Antigone

A world of self-regarding power that falls apart through its neglect of instinctive human feeling * Guardian *Antigone the play moves on from the realm of the position paper to stir emotions that run very deep, indeed. One looks on at once gripped and appalled as Creon’s defensive armor gives way, this most implacable of men discovering the extent to which the letter of the law has its limitations, too. * New York Times *Sharply relevant to our times * Evening Standard *The enduring power of ancient Greek tragedies to speak to us so directly almost 2,500 years after they were written is one of the great wonders of civilisation … This is perhaps the greatest play ever written about the tension between the duties we owe the state and those we owe to our personal values. It would work just as powerfully were the cast dressed in togas and sandals, for Sophocles’ moral debate is timeless … The fact that Sophocles packed so much wisdom, intricate plotting and emotional depth into a play lasting a mere 90 minutes strikes me as miraculous and should serve as an object lesson. * Daily Telegraph *

Sophocles (c. 496 - 406 BCE) was one of the three great tragic playwrights of ancient Greece, along with Aeschylus and Euripides. He wrote 123 plays during a career of 60 years and was still writing at the age of 90. Only seven of his tragedies survive in their entirety.

David Bullen is a lecturer in drama and theatre at Royal Holloway, University of London, UK. His research interests centre on myth, adaptation, feminist and queer theatre practice, and eco-dramaturgies. He is the author of Greek Tragedy in 21st Century British Theatre.