How would Zola and Stanislavski propose their critique on Sophocles' Antigone?
Q1. Choose TWO theories from Case, Zola, and Stanislavski, and imagine their critique on Sophocles’ Antigone. In your opinion, how would they evaluate the play and what would they think of the play’s plot, style, and politics? Be sure to use specific quotes from the play and theories (at least TWO quotes from each).
I would choose Zola and Stanislavski to make imaginative critiques of Sophocles’ Antigone depending on their view, especially from the theories ‘Naturalism in the Theatre’ and ‘An Actor Prepares’. The two thinkers are widely generalized by the fact they are rooted in the 19th-century realism, which emphasizes on the recreation of real life in a practical sense. Therefore, I reckon they would have come down to a similar skeptic view if they had evaluated the Greek tragedy Antigone. Nevertheless, since they focus on different aspects of different degrees, I am going to demonstrate the specifics.
First, as we can see in the text, Zola is a thorough naturalist. He said, “We are an age of method, of experimental science; our primary need is for precise analysis.” It shows his strong belief in the scientific method at the time. Mostly based on Darwin’s genetics, he believed heredity and environment could determine everything that occurs in our lives, and literature must show its inevitability or perish. In light of this rather radical perspective of him, I think he would definitely criticize Sophocles’ Antigone as well for its methodological basis. Antigone is based on the Greek myth, and thus, Olympian gods are portrayed as near the beginning there is a reference to “Justice who dwells with the gods beneath the earth.”. It means the characters’ primary criterion lies in the divine principles of their gods which is not relevant to heredity nor their physiological environment. Also, in Antigone, there is a prophet who can foresee the future with his sacred and absolute words. To Zola I think, this is only a mere abstract of human conflicts, and cannot represent the complexity and hardships of citizens.
Nonetheless, we must not be biased onto one aspect because he also mentioned that theatrical trend works on its appropriate period. Therefore, he would say that Greek tragedy could show its value such as audiences’ catharsis or sympathy aroused watching the play within the period of ancient Greece. However, he would also say that those abstractions and exaggerated incidents of the tragedy can no longer play a key role in modern society that needs realistic measures on real problems.
Next is Stanislavski. Like I said, his theories on theatre are also stemmed from the realist movement of the time, but the major difference is that he focused on his systematic approach to actor training, preparation, and rehearsal technique. He believed that actors needed to express the authentic emotion they could draw upon their own experiences. Also, one thing he wanted to fix for all time is that “On the stage there cannot be, under any circumstances, action which is directed immediately at the arousing of a feeling for its own sake.” But then, actors performing Sophocles’ Antigone must have focused on the storytelling and the ‘dramatic expressions’ that are prescribed in a certain form. For instance, it had ‘theatrical language’ such as declaiming and the endless speech of proclamation like Antigone’s speech to Creon, “Yes, it was not Zeus that made the proclamation; nor did justice, which lives with those below, enact such laws as that, for mankind. … Now, if you think me a fool to act like this, perhaps it is a fool that judges so.” To Stanislavski, these symbolic languages could make the play very unnatural and lead to the art of artificial representation rather than the art of experiencing, as the “art of living a part”.
Another point he would criticize is the direction of Antigone’s stage performance. According to him, the actors must be able to fully concentrate on themselves to produce a characterization and to avoid unnecessary tension. This isolation on the stage is called the circle of attention which means you need to be separated from the outside of the circle. However, the stage composition of Antigone can disrupt or even, break into pieces this concentration process. The main reason is the chorus. The chorus of the play is made up of a group of old Theban men, but their functions in the play do not settle on a specific role. They constantly make comments on the actions of the play like spectators out of the screen, they give back stories, also they connect the play to other myths, and importantly, they do all this by chanting and singing heavy lines. Although these were taking large parts in filling the plots and unfolding the actions of ancient tragedy, they certainly hamper the actors to establish the circle in need. Plus, the male actors wearing masks and dressed up like women do not help to build the genuine method in the same sense.
Answered by 김통렬