Bertolt Brecht’s Antigone as an Example of Epic Theatre
Antigone, originally written by the Greek playwright Sophocles around 441 B.C., is a
tragedy that has till date been perhaps the most discussed and widely written about. Over the
centuries the Greek tragedy has never faded out of the mainstream. Therefore if one were to
trace the reception of the play in the context of the phase of the Modern Drama two
adaptations emerge as popular; Jean Anouilh’s French production in 1943 and German
playwright Bertolt Brecht’s production in Switzerland in 1948. In my paper I shall focus on
the latter adaptation i.e. Bertolt Brecht’s “The Antigone of Sophocles” based on German
poet Friedrich Holderlin’s translation of Sophocles’ tragedy in German in 1804.
Any discussion pertaining to the development of Modern Drama is incomplete
without reference to Brecht who has been the major figure behind the formation and
functioning of the Epic Theatre. It is quite interesting to note that during his exile in
Switzerland when Brecht was given the opportunity to do a guest production in the town
Chur, he had selected Antigone out of a range of plays namely Saint Joan of the Stockyards,
Macbeth, Antigone, Mother Courage and Phaedra.
He reworked Holderlin’s translation to suit his interests of critiquing the Aristotelian
notions of tragedy as the new kind of theatre that he had in mind was against the production
of any kind of emotional effects on the audience. Since this was the first time that Brecht was
adapting a Greek play he got the opportunity to provide another perspective of the play that
avoided catharsis, purgation of pity and fear which was thought central to tragedy. Antigone
for time immemorial has been considered a great example of tragedy and what Brecht
therefore wanted to do was rescue the play from under the label of tragedy. He aimed at
bringing out the fact that tragedy led to catharsis which in turn left the audience incapable of
critically reflecting on the situations being staged. Brecht’s aim through epic theatre was to
use theatre as a medium for imparting education to the masses. He had once remarked in an
interview that “The audience has to be good enough psychologist to make its own sense of
the material I put before it.” (trans.Willet)
Aristotle’s views on tragedy in his work Poetics have always been dominant and were
so during Brecht’s time as well. Aristotle regarded tragedy as a superior form of theatre and
for any play to qualify as tragedy it was imperative that the action on stage evoked feelings of
pity and fear in the spectator. Aristotle’s notions were admired by all throughout the ages and
playwrights tried to incorporate his beliefs in their plays without any deviation from the
proposed theories. However during the twentieth century when a lot of movements like
Symbolism followed by Surrealism then Existentialism were influencing artists all over the
world there was no dearth of new ideas and experimentation in the arts. So when Brecht
wanted to break from the Aristotelian tradition he found inspiration in people like Erwin
Piscator, Reinhardt, Meyehold and a host of playwrights. When Brecht thought of developing
a form of theatre which could serve a pedagogical purpose he worked on Georg Kaiser’s
ideas. Kaiser like many had fled Germany with the rise of Hitler in 1930s. Kaiser had argued
with the symbolists that “a work of art does not exist for itself; at the bottom it should be
didactic in purpose, encouraging man to positive effort.” (Styan). When Kaiser was voicing
such thoughts it was the time of rise of Expressionism which was closely followed by the
coming of Epic theatre. Brecht combined Kaiser’s ideas with those of Piscator who
formulated ideas for a drama that combined political and social issues in such a manner that it
fulfilled the role of a forum for public discussion. Brecht put forward his ideas as a counter
argument to the dramatic theatre. He highlighted the differences between his epic theatre
which was non-Aristotelian and the widely followed dramatic theatre as to how epic theatre
presented an argument and made the spectator confront a situation opposed to dramatic
theatre wherein the spectator was provided with and made to relate to the experiences. He
stressed more on highlighting the importance of reason over emotions. Thus Brecht in his
adaptation “The Antigone of Sophocles” puts forth the argument that man himself is
responsible for his/her own conditions and the state of situations is alterable by making
reasoned choices.
Brecht has reformed the plot of the play to a large extent and in his production we get
to see a new aspect of the situation where the characters can clearly be termed as good and
evil as opposed to the complex characters created by Sophocles where we never resolve the
dilemma as to who was a more tragic figure among Kreon and Antigone. Brecht clearly
paints Antigone in one shade and Kreon in the other as opposed to their original grey shades
in Sophocles. Brecht deviates from Sophocles in showing that the war has not ended and that
both Eteokles and Polyneikes were fighting against the Argives as soldiers in Kreon’s army.
In addition Brecht added a prologue to the play to place the events in the post-war scenario .It
begins with two sisters who are shown against the background of an air raid shelter from
which they are returning home in Berlin of April 1945. The two are referred to as “the first”
and “the second” instead of any fixed names. Their dialogues are a mixture of direct address
to each other and a recount of the tale in past tense. The conversation between the two begins
on the whereabouts of their brother. Throughout they are constantly distracted by the screams
from outside which in the end they realise were emanated by their own brother. The prologue
ends with one sister wanting to go outside to cut her brother off the butcher’s hook on which
he has been hung and the other refusing any kind of relation with the dead man on being
questioned by the officer in order to save her life.
The First: Then I looked at my sister. Would she now under the penalty of
death try to free her brother? If only he had not died. (prologue, Malina)
The last dialogue of the prologue thereby posits as a beginning for the events that will
unfold in the play starting with the two sisters namely Antigone and Ismene involved in a
discussion on the burial of Polyneikes. In addition Brecht had also written a poem “The
Antigone Legend” as a summary of the entire narrative of the plot for the aid of the audience,
to help them in understanding the developments of the action on stage. Brecht’s adaptation
draws Kreon as a tyrant on the lines of Hitler who only lusts for power and is ignorant to all
other issues. Brecht was always against fascism and dictatorship, and he never left an
opportunity to criticize Hitler in his work. In plays such as Round Heads and Pointed Heads
(1931), Fear and Misery of the Third Reich (1938), The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (1941)
he had openly disclosed his hatred for Hitler and Nazism. Therefore it does not come as a
surprise that parallels can be drawn between Kreon and Adolf Hitler in the given play. Kreon
in Sophocles’ play was depicted as a ruler who wanted to ensure the safety and smooth
functioning of the city state of Thebes. He viewed himself as the guardian of Thebes who saw
it as his duty to work in the best interests of the state as he proclaimed in the play:
I believe that he who rules in a state and fails to embrace the best men’s
counsels, but stays locked in silence and vague fear, is the worst man there. I
have long believed so. And he who cherishes an individual beyond his
homeland, he, I say is nothing. Zeus who sees all will see I shall not stay silent
if I see disaster marching against our citizens, and I shall not befriend the
enemy of this land. For the state is safety. When she is steady, then we can
steer. (Sophocles)
Therefore it is a complex situation, for Kreon rejects proper burial of Polyneikes on
the grounds that he was the enemy of the state as he with the support of Argos had attacked
Thebes to take over the throne. When Antigone justifies that she buried Polyneikes because
he was her brother and to dishonour the dead was against the law, one finds that both
Antigone and Kreon are right in their own stance as they both have reasons to defend their
actions. This is an important aspect of Sophocles’ play that adds to its tragic nature. However
Brecht shows that Kreon in his play refuses to give proper burial to Polyneikes because he
tried to flee from the battle on seeing his brother Eteokles die. So according to Brecht’s
Kreon Polyneikes is a traitor because he refuses to carry on fighting in the battle against
Argos which Kreon had undertaken. In fact Kreon himself makes it clear that the war with
Argos is over economic issues as he says:
When I attacked Argos, who sent me? The metal spears went out to bring
metal from the mountains at your request; for you know Argos is rich in
metals. (Malina)
Throughout the play in Kreon’s conversations with both the Characters and Chorus
one can clearly see his imperialist motives behind fighting with Argos as he constantly says
“rich Argos” and talks of the numerous riches they can pillage from Argos as booty. In thus
showing a materialist and power hungry Kreon Brecht ensured that Antigone was a
contrasting figure who stood all for peace and wanted the good for the people of the state.
Antigone’s arguments in her conversation with Kreon enlighten the audience to judge Kreon
as a mere tyrant:
The man who’s after power is like the thirsty man who drinks salt-water; he
can’t hold it in, but he has to have more. Yesterday it was my brother. Today it
is I. (Malina)
Therefore the audience will not have problems reflecting over the downfall that
Kreon meets in the end of the play because the audience will be able to intelligently reason
out the cause and effects in the end which would in no way leave any scope for them to feel
any pitiable emotions.
It was not that Brecht entirely dismissed ancient Greek theatre as an old form rather
he picked up the techniques from it that served the purpose of his Epic Theatre. For instance
although he has changed the storyline in the play he uses the Chorus for the same purpose as
was used by Sophocles. The function of the Chorus in both plays is to provide a distanced
view of the actions. Brecht found this useful for Epic Theatre as the Chorus would ensure in
maintaining the alienation effect that was an integral part of the Epic Theatre. The nature of
Chorus in both versions is however different. In Brecht’s version the Theban Elders appear to
be supporting both opposing individuals Antigone and Kreon. The Chorus condemns Kreon’s
actions only when they hear out Antigone’s arguments against Kreon’s ruthless war policies.
As opposed to that the Chorus in the original appear as the wise group who comment on the
happenings and also advise Kreon to mend his wrong decision of punishing Antigone. Kreon
in the original seems to possess only one flaw that he was excessively immersed in doing
right for the state because everywhere else he does argue his point with people but still leaves
scope to amend his actions. In Brecht’s version for instance when Tiresias pays a visit to
Kreon, the latter only mocks him in harshest tones whereas in the original Kreon is more
respectful towards Tiresias. These changes in Kreon’s depiction to a great extent distance the
audience from feeling pity for Brecht’s Kreon.
A major deviation in Brecht’s version is the omission of Eurydice’s suicide which
comes right after when the news of her son Haimon’s death reaches her. Hence in the original
the audience sympathise with both Antigone, who was given death punishment for going
against the order of Kreon by burying her brother and who eventually commits suicide by
hanging herself, and Kreon who mourns the loss of his son Haimon and wife Eurydice.
Therefore as specified by Aristotle that death is an integral part of tragedy, Sophocles’
version has three deaths which begin with Antigone’s suicide leading to her lover Haimon’s
suicide which in turn becomes the cause for his mother Eurydice’s suicide. Therefore one
naturally feels empathy for Kreon who wanted to amend his wrongdoings and was in the
process of doing so as he had begun with Polyneikes’ burial when he gets to know of
Haimon’s grief on losing Antigone. And as the scenes unfold Kreon is left all alone grieving
his loss and the Chorus remarks:
For their grand schemes or bold words the proud pay with great wounds…And
great wounds before today have taught sense even to the aged. (Sophocles)
In omitting Eurydice’s suicide Brecht removes the tragic aspect of Kreon’s character
as implied in the original version. His Kreon like the original also grieves for his son Hamon
however he grieves more for the state of Thebes which is about to meet its doom as we are
told that the Argives are on their way to attack Thebes which shall not be able to defend
itself. Kreon carrying Hamon’s bloody shirt at the end remarks
…but what there was of courage and of excellence was turned against me, so
now Thebes falls; and it should fall, should fall with me, should be done with
and left to the vultures. (Malina)
This would make the audience then reflect over Kreon’s actions and thus reach the
conclusion that it was his own doings and not the workings of the fate. This realisation comes
across as important for Brecht thought the audience would apply the same logic to their state
outside the theatre and work towards altering it. On the other hand in Antigone we only sense
a rebellious aspect for she offers a sharp criticism of Kreon throughout the play. She rejects
submission to Kreon rather she becomes that voice which tries to awaken the people of
Thebes against the injustices meted out to them by Kreon. By committing suicide it appears
as if she puts up herself for the sacrifice which will lead to rebellion against Kreon.
Brecht became innovative with the plot when he introduced onstage the monologue of
Kreon’s elder son Megareus who is shown dying while speaking of the horrors of the war.
Judith Malina from whose translation I have cited omits the portion pertaining to Megareus
rather she gives a similar sppech to a messenger.
To further understand how Brecht showed the working of Epic Theatre in his version
of Antigone one needs to also take into consideration his work Antigonemodell 1948 in
which he mentions that
The Antigone story then unrolls the whole chain of incidents objectively, on
the unfamiliar level of the rulers. This possibility of objectively presenting a
major state operation was due precisely to the fact that the old play was
historically so remote as to tempt nobody to identify himself with its principal
figure. (Brecht)
It was Caspar Neher who had designed the stage for the production and Brecht
recounts as to how the benches were placed in full view of the audience so that the actors
would get up and perform their parts, at the same time not letting the audience forget that
they are in a theatre. The props used were bare minimums like a millet bowl and wire jar for
Antigone, Kreon’s laurel wreath and sword, and posts with horses’ skull.
Brecht’s version has in all aspect freed itself form tragic overtones as what is
presented to the spectator is not the emotional experience of events but a more intellectual
kind of experience.
Works cited:
Sophocles. Antigone. Trans. Richard Emil Braun. London: Oxford University Press,1974
Brecht, Bertolt, Judith Malina, and Sophocles. Sophocles' Antigone. New York, : Applause Theatre Book Publishers, 1990.
Brecht, Bertolt, and John Willett. Brecht on Theatre: The Development of an Aesthetic. New York: Hill and Wang, 1964.
Drakakis, John, and Naomi Liebler, eds. Tragedy. New York: Longman, 1998
Styan, John L. Modern Drama in Theory and Practice 2. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1981
Styan, John L. Modern Drama in Theory and Practice 3. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1981
Hillesheim, Jürgen, and Stephen Brockmann. Young Mr. Brecht Becomes a Writer =: Der Junge Herr Brecht Wird
Schriftsteller. Madison, Wis: International Brecht Society, 2006.
Jones, Frank, and Gore Vidal. "Tragedy with a Purpose: Bertolt Brecht's" Antigone"." The Tulane Drama Review 2.1
(1957): 39-45.
Rosenthal, Cindy. "Antigone's Example: A View of the Living Theatre's Production, Process, and Praxis." Theatre Survey
41.01 (2000): 69-88.