October 31, 2015 - 16:48
I feel as though this week we really hit our stride as a class. The whole class, while a bit disorganized at times, seemed to flow from a general sentiment of enjoyment and excitement at being in the space. When we broke the group up into smaller groups to discuss which types of scenes we might change or introduce into Burial at Thebes, everyone jumped right in, eager to share their ideas. What really struck me were the personal stories and experiences, mostly stemming from religious beliefs, that many of the inmates used to inform the scenes that they rewrote. Most of the people in the group were frustrated at the lack of information they had about Ismene, who seemed to be a major character in the play, but was then left without a conclusion to her story. Another point of interest that came up was the powerlessness of Antigone. A character who is supposed to be the pinnacle of power and strength who resigns herself so fully to death that she hurdles towards that darkness without ever looking back. Many of the stories that we changed or added transformed Antigone’s death into continued life by changing Ismene’s story, or Haemons. I found it so intriguing that most of the rewritten scenes did not just contain a transformation for Antigone by Antigone, but a transformation for Antigone generated by two supporting characters who cared so deeply about her. It was the care and devotion of Antigone’s loved ones that garnered such support around her. Most of the stories included an act of rebellion against Creon that was derived from devotion and love to Antigone as well as justice, and it was the acts of passion infused with respect and justice that had the greatest impacts. I think that’s perhaps what Burial at Thebes was missing, until the very end. The ties of family and love and friendship had no place in Creon’s court until he lost the love and friendship that he took for granted as less than law. Not only is Burial at Thebes a lesson in unwavering resistance for your beliefs, but what was more powerful for me was the lesson in acknowledging human emotion and contact as valuable influences unto yourself and others.