I thought the micro lecture on Antigone's context and performance history was very interesting. Something I thought was especially cool was how Sophocles wrote the play to be set in Thebes so that it could be a cultural commentary without getting in trouble for writing directly about Athens. It's really interesting to think about how this play was intended to prompt audience members, cast members, and the general public to challenge societal norms and persuade them to not blindly agree with laws and rules. Another thing that stood out to me was simply how far back in time this play was written. I am a visual learner, so the Neatline visual of scrolling back through the timeline was quite impactful. While watching the micro lecture, I was thinking about my trip to Greece this past summer, during which we visited the Acropolis. Of course, it was extremely interesting to visit the Acropolis and learn about its history. However, learning specifically about a play that was performed so close to the Acropolis really shows how much history that place has. Finally, I enjoyed hearing about the other two plays in this trilogy. It almost reminded me of the Star Wars movies in the way that the plays were published out of order. Just a thought, but I enjoyed learning about it nonetheless.
Hi Audrey! I also thought there were lots of interesting things in the first lecture. The part about intentionally setting it in Thebes made me curious how we could apply something like this to our society today... I think a lot of people try to accomplish that like when they make analogies or satirical sketches, but it would be cool to see it on this large of a scale. Love the Star Wars comment, I totally see the similarity there.
ReplyDeleteHey Audrey! I was excited to hear what you had to say about the microlecture about the background of Antigone. I didn't know that Sophocles used Thebes as the name of the city as the setting just so he wouldn't get in trouble for directly talking about controversy in Athens.
ReplyDeleteHey Audrey! I also really enjoyed seeing the timeline stretch back until the year that Antigone was written. It is impressive to me that the problems and themes raised in Antigone are still very much relevant thousands of years later. Also, your comment about the Star Wars trilogy/out of order thing made me laugh! Cheers to inter-film-uality?
ReplyDeleteI also thought it was interesting how the play was set in Thebes and not Athens. Along with protecting the writer from backlash for criticizing their own government, I hope setting the play in Athens helped viewers to see themes from a more objective angle. Rather than having their own biases about their government, hopefully they were able to see how the themes broadly affect government, then apply it to their own societies.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that you thought of Star Wars in particular! I guess they really are modern day classics. I found the idea of using Thebes as a sort of mask to criticize Athenian civilization was also interesting. I think this also mirrors a lot of modern art, which uses fictional settings to attack real-world issues. Star Wars is actually a good example of this, being a criticism of imperialism using a fantasy setting.
ReplyDeleteHey Audrey! It's so cool that you were able to connect the reading with something you experienced this summer! I also thought that Neatline was very powerful because it allowed us to really ground ourselves in the story and immerse ourselves in the characters. Having to scroll back to the time of Antigone also showed Shamsie's amazing ability to retell the play in her own way while maintaining the original essence.
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