Left to right: Dr. Marc M. Camille, Hannah Kleffke ’18, Dr. Susan Cole, Dr. Paul Robichaud.
This past month recent Alumna, Hannah Kleffke ’18, was asked to participate in a dramatic reading of Antigone with her former English professors. Below is a reflection on her experience, as well as her thoughts on the play’s themes:
This year, Dr. Paul Robichaud and I participated in two dramatic readings of Antigone by Sophocles and French playwright Jean Anouilh. I had never read nor seen Antigone before, but I was fortunate enough to be asked by Dr. Susan Cole to play the titular character. It was an incredible experience to be able to tell this story, and see through the perspectives of a woman being punished for doing the right thing, and a man attempting to punish that woman, despite her status, faith, and familial connection to him. But what I admire most about it is that it is not strictly black and white. The themes and messages are filled with moral gray areas, mainly because both Antigone and the often vilified Creon are actually fighting for the same thing. They are fighting for Polynices’ soul: Polynices being the character left unburied on the battlefield, setting the whole debate in motion. The only difference is that one is fighting with faith, and the other is fighting not only with a lack of faith, but with political power. That’s what made it so fascinating to read the script and hear both sides of this argument. Both characters have power in their own right, but it begs the question of which kind of power readers and viewers would want to have: the power to inflict change by passing laws born from personal vendettas, or the power to inspire change by speaking up against injustice, even in the face of the law?
All in all, playing Antigone and being able to work with Dr. Robichaud and Dr. Cole was a truly rewarding experience, and I look forward to participating in and supporting the future arts on campus.