Antigone, the play upon which The Burial at Thebes is based, is the final installment in a trilogy of plays written by the Greek playwright, Sophocles, and originally performed in Athens in 411 BCE. You do not need to know the story of the first two plays, Oedipus Rex and Oedipus at Colonus, to appreciate tonight’s performance, but this brief summary will provide some insights into Antigone’s background and the events that led to the opening moments of our story.
As an infant, Antigone’s father, Oedipus, was abandoned by his parents, the king and queen of Thebes, after they received a prophecy claiming their son would one day grow up to murder his father and marry his mother. Left on a hillside to die, however, the infant Oedipus is found and raised as the adopted son of the king and queen of nearby Corinth.
When Oedipus comes of age, he leaves his adopted home, knowing nothing of his true origin, and travels abroad. During his journeys, he encounters a stranger at a crossroads, they argue, and Oedipus kills the man in a fight. Soon after, he arrives at Thebes and saves the town from the Sphinx, a legendary creature who has been terrorizing the city. Hailed as a hero, he marries the recently widowed queen, Jocasta, and inherits the throne.
Years pass. Jocasta gives birth to two sons, Eteocles and Polyneices, and two daughters, Antigone and Ismene. But when plague strikes the city of Thebes, the cause is blamed on the long-unsolved murder of the previous king. Oedipus vows to uncover the murderer and thereby end the plague, swearing to follow the evidence wherever it may lead. As the plot unfolds, the evidence leads directly to himself when it is revealed that the stranger he killed at the crossroads was his father. Through his investigation, Oedipus learns his true origins, the prophecy that was proclaimed at his birth, and his role in bringing it to fruition. Jocasta, horrified by the revelation, kills herself. Oedipus, equally repulsed by his own acts, gouges out his eyes.
Oedipus is banished from Thebes, blind and impoverished, with his two young daughters, Antigone and Ismene, to care for him. He makes his way to the city of Colonus. His sons, Eteocles and Polyneices, stay behind to govern the city, each taking turns to rule as king in alternating years. Eventually, Oedipus dies, and Antigone and Ismene return to Thebes.
The tragedy seems to be at an end until, at the end of his year as king, Eteocles refuses to yield the throne to his brother. Enraged, Polyneices flees to neighboring Argos, raises an army, and returns to lay siege to his home city. During the fighting, Polyneices and Eteocles kill each. The Argive army is defeated by the people of Thebes, and the city is saved.
As next in line, Jocasta’s brother, Creon, assumes the throne of Thebes and issues a proclamation that Eteocles, who fought for their city, will be buried with full honors. Polyneices, adjudged a traitor, will be left to rot where he fell, a savage punishment which will condemn his soul to wander the earth endlessly with no hope of peace or rest. Antigone hears of her brothers’ death and her uncle’s proclamation, honoring one brother, condemning the other, as the war ends and victory for Thebes is declared.
This is where the story of Antigone and tonight’s performance begins...
