Q and A

Does Antigone have a voice of her own or is it Sophocles voice? What is he trying to say?

1) MYTH- Antigone was a tale that had been passed down from generation through generation. She was a legend for her sacrifice for her family and defiance of the king. We know that the skeleton of the story was passed down. However, we aren’t sure how much of the content was. The justification that Antigone proposes for her actions might not be the same every playwright writes the play. So, one can say that Sophocles was the puppet master behind Antigone’s arguments, but not behind her actions.

2) SOPHOCLES- His characteristics play a great part in trying to figure out the purpose behind his work. He was said to be kind and patient, one who held high positions but was never judged critically. There are two theories as to why he wrote what he did.
- IMAGINATION- It is said that he had never experienced feelings of sorrow and grief and pain and thus he wrote plays on it, trying to experience through them these great emotions.
- FAÇADE- Having occupied such high positions; he could not express himself freely. Tragedies were his outlet, where he could express his sorrow, grief and anger without having to put his name to it.

This isn’t really a matter of reasoning, since one can’t be sure if sources can be trusted. But working with the information given I have come to a decision that the argument of imagination prevails. Why?

(i) He was an intellect, having studied under the best teachers and coming from a respectable family. His background might have contributed to the way he approached plays; psychologically. Most of his plays focused on the emotions of the protagonists and their reactions to what takes place around them. Unlike other tragedies which revolve mostly around the Gods.

(ii) When he was in power he would have done something if he wanted to.

(iii) His son filled a law suit against him? But yet he still helped him write plays.

(iv) It was a myth; he took it and wrote it from a psychological perspective. Why would a lady do that? -- Obvious reason: Any human would put their family before state-- He was just presenting that aspect of it.

(v) He didn’t do it from Creon’s view because he had already done Oedipus and they were both pretty similar. (Was Antigone written before Oedipus?)

(vi) One can only pent up their feelings for that long. It’s bound to come out one day.


(vii) During his life, Athens was at its best. What could cause him such fury and pain that he would have to vent it out through a play?

What are the issues that it deals with? Are they relevant to us now? If so how?

1) Fate
2) Inheritance of suffering.
3) Tyranny and its dangers.
4) Family vs the state
5) God’s laws VS Humans laws


Was Sophocles the 1st to use a female as the main character in a Greek tragedy? If so why? (When was ‘Electra’ written?)

Does Antigone follow the mould that Greek tragic heroes usually follow?

1) She was fighting for a cause.
2) She suffered because of it. Ultimately dies for it.
3) The Gods were on her side.
4) People opposed her stand but she persisted.

Why give the female role a voice? And to top it all a contradictory one at that? What was he trying to say?

Does he HAVE to want to say something?
The myth was about how a lady went against the law.
He took it and asked why would she do that?
Ladies are loyal to their families, obvious they would choose family over state.
He expanded the argument and VIOLA there was a play.

What are the arguments that Antigone and Creon throw at each other?
Sophocles had the option of writing the play from Creon’s perspective. Why didn’t he do that? Did taking things from Antigone’s perspective have more meat?

The Greek's...

GREEK THEATRE PERFORMANCE- AN INRTODUCTION
By Davis Wiles

-The subject matter as well as themes and how the tragedies ended were not predictable.

-The physical sense of earth as home of the dead is constantly exploited. The actors performed on a floor of beaten earth, and their feet created dust and characteristic thud.

-The theatre was where the men came to question who they were and how they should live.


GODS

-Zezus was the head of all the Gods and he ruled the sky. His children ruled other things and were mostly involved in quarreling amongst themselves and creating chaos by dabbling into human affairs. His siblings were the gods of other elements like the sea, under world, indoor world and corn fields.

-Dionysos a child of Zezus is the WINE GOD and he dissolves boundaries, moving freely. Associated with darkness, nocturnal drinking bouts, and the loss of mental clarity in moments of collective emotion, with the loss of boundaries around the self experienced in a crowd, and the hiding of the self behind the theatrical mask. He also dissolves Identity, GEENDER in particular. His instrument is the haunting double oboe which can whip up wild dances. His worshippers tend to be women.

-Gods can be understood as social and psychological projections. Female experience like reproduction, the frustrations of the married state, the wildness of adolescence, etc; and Male experiences of travel, power, fighting, drinking, labour, etc.

-The Gods have no morality and represent irreconcilable opposites. Their fighting is mirrored in that of the humans.

-Statues were a symbol embodying a variable degree of divine presence.

THE FESTIVAL

Served the purpose of-
(i) Showing of the best of the city to foreigners
(ii) A place where men could question who they were and how they lived.
(iii) A place where political concerns were raised and possible real life situations and problems were presented to the men.
(iv) To celebrate the God of Theatre and Wine.

THE MATERIAL

-All Greek tragedies observed the same principle, refracting the past through the present to make old stories generate an infinite number of new meanings.

-They transferred immediate political hopes and fears to the world of myth, encouraging the audience to judge, feed and sympathize with the person that the author had picked.

-The same storied could be used over and over again and yet be different as writers wrote from different perspectives, new shifts in sympathy, new interpretations of motive, and new moral dilemmas.

-Dramatist constructed new myths to get rid of the gap between males and females in society, while others chose to explore deep tensions and contradictions within the democratic system.
Power and danger of women was a recurrent.

THE ORIGINS
-“Mythos” means “something spoken” and this was how the great tragedies were first formed and performed. By word of mouth.

-It started with the women, who were in-charge of the child’s education. They were to tell these myths to the children so as to educate them. Hence most choruses comprised of women. They used these stories as analogues for present events.

-Another form that it originated from was poetry – memorized by individuals for a competition—the poems were then recited by then and they had to start when the other one stopped – this helped to improve vocal skills as well as to help the with their tactic of building suspense. It also taught them how to fit a story into a short time frame.

-Playwrights looked at these epic poems and drew material from it. Changing the content, motives and the order of events.

-Messenger speeches also originated from here—They often described the climax of the play, forcing people to use their imaginations.

CONTEXT
Not all Greeks held the same political and religious views and beliefs. Some didn’t believe God existed while others thought they did, but not in the forms that humans portrayed them to be in.

GREEK TRAGEDIES

-They are very malleable. Made so, so that it can be changed as the political landscape changes, making it harder for the later generations to reverse.

-The REACTION of the characters to the same situations was what differed from each tragedy.

-It always had something to do with killings within the family and between generations. The reactions were based on the time period and its social and political situation.

-All tragedies are linked in one way or another, like a very long story situated in the same place, just from different peoples perspectives and with a progressive time period. This like rituals, rules, punishments, etc are all relatable. Hence, the audience knows the rules of the form, giving them more pleasure as well as making life easier for the playwrights.

-Tragedies derive part of their formal structure from the law court. Regularly we find two individuals pitted against each other, and each makes a long speech approximately equal length.

-Almost everything said is to please the chorus= the general public and the judges (in a law court)
They were NOT interested in the drive behind the words (What Stan follows) but in the effect of the words. Rational arguments were meant to stimulate emotions in support for the protagonists expressed ideals, so as to gain the support of the people.

RITUALS

-The Athenians were actively involved in a large num of rituals, which helped to breed a theatrical imagination in them.

-The line between ritual and theatre is fuzzy.

-Narrative ritual- Rituals opened up a vein of symbolism for the dramatist to exploit, drawing on language of symbols that was part of Greek culture.

-Tragedies were also used to EXPLAIN rituals.
(i) Supplication- Ensuring personal protection. Could be asked for from God’s or elders. One could not harm another if they had a protector.
(ii) Funeral practice- Burial rights are critical if the dead were to find peace.
(iii) Purification- Death was experienced as a source of pollution, a mind of filth which contaminated those who came close to it. Places were purified with Pigs blood as was the beginning of many ritual acts.
(iv) Prayer- Athenians prayed making noisy demands upon their Gods, reminding them of their obligations. Prayer was usually tied to other rituals, like sacrifice or pouring of wine into the earth, for a gift to the gods imposed an obligation to them to reciprocate.

POLITICS- A quick overview

-Democracy= rule by the people. Ironically, People= Male citizens of the city ONLY.

-They went to great lengths, leaving chance and the Gods to make up some of the decisions as to who gets voted into office. Cycles were adopted and everyone was given a chance at holding a position.

-Public speaking was of great importance, but it was not so much for the truth to be spoken as for the speech to evoke strong positive emotions from the audience and judges. It required great skill and power.

GENDER

Closely linked with politics
Democracy=
(i) the people have to be one large family- family units now invisible
(ii) All possible areas of conflict have to be gotten rid of- women and $ differences. The strength of the city state was a matter of life and death. The men had to fight side by side for the collective purpose of the city. (pg69)
(iii) Emotions took the backseat (because the actions are said to be taken on the basis of emotion and codes of honour rather than the calculation of the collective interest)- LAWS and RULES were what was important

THE MASK
(i) Ritual Interpretations- Characters social status, etc.

(ii) Neutrality- lack of expression of face forced the body to be more expressive.

(iii) Alientaing mask- The mask actually brought the audience closer to the performers since they were so far away. In addition giving the audience the freedom to imagine the expression of the character allowed the emotion to be even more powerful.

(iv) Acoustical Mask- Helps to focus the sound and make sure it does not get dispersed AND it increases the actor’s awareness of the architecture of his own body and sense the presence of the others acting.


SOPHOCLES
· His plays frequently portrayed powerful men choosing between the lesser of two evils, experiences from a position of personal knowledge.

· He was the model citizen and had wealth, fame, body and talent. He used his plays as a medium through which he could voice out his frustrations and problems that he could not in real life because he needed to appear good before the people. It was his escape.

hopefully the final crit com..

CRITICAL COMMENTARY

Imsurenla Priscilla Jamir

Monologue- Antigone

09A06

Directorial Vision/ Concept-

The purpose of my scene is "to question whether i should follow the way of the God's or that of the law" The scene that I have chosen is the climax of the play, where my character, Antigone is sentenced to death for the ‘criminal’ act that she has performed.

I will be using the Stanislavski method to try and bring out the emotions that are necessary to play the role. Through the variation of pitch, volume and pace, I will be able to show the change in the characters emotion and mental state, thus leading to the main question and main conflict.

Performance Theory/ History of Tradition-

The play is a naturalistic play, set in the Greek period. It was originally written to be performed to the Greek Gods during a festival the people held every year. Usually perfromed in a prosenium, actors had to make sure that the thousands of spectators could see and hear them.

I used the Stanislavski method of creating a Dramatic ‘I’ that would behave as human as a real ‘I’ to portray my character. By studying the political, religious and social values and conditions of the time, I prepared a before and after storyline and arguments from various characters involved. This helped me to believe in my characters situation and analyze it better.

Many of the emotions called for are ones that I have experienced before, and thus I looked at past experiences and emotional memory, I tried to get in touch with my character. Physicality was also a great help, I tried to use it to figure out the impact the punishment had on my character by the severe way that she reacts to it, by changing not just her moods, but her physicality, voice, and everything else.

Imagination played a huge role as well, as my characters though processes involved a lot of flashbacks of her past. Thus, I had to imagine them happening to me to be able to connect to the emotions.

Evaluation of creative process-

The setting was in a cave that I imagined to be relatively small and dark, except for one hole in the ceiling from which light entered. In the area of physicality, I had to train myself to react to the cave, in order to be able to how the audience its size with out actually drawing it out for them.

The script was originally written to be performed before she was thrown into the cave, however, since it was a monologue piece, I though it would be more dramatic if the new setting was to be inside the cave, just after she had been thrown in, as in this way it would involve a lot more emotion.

My costume is a Greek toga that was worn in the days the play was first performed.

NEW crit com

Directorial Vision/ Concept-

The scene that I have chosen is the climax of the play, where my character, the protagonist of the play Antigone is sentenced to death for the ‘criminal’ act that she has performed. Here, the audience is presented with the question of ‘What law do I listen to, the law from the God’s or the ones set by men?’ through the contrasting traits of Antigone. She is strong and defiant, yet vulnerable and hurt.

The different sides of the characters will be displayed to the audience through the highs and lows of the dramatic monologue. There will be times when she is blaming the Gods for everything, and there are other times when she come to accept the fact that maybe she did deserve the punishment that she has been given. I will be using the Stanislavski method to try and bring out the emotions that are necessary to play the role. Through the variation of pitch, volume and pace, I will be able to show the change in the characters emotion and mental state, thus leading to the main question and main conflict.

Performance Theory/ History of Tradition-

The play is a naturalistic play, set in the Greek period. It is very similar to contemporary realism in the sense that is a naturalistic play, and is a narrative. I used the Stanislavski method to get in touch with my character. Many of the emotions called for are ones that I have experienced before, and thus I looked at past experiences and tried to get in touch with my character. Physicality was also a great help, I tried to use it to figure out the impact the punishment had on my character by the severe way that she reacts to it, by changing not just her moods, but her physicality, voice, and everything else.

Evaluation of creative process-

The setting was in a cave that I imagined to be relatively small and dark, except for one hole in the ceiling from which light entered. In the area of physicality, I had to train myself to react to the cave, in order to be able to how the audience its size with out actually drawing it out for them.

The script was originally written to be performed before she was thrown into the cave, however, since it was a monologue piece, I though it would be more dramatic if the new setting was to be inside the cave, just after she had been thrown in, as in this way it would involve a lot more emotion. Also, I had wanted to end of the monologue with Antigone committing suicide, but I did not want to give the audience everything, so I decided to end the monologue with hints of me wanting to kill myself, but not actually doing it.

My costume definitely had to be something Greek, and after watching the movie, the plays that had been previously performed and searching for picture, I decided that I had to add on an additional cloth to symbolize the fact that I was from a royal family.

Blocking,.

ANTIGONE:

Antigone has just been thrown in by one of the guards. She is on the floor, head down, weeping silently. She starts to lift up her head and reacts to the small, dark frame of the cave. and then begins to say....Tomb, bridal chamber, eternal prison in the caverned rock,

by now she is already leaning against the wall of the cave, a lighted part of the cave,
whither I go to find mine own, those many who have perished,

say with a straight forward gaze, as if not thinking
and whom Persephone hath received among the dead!
Think thoughts that bulids up to anger for the people who shut you in there-
Death is near... I have been sent to die, what a useless life i have lived! I havent even lived a full life! They have robbed me of it! I didnt do anything wrong!
Face and body and breathing changes to a more tense and angry one.

Stands up with determination and yells at the cave door...
Last of all shall I pass thither, and far most miserably of all, before the term of my life is spent.
Looks around at the ground, searching for a stone, find a small one and throws it at the door. Then tries to calm herself, deep breaths. Which then chnages to pain, shame and a sense of realization that there is a positive side to all of this.

Still sitting down, huddled up as per before, I wipe away tears, and slowly start to look up, towards the light.
But I cherish good hope that my coming

somewhere here I will stand up and walk towards the light.
will be welcome to my father, and pleasant to thee, my mother, and welcome, brother, to thee;
give a very far off, distant, sad, sorrowfull look as if re collecting the past events.

for, when you died,

bring up hands and then slowly look down at them, all while saying my lines. with mine own hands I washed and dressed you,

slowly go down, untill i am touching the ground lovingly as if my family was buried under.
and poured drink-offerings at your graves;

Anger, starts to try and justify her case.
and now, Plyneices, 'tis for tending thy corpse that I win such recompense as this
point around at the cave as if trying to show Polyneices.

trying to provide proof in the hope that she will be proved innocent.
And yet I honoured thee, as the wise will deem, rightly.

Raise hands to heaven and then clench fists.
Bring fists down to rest on the ground.
Bend head down, close eyes and shake head, release fists.
And yet I honoured thee, as the wise will deem, rightly.

Eyes open. Look around with a lost, thoughtful look. SAD.
Never had I been a mother of children,

Slight questioning and wondering look.
or if a husband had been mouldering in death, would I have taken this task upon me in the city's despite.


What law, ye ask, is my warrant for that word?

Gesture with hands
The husband lost, another might have been found, and child from another, to replace the first-born;

Hands slowly go down
but, father and mother hidden with Hades,

hands hang useless at sides.
no brother's life could ever bloom for me again.
Realize the impact of the fact that he will never come back again, play memories in your head of when you had better days with him.

Such was the law whereby I held thee first in honour;

Building anger, contempt, laugh angrily.
but Creon deemed me guilty of error therein, and of outrage,

ah brother mine!

Raise hands in tied position up to heaven.
And now he leads me thus, a captive in his hands; no bridal bed, no bridal song hath been mine, no joy of marriage, no portion in the nurture of children; but thus, forlorn of friends, unhappy one,

Still angry, trying to calm down
I go living
Comes to realize what she is really going to end up as, dead. Gives the blank, scared of death and sorrowful look.
to the vaults of death.

Desperate question. Crying… look to heaven and cry out.
And what law of Heaven have I transgressed?

Really angry, feels betrayed, demands an answer
Why, hapless one, should I look to the gods any more--what ally should I invoke—

Starts to get more mellow. Cant believe it.
when by piety I have earned the name of impious?

I slowly come to a rational mental condition and after thinking it through, say..
Nay, then, if these things are pleasing to the gods, when I have suffered my doom, I shall come to know my sin; but if the sin is with my judges, I could wish them no fuller measure of evil than they, on their part, mete wrongfully to me.

Crit com..

i have managed to add everything taht was nedded, just have to insert the turning points in.. which im still working on.. cause im still turnin..:D


Directorial Vision/ Concept-
The scene that I have chosen is the climax of the play, where my character, the protagonist of the play Antigone is sentenced to death for the ‘criminal’ act that she has performed.
My character in the duration of the whole play plays a very cold, reserved, determined, impulsive and head strong woman, who defies authority and men. But here in this seen, she is alone, and the audience will be able to see her walls breaking down, and she in seen her most miserable state of despair and anger. She is presented vulnerable and hurt to the audience. The audience will feel pity for my character, sympathizing with her over her mistreatment. I want them to feel the pain and suffering that I have been through. They will think of her as being in the right, being a loving and loyal daughter and a pious woman.
Performance Theory/ History of Tradition-
The play is a naturalistic play, set in the Greek period. It is very similar to contemporary realism in the sense that is a naturalistic play, and is a narrative. I used the Stanislavski method to get in touch with my character. Many of the emotions called for are ones that I have experienced before, and thus I looked at past experiences and tried to get in touch with my character.
Evaluation of creative process-
The setting was in a cave that I imagined to be relatively small and dark, except for one hole in the ceiling from which light entered. I had to train myself how to react to the cave, and to show the audience that I was in one, since I was not using any props. I had to practice controlled movements of the hands, so that I could mime banging on the cave walls.


My costume definitely had to be something Greek, and after watching the movie, the plays that had been previously performed and searching for picture, I decided that I had to add on an additional cloth to symbolize the fact that I was from a royal family.
Num of words- 352

Problems.. and a few solutions i hope..

PROBLEM 1-
One of the first problems that i faced was in trying to determine who won the battle between the law of the Gods vs the laws put down by men...I decided that Gods laws were more appealing.. and held more truth and hope than the law of one lone King...

SOi managed to come up with the stand that i was going to take... Antigone was innocent, falsely accused, everyone said so except for the arrogant King.. even the Gods were on Antigone's side! So all i have to do now is to get the audience to sympathize with her! (yeah.. Thats ALL, HA thats NOTHING!!! (note the tone of near lunacy))

PROBLEM 2-
Where does she perform this mono? to the people, in the cave by herself? Just before she is thrown in?Somehow, i didn't feel or see the mono being performed out in the open to the general public.. I though that this was a private moment for Antigone, she being a strong woman, it is here that we see her finally break down and reveal her most vulnerable side to the audience.. yet, we see her nature kick in, as she tries to stay positive, calm and cool.. but she fails... So i thought the cave or something about it would be a good thing or rather, a good instigator to her fears, and she finally breaks down.

PROBLEM 3-
Does she hang herself in the end?When i first read the monologue, i did not believe that there was enough content there for her to want to hang herself. She ends on an angry frustrated tone, and it would have definitely taken her sometime to calm down... face reality and then hang herself.. and i DO NOT have that kind of time for my mono.. Also, its a cave for crying out loud! Where does one find a hole to hoop the cloth through?
SO... i decided not to hang myselfINSTEAD... I'm now thinking of ending off with suspense in the air... with me just looking at my dress (cloth), and then touching my neck in a state of a mad trance, as if the rope is speaking to me, saying here i am, kill yourself with this now..

PROBLEM 4-

It's a GREEK play... with old English.. and stuff about the God's, and bringing glory and honor to the family name! How in the world do i get my character to relate to what these youths my age are feeling?Yes, i can use emotions.. true.. but will that really get them to understand and feel it? or merely see it and say oh ok so she is sad.Yeah.. maybe the emotions can.. but they come about BECAUSE of the content.. doesn't the content have to be understood in order to be mourned? (i hope im making sense..
PROBLEM UNRESOLVED!

ANTIGONE...

She is-
-an independent woman
-does not see the difference between the rights of a women and that of a man
-A strong woman, does not break down easily in the presence of others
- is the strong tower of the family (especially her sister)
-Defiant
-Stubborn
-Direct
-Determined
-Caring
-does not have the time or patience for the weak
-Honest
-Loyal to her family
-A dutiful daughter and sister
-Religious (as was everyone in that time)
-Smart
- confident

She is probably one of the strongest women in all of Greek tragedy. When i first read the monologue, i took it up because it was a challenge, all the emotional range and emotion that i have never tried before...
I never expected her to be such a strong character!

Turning point 1...

MOVIE vs MONOLOGUE STYLE....???!!!

yeah.. im not sure if im confused or not..
how confused is THAT!!
the first time i read the p0lay.. with NO background knowledge what so ever, i thought that it had been performed when Antigone was already in the cave... So i started working around with the cave as my setting, and this caused me to face barriers like how to create the image of a cave in the views eyes, how to act claustrophobic and all..

then i read the play.. and watched the movie.. She wasn't talking to herself in the play.. she was actually talking to the people first, the people who had come to see her get punished for a crime they thought she did not do.. I watched the emotions of the actress... it seemed oh so mellow and consistent throughout the monologue, breaking only twice..

I cant possibly do that in the monologue! That would be way way way too boring... So i decided to stick with what i had started off with, the idea of being in a cave, having JUST been thrown in. The monologue has to be emotion packed and engaging, so ill have to add in as much emotion as possible, showing level 10 of grief, sorrow, anger, disbelief and anguish. The power of the whole play, and its message has to be brought out in that one speech, i don't have the whole movie to ride on...

So yeah.. I guess this can be classified as teh turning point of the proces of creating the character..
The way i interpret Antigone, is someone that stays strong in front of others.. but she can only remain that way for that long.. shes human too! There is a time when she breaks down.. and THAT is when i do my monologue..

WOW!!!! and CRAP!!!!

Yeah.. I love my piece....
BUUUTTTTT.... its just very very time consuming and draining..
wow... drama and emotionally packed, it involves a very through work over, ALOT of research, and just tons and tons of skills that i will have to pick up!!!!
So here is what i have listed down so far.. just to guide me along a bit..

(Answers to these questions will be added as i arrive at them and will be put up in GREEN)

- Need the physicality, how to react to being in a cave...

- I need to know how to bend, what muscle to bend, wheteher the poeple in those days even bernt like that!!!!!

- Do i hang myself? What causes me to do that? If i dont hang myslef, am i thinking of it as i say my lines?
NO, im NOT going to hang myself.. i will not be thinking of it as yet... towards the end.. after i have finished saying my lines, my expression will show realization and a sense of being in a trace.. looking at the cloth, hinting that i am going to hang myself..

- What is the climax? How does the emotion vary as compared to the other parts of the play?
Yes, there are ALOT of variations.. from fear to anger to hope and strength to sorrow to reasoning to pleading to acceptance and determination.
the climax is found in the last few lines of the play... when she says-

"And now he leads me thus, a captive in his hands; no bridal bed, no bridal song hath been mine, no joy of marriage, no portion in the nurture of children; but thus, forlorn of friends, unhappy one, I go living to the vaults of death. And what law of Heaven have I transgressed? Why, hapless one, should I look to the gods any more--what ally should I invoke--when by piety I have earned the name of impious?"

- The emotional range has to be at 10 at all times... how do i keep it there but yet stretch it when i get to the climax?

- How do i want to portray this? It is a greek tragedy, but do i want to play it to a modern audience? Do i want them to feel it? What can they connect to? How can they connect to it? What allowances do i make to the way i play itt to portray the fact that i am indeed playing it to a modern audience? How much of the 'exaggerated' greek performance style do i still keep?

- Am i claustrophobic?
No, i am not. BUT, when first thrown into the cave, i react negatively to the dark, stinky and enclosed surroundings.

- I need to figure out just what my chracater is like, her varying chracteristic, religious beliefs, the way she was brought up,
All done.. written in other posts...

- her relations to her brother, father, mother, uncle, aunt, uncles son and basically all the characters in the play.

- I need to keep in mind teh fact that the greeks performed to the Gods, to entertain them, so they consider it a great honour, a very serious task, they do it wholeherartedly, with faith an all... How do i show this? If i should show it at all...

- Am i going to be physically touching the cave? Fall down at a rough surface? If so, what does that fall result in? Do i get outraged? Do i suddenly burst out in anger? Do i feel the wall i8n desperation?

- What do i look to for hope and how come i suddenly find piece when i remember my parents?

- What was the importance of the Kings orders in that time?

- What did the brother do? Was it a crime that was to be condemened? Do i want to tell this to my audience? Or do i just want to lay a different backstory for them to show whose side i am on (Whethere i think justice is beiong done to me, whethere i did te right thing mby burying my brother....)

- Is my character confident in what she did? Does she beliebve it was the correct thing? Or is she still having an internal debate?? Or is she just pleading with the Gods, asking them why they did this to her, and if she had done it differently, would she have gotten away unpunished?

- How do i get the audience to have a feel of that century and the emotions and the problems and hurdles that my character is coming into contact with?

- How do i make the issue seem important to them? How do i instill in the the same feelings that i feel as a character, when they don't know the traditions of that time or the emotions that i am going through.

- How exaggerated do my actions get?

NEW PIECE!!!

ANTIGONE: Tomb, bridal chamber, eternal prison in the caverned rock, whither I go to find mine own, those many who have perished, and whom Persephone hath received among the dead! Last of all shall I pass thither, and far most miserably of all, before the term of my life is spent. But I cherish good hope that my coming will be welcome to my father, and pleasant to thee, my mother, and welcome, brother, to thee; for, when you died, with mine own hands I washed and dressed you, and poured drink-offerings at your graves; and now, Plyneices, 'tis for tending thy corpse that I win such recompense as this. And yet I honoured thee, as the wise will deem, rightly. Never had I been a mother of children, or if a husband had been mouldering in death, would I have taken this task upon me in the city's despite. What law, ye ask, is my warrant for that word? The husband lost, another might have been found, and child from another, to replace the first-born; but, father and mother hidden with Hades, no brother's life could ever bloom for me again. Such was the law whereby I held thee first in honour; but Creon deemed me guilty of error therein, and of outrage, ah brother mine! And now he leads me thus, a captive in his hands; no bridal bed, no bridal song hath been mine, no joy of marriage, no portion in the nurture of children; but thus, forlorn of friends, unhappy one, I go living to the vaults of death. And what law of Heaven have I transgressed? Why, hapless one, should I look to the gods any more--what ally should I invoke--when by piety I have earned the name of impious? Nay, then, if these things are pleasing to the gods, when I have suffered my doom, I shall come to know my sin; but if the sin is with my judges, I could wish them no fuller measue of evil than they, on their part, mete wrongfully to me.

LUCRETIA BORGIA

Just a few days ago, everyone of you gloated over my name in triumph. Now you utter my name in terror. Yes, look at me with those eyes filled with dread. It is really Lucrertia Borgia, my fine gentlemen. I have some important news to tell you. You are all dying, gentlemen. You have all been poisoned and will be dead within the hour. Do not attempt to escape. The adjoining room is full of guards. Now, it is my turn. My turn to bellow out you names and crush you in the palm of my hand. Jeppo Liveretto, time to join your uncle Viteli, who was stabbed to death in the Vatican cellars on my orders! Ascanio Petrucci, time to join your cousin Pandolfo whom I murdered to steal his city! Oloferno Vitellozzo, your uncle Iago d’Appini awaits you; he, too, was poisoned at a banquet! Maffio Orsini, you can talk about me in the afterlife with your brother Gravina whom I strangled in his sleep! Apostolo Gazella, I had your father Franciso Gazella beheaded, I slit the throat of your cousin Alfonso d’Aragon, it is time for you to join them! Upon my soul, I was your guest at a ball in Venice, I return the compliment with a banquet in Ferrara! A feast for a feast, gentlemen!

Ah! My young friends from Venice! Did you really not expect this? My God! I think I am sufficiently avenged! What do you think gentlemen? Who knows the meaning of the word ‘revenge’ here? You have all tasted it tonight! Tell me what you think? I’d call it triumph of revenge- all planned and executed by a mere woman too! (To the monks) My fathers, take these men into the adjoining chamber, take their confession, and in this moment that remain to them in this mortal life you may try to save what is left of their souls! Gentlemen, if any of you have souls, feel free to confess- you are in good hands. These holy fathers are monks at Saint Sixtus, and have on occasion like this been given dispensation from the Pope himself to assist me! Yes, I have care of your souls just as I will take care of your bodies. Behold! Clear a space, fathers, so that these gentlemen may see (The Monks in front of the doorway move away and in so doing reveal five coffins draped in black cloth.) Five coffins, gentlemen. One for each of you! Ah, you young fools! Did you think you could rip out the guts of a wretched woman ands expect no retribution! Look Jeppo and Maffio, there are your coffins! Oloferno, Apostolo, Ascanio, there are yours! Five coffins fro the five of you.

1st monologue

well, this is what i thought my 1st monologue would be...
but well, people have been saying that they think i should challenge myself and so do something that i can relate to, but not something that IS me.
SIGH!!!! WHAT TO DO!!!!
people say that i should do something of a person in love...
hhhmm.. but i cant relate to that emotion, believe it or not, i CANNOT relate to the feeling of love or passion in that manner!
I could go for the "Oh my poor dear....." but i just don't feel that is something that i could do very well in, because i do not believe in that stuff.
I'm not really the type that goes weeping over little stuff.. I mock those kind of people actually., so nope, I'm not really comfortable acting out a role that i actually mock.
Then i was thinking of doing a role of passion and pleasure, but Rachel was looking into it too. so ill take a step back and try to search for another one.
Should i challenge myself with a "i'm so in love" piece?