges between Creon and the Guard is an example of "stichomythia "a convention of Greek drama in brisk one or two line exchanges are used to accelerate the point up the key play which is also adopted by Heaney in his play. Forth, Heaney uses the first created materials by Sophocles to emphasize some of the aspects which Ancient Greek and modern Irish consciousness may have in common; including traditions of agriculture and religious observance. For example, beyond the pale" refers to area in and around Dublin from the earliest times of Norman and English rule, with the supremacy of urban civic society over hinterland. The sequence develops the contrast between the new laws of the city state and the persistence of traditional values and also metaphorically relates the situation in Thebes to that of the colonially dominated Ireland of the past. Heaney uses words that link Greek and Irish mourning practices such as the Gaelic word "caoineadh" which means to cry or wail in order to keen means to "lament" or "kommos" in the play. He also uses some of the biblical phrases and religious allusions such as "to everything there is a season" to give specific timbre of Irish tradition and cultural memory to the passage. Also his language in the play (poetry and prose) is used to communicate the dramatic turning points and climaxes through the main features of structure in the play "prologue, Chorus, episodes and exodus. The prolog is different from the kind of prologue that is found in other Greek plays which is usually delivered by a minor character not by one prominently involved in the action. It s also different than the prologue that used at the beginning of Doctor Faustus. The Chorus in the modern stage is often reduced in number sometimes speaks rather than sings and rarely dances. But in ancient Greek the opening Chorus was called "parodos" which means the first Choral song. It s used to be a group of fifteen which had a major part in the play, sang, danced and linked episode. It usually combined a number of functions, such as singing in elevated poetic language, interacting and discussing with the main characters and offering moral comment. By looking at the placing of the Choral Odes, their tone and content and the way of linking episodes we find out that Heaney has taken over this structure from Sophocles. It s after the first Choral song (Parodos), the other Odes are called "stasima". Moreover, there is an architectural effect in the episodes between Creon and Antigone and other characters and within each episode there are different patterns of language contribute to the action and develop relationships between the characters.for example, stichomythia between Creon and Antigone which is a convention of Greek drama in which brisk one or two line exchanges are used to 3
4 AA100b Final ملخص الفاينل accelerate the pace and point up key issues. The relationship between father and his son is based on the imperative of respect from the young man towards the older. His son "Haemon" tries to introduce the views of the ordinary citizens who think that Antigone has behaved heroically but his father insists to punish her because she disobeys his orders. The debate becomes agon a (Greek for contest) which refers to paired speeches in which opposing characters debate the issues. Most of the ancient Greek plays are reported by some messenger.therefore we don't see too munch actions as the actions in Doctor Faustus. Messenger speech is a Greek convention which is usually used to enable the audience to integrate their observation of what happens on the stage with their imaginative re-creation of what takes place offstage. This feature is represented by the Guard who has developed role in the play in the play especially when he describes the awful climax to Creon s action. At the end of the exodos the final scene the closing short Chorus is another convention of Greek tragedy when the Chorus usually offers a moral comment. Finally, the debate between Antigone and Creon has evokes different perspectives about the involved characters. Was Creon a well-intentioned leader who wants to unite his people after civil war or he was a tyrant? Even Antigone, was she a fighter for moral values or an obsessive of death? Actually, each character develops in the course of the play through the various arguments with other people in order to justify their conduct. In recent years, Sophocles play has often been staged and interpreted with Antigone in the role of protester and a kind of freedom fighter on behalf of women. Another point is that Antigone in Greek context was a member of the ruling family in Thebes. So, her contest with Creon could be read as one about how the ruling class should act. Furthermore, she stands for the Greek religious values and traditions which emphasis the role of women in funerary and family religious rituals. These traditional values that produce clash between Antigone and Creon, can be interpreted as "subversive". Not only in the fifth century BCE Athenian context of change from society dominated by aristocratic families to citizen democracy, but also in our modern world. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Important terminologies Rhesis: the language of single speech Agon: the language between paired contesting speeches Choral Odes are elevated poetic language. Messenger speech: The action which has taken place off-stage to enable the audience to integrate their observation and imagination of what takes place offstage. Stichomythia: a convention of Greek drama involves short exchanges usually one or two lines between main characters to accelerate the pace and point up the key issues. Stasima: a structured Choral Ode in verse. The stasima in Greek theatre used to be performed by singing and dancing after the first Choral song. Chorus: In Greek tragedy it used to be a group of fifteen people which sang elevated poetic, danced, linked the episode, combined numbers of functions and had major part in the play but in the modern stage is often reduced in number, sometimes speaks rather than sings Prologo: opening scene and usually opens with parodos. Kommos: a lament
Parodos: the first Choral song used to be a strongly poetic Exodus: closing scene which usually ends in Greek tragedy with a moral comment offered by the Chorus. Main Characters: Antigone, Ismene, Haemon, Creon, Heaney, Sophocles and the Guard. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- PART B Translation Although "Sophocles" Antigone was translated by Seamus Heaney, he describes his work The Burial of Thebes" as a version" not a translation. So, what is translation? Why his work is a version? And what are the differences between translation and version? Sophocles wrote Antigone The Burial of Thebes" 2,500 years ago to be performed by Chorus and actors in Religious festivals and rituals. After that the play has been translated several times in different languages and for different aspects.translation is the process of translating words or text from one language into another language. It's normally has been used to describe what is produced when translator knows the language of the original ( the source) text and works closely with it, trying to produce its meaning as accurately as possible in the target language. The great translator's knowledge of the source language makes decisions about the intended readership. When the reader wants to be referred to the source of the language, he or she will use the " interlinear translation".it's a process when you translate the word one by one rendering" close line by line" keeping the grammar for the source language and using the vocabulary of the target language.this kind of translation is confused, difficult and mostly used in translating Bibles and holy books where the people are loyal to the source language and don't care if the output is not readable or difficult of the target language. But when the reader requires a readable translation which involves decisions about the meaning, the best communicating of the people of another time, place and culture and who would be reading in a language that has different rhythms, patterns and interpretative elements. This kind of translation aims the culture and to be close and scholarly. First of all, translating is to get the idea from a language to other language.heaney said that his work wasn't a translation but it was a version. He didn't aim to produce a scholarly translation for three reasons. The first reason is that translation requires a great knowledge of the source language but Heaney wasn t aware of the Greek language and he didn't use the original book when he wrote the play. Therefore, he used other's translations during his writings,such as the Cambridge scholar from nineteenth century Richard Jebb,Harrison, Louis MacNeice, Tony Harrison, Ted Hughes and Frank Mc Guinnes.Each one of them has a different kind of translation.the second reason is, he tried to create a play for the stage, so he must used an actable and understandable language to the modern audience. The scholarly translations are rarely staged in commercial theaters the English speaking world. Consequently, he used modern texts and created his own idiom for the temporary audience.the third reason is that Heaney was a great and celebrated poet. He was the national poet of Ireland and his play was commissioned for first performance at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin.So he tried to present himself and his ideas through his play and present a creative work. 5
Second, the translators have categorized the translations of Antigone into four approaches. The first branch was by the oldest Cambridge Scholar from the nineteenth century Richard Jebb. His language was direct and requires deep knowledge of the subject and the culture to understand it and there is some loyalty to the source. It was used in late nineteenth and early twentieth century and it is different from the late twentieth or twenty first century edition.his translation was literary and emphasized to understand and to communicate the original Greek.he also followed Sophocles closely and used some Greek words and biblical echoed such as " sore afraid". The second approach is used by the academic "Hugh Lioyd-Jones". His translation was accurate, very formal and has slight formality in the language (each of us was the doer, but no one manifestly so) it was made for for Loeb series of classical texts which has Greek or Latin on pages to the English translation to help readers who wish to follow the ancient language.this type of translation tries to communicate the spirit of the original such as Heaney and Yeats they wrote the same play in poetry to communicate the spirit and the same feeling of Sophocles when he wrote his Poetries and envoys the communication of feeling that the source has on its original audience. The third approach was represented by David Franklin and John Harrison who are also trained classicists. This kind of translation makes the play speakable in theatre situation. It recognizes that the idioms and cultural frameworks of ancient and modern are totally different, and works on the basis of the sense and feeling of the source text and context. For example this kind of translation used to bridge the gap between classical scholarship and modern readers and theatre. The fourth approach is pragmatic" the which focuses and emphasizes the target language and culture and the purposes for which the translation is mode in order to make it very easy and clear to the audience. Maddison used this kind of translation and he was the only one who added to the Sophocles text. For example he refers to contemporary stimuli for his work. The aspect of the struggle between Antigone and Creon was used to show the sense of war in Iraq. Third, there are four different in taxes and contexts between the ancient and modern works. The reason that made Heaney wrote his play and the way of his writing makes some comparisons with context in which Sophocles lived and wrote. When we read Heaney's play we feel the freshness of that first experience and base our responses on what is triggered by the form, language and content of the text or performance itself rather than reading into it aspects. When we compare between Heaney's and Sophocles' works we will focus on four points : the commissioning of Heaney's play, the context and literary traditions which a the author worked, the context in which the ancient play was created and the performance history of the play. The first context, in 1904 the beginning of twenty century, a play house started it activity. The name of this theatre is Abbey Theatre". It was opened by William Batler Yeat who was the leader of the literary nationalism in Ireland and Lady Gregory. Heaney's play 6
was commissioned by the Abbey Theatre in Dublin to celebrate its centenary anniversary season. This theatre was dominated by Yeats who has already written versions and poems of Sophocles plays and full Antigone. It was a big challenge to Heaney because he has to show his talent and the advanced level of his cultural sensitivity in that great event. It was in 2004 when Ireland was the president of the European Union. The theatre hosted debates on the relationship between Irish and European cultural identity and there were many articles in the program notes emphasized the importance of the repertoire of European drama. All these elements had reflected in his work. Heaney wrote the play with a sense of writing within a rich Irish literary context that draws on Garlic, Irish/ English and European traditions in translations and adapting Greek drama.he revealed strong cultural politics and referred to the earlier colonial domination of Ireland by the English. On another hand, Sophocles wrote the play for religious ceremonies and rituals to show the audience and learn them some values and emphasize loyalty to their king and to enjoy the festival. The second point is about the context and literary traditions in which author worked. Sophocles wrote his plays to be performed in the public dramatic festivals in Athens. There were drama competitions every year are taken place by the great Dionysia. The competition about three poet- play wrights and each poet has four plays (three tragedies followed by a comic play satyr" to relief the audience from the harrowing experience of watching the tragedies). The plays were performed in a huge open air theatre of Dionysus, set on stones were shaped as chairs for the audience and there were painting walls used as a background. More than 14 thousands men could have attended and there no place for women even the actors were men. The plays were a part of festival that was both civic and religious and included sacrifices, wines, songs, dancing and performances for gods. The festival usually provides a cultural and political concepts and it reflects the political and social life in that time. The traditions and the type of values were represented through the plays that were written by Sophocles and performed by the Chorus and actors. In 5 BCE tragedies and comedies used to be performed in Ancient Greek by Chorus which consisted initially of twelve and later of fifteen who dance and sing. The chorus played a central role in the play with three actors who used to perform the characters wearing different masks and customs. In fourth century BCE plays continued to be performed and in 338 BCE governments prevented any changes could be done on the texts of the great fifth century writers. Unfortunately most of Sophocles and Aeschylus and other tragedians works were lost, only few works were copied and recopied over the centuries before the invention of printing. So in Ancient Greek Sophocles and other tragedian authors wrote tragedy plays and poems for religious and political reasons. After many years these kind of works begun to be written for entertainment or special occasions such as in Heaney's Case and in close theatre or in cinema. The plays in modern life don t include 15 members in chorus and three actors but they may have one person rather than 15 and different numbers of actors males and females. 7
The third context is: conventions literary are used in different.for example, in Ancient Greek plays they used to begin the play with a song performed by the Chorus then a dialogue. The different scenes usually are separated by the Choral songs in order to give audience the ideas.sophocles was active in public life and held the financial post in Athenian arche. In that time he wrote the play to emphasize loyalty to their king and to represent side of the political crisis that affected towards the end of the war with Sparta. He also referred to the challenges of decision making in public life through Antigone and her statements. The play gave the audience opportunity to think about the story and involve emotionally although it is a mythically story but it evokes many ideas and concepts toward the political, religious and social life. The fourth context is about the performance in modern stage. The first play is Antigone was written 1500 years ago in a Greek language by Sophocles as a competition and a part of the rituals and religious ceremonies. Then, it has been produced many times to different culture and people. It has an extensive play performance history including adaptations in opera. Through nineteenth and twenty one centuries it has become a major indicator of the Greek drama in which Greek drama realized in cultural and political life. On another hand Heaney wrote the same play in 2004 with a different language and a different title The Burial of Thebes so it doesn't have long history. It has been staged in non commercial contexts and it was used for school's drama performed by school students. Moreover, the play has been translated into different languages and there is transplantation which is a kind of translation brought by artistic intervention of theatre practitioners such as the director, set designer, costume designer music director and actors. It can be through a movie or theatre using lights, camera, sound effects and lots of electrical technological effects which makes very performance is a new work. Finally, the impact it depends on the back ground of the author and the society. For example, Antigone used to have negative outcome from the Greek citizens because she challenged the laws although she was teenage between 13-14 years old especially in that era females didn't share the political life or decision. But after centuries the societies have been changed and women begun to play an essential rule in the society.people started to look at Antigone as reference of freedom. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8