Monday, February 16, 2009

The Tragic Tale of Antigone

Juliet=Antigone?

It always begins with feuding families and forbidden love. Reading Sophocles' Antigone, I couldn't help but notice the blatant similarities between this play and of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

Having previously read Bill Shakespeare's play, the plot of Antigone seemed very familiar. Haemon and Antigone's opposed relationship was near identical to that of Romeo and Juliet's. Also, both twosome committed suicide to deal with the toils proposed by their families. 

Unlike Romeo and Juliet, Sophocles was written in a language much easier to decipher and comprehend. The language gave way to the time period through 'pop culture' references of the age through myths and legends of the people. 

While often moving, I would not recommend Antigone for leisure reading. The work is too short to connect to the characters and is lacking the compelling romance of Shakespeare's ever living classic.

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