Differentiating between exhibitionsim and martyrdom PDF

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Differentiating between exhibitionism and martyrdom in ‘Antigone’ A World of Literature: Classics and Cultural Translations Dr Nick Treuherz Word Count: 1,443 Referencing Style: MLA

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Differentiating between exhibitionism and martyrdom in ‘Antigone’ In Jolyon Mitchell’s Martyrdom: A Very Short Introduction, a ‘martyr’ is defined as ‘a person who is killed because of their religious or other beliefs’[CITATION Jol12 \p 1 \l 2057 ]. It is worth noting the inclusion of ‘other beliefs’ in this definition, as martyrdom does not necessarily confine itself purely within the bounds of religion. This is important in relation to examining the nature of Antigone’s selfsacrifice in both Sophocles’ and Anouilh’s texts, as Antigone does not die specifically for her beliefs in the Gods, but rather to demonstrate faith in Godly decree. Exhibitionism, on the other hand, can be seen as a form of pseudo-martyrdom when used as a means of drawing attention to oneself through a public show of loyalty towards a particular cause or belief. Whilst Anouilh’s adaptation can be seen to challenge Antigone’s status as a martyr, Sophocles’ original version of the play explores the idea of holy reverence and the concept of dying to demonstrate loyalty to one’s own bloodline. This essay intends to compare the presentation of martyrdom in both Sophocles’ original text and Anouilh’s revised version of ‘Antigone’, examining whether the character of Antigone deserves to be praised as a martyr or condemned as an exhibitionist. When evaluating Antigone’s status as a martyr, it is important to note the criterion with which martyrdom is often tested against. The motives of the individual play a key role in determining whether they are worthy of being hailed as a martyr, branching from expectation of reward to family loyalty. Sophocles uses Ismene as a dramatic device to illustrate Antigone’s driving motive for disobeying Creon’s decree and performing burial rites on Polynices’s body, as upon refusing to help Antigone perform this task, Antigone attempts to goad her sister by rhetorically asking whether she is ‘noble by birth, or a coward from a noble family’[CITATION Sop03 \p 5 \l 2057 ]. The term ‘noble’ is used frequently by Antigone throughout the play as a means of justifying her decision to act, as she often claims that it is ‘noble’ of her to die to honour her bloodline. The concept of nobility connotes a sense of pride and grandeur however, forcing the audience to question whether Antigone’s willingness to sacrifice herself for the sake of maintaining her family’s honour stems from a selfish

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desire to repent for the sins that have corrupted her family since the marriage of her father Oedipus to his own mother. This is made clear in the play’s opening scene, in which Sophocles uses Antigone as a theatrical device to remind the audience of the shocking and accursed history of Antigone’s bloodline. Beginning in medias res, Antigone’s opening dialogue radiates with feelings of bitterness and despair, as she questions whether ‘of all the sufferings bequeathed by Oedipus’[CITATION Sop03 \p 3 \l 2057 ], there is ‘one that Zeus has not given’ [ CITATION Sop03 \l 2057 ] to the sisters. Despite this bitterness however, Antigone’s belief in divine intervention and the predetermination of each person’s fate by the ‘unwritten, unassailable laws’[CITATION Sop03 \p 35 \l 2057 ] of the Gods, appears to fuel her desire to pay tribute to her dead brother’s body. Antigone’s sense of familial duty is therefore paradoxical, as the love that she extends towards her brother, through her belief that he has a divine right to be respected in death, is not offered to Ismene following her refusal to act against Creon’s decree. This is shown in the scene prior to Antigone’s trial and sentencing to death, in which she boldly bears witness to the Gods as the self-entitled ‘sole surviving daughter/ Of the royal house’ [CITATION Sop03 \p 69 \l 2057 ]. In declaring herself the ‘sole surviving daughter’ of her family bloodline, Antigone denies all association with her once beloved sister and effectively labels her as nothing more than a corpse. Antigone’s motives for effectively sentencing herself to death can therefore be seen to fail Mitchell’s basic criterion, as her public demonstration of devotion to Polynices is arguably reduced to a mere show of exhibitionism following her public disownment of Ismene just moments before. The experience of undergoing extreme emotional and physical suffering is another factor that is explored by in Mitchell’s examination of martyrdom, as he notes that many historical accounts of martyrdom throughout the centuries depict the martyr ‘either as not suffering or enduring suffering with great composure’[CITATION Jol12 \p 120 \l 2057 ]. Sophocles’ Antigone conforms to this particular criterion through its presentation of Antigone’s unfaltering composure and defiance in the face of impending death, as she calmly states that ‘for me to meet this fate is no pain at all[CITATION Sop03 \p 35 \l 2057 ]’. In introducing the theme of fate and predestination, Sophocles suggests that 3

Antigone has inwardly come to terms with the fact that her death is inevitable, and has immunised herself against all the pain that Creon can inflict on her. In contrast, the Antigone in Anouilh’s adaptation seems to suffer greatly as a result of her decision to honour her dead brother, which is primarily emphasised through the use of stage directions. Upon being questioned by the Nurse as to why she has been out of the house before sunrise, Antigone grows ‘suddenly weary’[CITATION Ano00 \p 15 \l 2057 ] and ‘collapses on a chair’[ CITATION Ano00 \l 2057 ]. This flash of self-awareness and realisation that she has condemned herself to death gives her character an element of youthful fragility and helplessness. Furthermore, the physical action of collapsing onto a chair is a metaphorical representation of the crippling impact that her act of defiance against Creon has had on her emotional wellbeing. Anouilh, therefore, chooses to highlight Antigone’s youth in order to heighten her vulnerability, and in the process, creates a stark contrast to the strong resolute figure we admire in Sophocles’ original text. One of the most important criteria in assessing whether Antigone should be deemed a martyr or an exhibitionist is the nature of her death itself and the impression that it leaves on the audience. According to Johnson in Christian Martyrdom as a Pervasive Phenomenon, an integral part of defining martyrdom is how we interpret the act of losing one’s life, as they argue that a martyr must be put to death by another human being [CITATION Tod14 \p 681 \l 2057 ]. In both Anouilh’s and Sophocles’ versions of the play, Antigone commits suicide and is found entombed in a cave ‘hanging by the neck’[CITATION Sop03 \p 93 \l 2057 ]. Thus, both presentations of Antigone therefore fail to conform to Johnson and Zurlo’s view of martyrdom, as Antigone takes fate into her own hands in a final act of defiance against Creon’s order for her to suffer death by starvation. The way in which Anouilh reduces Antigone to a child-like figure through his description of her suicide can be seen to diminish her status as a martyr and present her as more of a naive exhibitionist. It is in Anouilh’s poignant description of Antigone’s self-made noose that seems to emphasise the futility of her death, as it consists of ‘blue and green and red strands’[CITATION Ano00 \p 58 \l 2057 ] that look ‘like

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a child’s necklace’[ CITATION Ano00 \l 2057 ]. The metaphorical comparison of Antigone’s instrument of death to a piece of childish jewellery makes a mockery of the strong defiance that Antigone demonstrates in the former half of the play when defending her decision to break Creon’s decree. Anouilh therefore diminishes her strength of character by having her retreat into a state of childish innocence in her final moments of life. The concept of exhibiting youth and innocence in death is further explored by Anouilh in the dialogue exchanged between Antigone and Jonas just moments before she is sealed in the cave, as the repetition of the phrase ‘all on my own’[CITATION Ano00 \p 55 \l 2057 ] gives the audience the impression that Antigone no longer wishes to die the solitary death of a martyr, and regrets having allowed her childish defiance against societal conformity to drive her act of rebellion. G.E.M. De Ste. Croix’s claim that ‘the distinguishing characteristic of the […] martyr is a positive craving for martyrdom for its own sake’ [CITATION GEM06 \p 188 \l 2057 ] in relation to Anouilh’s Antigone is fundamentally flawed, as the integral factor that defines a true martyr is a willingness to die for one’s beliefs, not a desire to die for the sake of dying. Ultimately, it is Antigone’s admission that she doesn’t ‘know any more what [she’s] dying for’ [CITATION Ano00 \p 57 \l 2057 ] that undermines her position as a martyr. To return to Mitchell’s definition of a martyr as someone who is killed primarily because of their beliefs, the fact that Antigone loses touch with her original drive to sacrifice herself in the name of family honour strips the character of her martyrdom. Antigone’s lack of conviction ultimately reduces her act of defiance to nothing more than the impassioned actions of a young girl caught in the grips of exhibitionism.

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Bibliography Anouilh, Bray and Freeman. Antigone. United Kingdom: Methuen Publishing Ltd, 2000. Croix, G.E.M. De Ste. Christian Persecution, Martyrdom, and Orthodoxy. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006. Franklin, Sophocles and. Antigone. Cambridge: Cambridge Uinversity Press, 2003. Mitchell, Jolyon. MARTYRDOM: A Very Short Introduction. Hampshire: Oxford University Press, 2012. Zurlo, Todd M. Johnson & Gina A. "Christian Martyrdom as a Pervasive Phenomenon." Global Society (2014): 679–685.

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