Journal #12

Creon seems to be facing a huge struggle. It appears that he is trying to obtain power early on in the play. He is up against reality, but tries to create illusion to avoid it. The reality of the situation is that Creon does not want to be in power, but he became King of Thebes seemingly overnight. The illusion he creates is that he wants this false sense of strength and power.  He admits that there are other things that he enjoys more than power. This also correlates to the choice of yes and no. Creon argues that it is much easier to say no, and it is much harder to yes. Creon says "To say yes, you have to sweat and roll up your sleeves and plunge both hands into life up to the elbows. It is easy to say no, even if saying no means death" (37). This is interesting because Creon says that death is essentially the easy way out, and saying yes can highlight your strength. Creon feels like he is obligated to be King. Also, since he feels like saying yes is more powerful I think that swayed him towards taking the throne. I believe that Anouilh does this to reveal that it is better to base your decisions off of what you really want instead of what society expects. Anouilh illustrates this through Creon and how he feels hurt from the decision he makes because he does what society wants him to do instead of what he wants.

Journal #11

The Chorus shifts noticeably after this reading and therefore the role changes. In the beginning, the Chorus provides a review of the events that have occurred.  The Chorus connects to the audience because of the way it outlines what has happened. Although, in tonight's reading the Chorus focuses less on telling the events, but instead on explaining what exactly a tragedy is. Jean Anouilh now is inserting more of his beliefs into the play through the Chorus. This contrasts the start of the play where the Chorus basically tells us what has happened. In pages 20-29 he is revealing that tragedy is inevitable and flawless. Anouilh says through the Chorus that "In a tragedy, nothing is in doubt and everyone's destiny is known. That makes for tranquillity" (24). Thus, a tragedy is clean and restful. I see Anouilh's voice prominently coming through in this section because it says "I" and addresses the audience because he wants the readers and the audience to be aware that this is a tragedy, not a melodrama. The tone feels less sullen than before and is now more light. The tone repeated in the beginning of the play are colors that are associated with darkness. When the Chorus begins to talk in this section the lighting is at its brightest, which contributes to the light and real tone. Also, the Chorus speaks in a factual way that shows that death is inevitable and that shifts the tone to a less sad one.

Journal #10

List of Events:

• Oedipus dies
• Antigone is alone and decides she would rather live than die
• Haemon is talking to Ismene, despite asking to marry Antigone
• Creon's wife is Eurydice who sits and knits next to the Nurse. She knits until she dies in her room and is no help to her husband
• Oedipus' two sons, Polynices and Eteocles are to alternate being king every other year
• Eteocles, the eldest son, refused to step down after his one year of his reign
• Was a civil war
• The two brothers fought, killed each other just outside the city walls
• Creon is now King
• Creon want Eteocles to be buried with honor, but Polynices be left to rot and wants nobody to mourn him. Also, anyone that tries to give him a religious burial will be put to death

Reflection:
The play starts off surrounded by death. This was not a shocking beginning, because I just read the play Oedipus. The syntax of the Chorus when it is speaking differs. The sentence length is varied, there are many short and long sentences. The tone of the play starts off as sullen. This is shown through how death is mentioned multiples times. Sadness seems to encompass the play. Dark colors, such as dark blue and the setting is at night time,  all contribute to this dull tone that is created. Anouilh seems to be telling the story very laid back, which makes the play seem more realistic. The problems the characters face seem realistic because of the way Anouilh reveals what is happening because the sentences appear to be very matter of fact and factual. Also, since the Chorus is explaining the situation I feel like their purpose is to connect to the audience more than the other characters do.  

Topic Sentence

The Wife's decision to overlook Leonardo's visitations with the Bride shows that the truth is better to be revealed than concealed.

Journal #9

List of themes:

• The theme of choice and how it has an impact. This is shown through the Bride and how she makes herself marry the Bridegroom, when she really wants to marry Leonardo. She did not have to marry the Bridegroom but she felt like she had to or else she would let down all the guests that went to the wedding. Thus, Lorca displays that he is against forced marriage and how the choices you make shape your life.
• The theme of nature is prominent in the play. I noticed multiple references to the forest, trees, grapes, vineyards, the moon, and orange blossoms. The vineyards contribute to showing the difference between the rich and the poor because vineyards have connotations of wealth. Also, I think that the moon shows the harshness of nature and the moon talks about the consequences of isolation and loneliness.  
• The theme of how it is acceptable to push against society's norm. Lorca shows this through criticizing the Bridegroom and how Mother tells him how to control the Bride when they get married.
• The Mother is clearly the most miserable character in this play. Lorca portrays through her misery that wealth does not always equate to happiness and that forcing marriage upon someone that does not want it can be destructive, as the marriage is unlikely to work. Also, Lorca has the characters that follow the typical role during that time period get hurt by other characters in the play.

Journal #8

I noticed a big shift in the setting between Act II and Act III. This being that in Act II the setting is almost primarily all inside a house or church. In contrast, Act III begins out in the forest with three woodcutters talking. This was the most obvious setting change. Also, the tone throughout the play changes from happy to dull and sullen. In the start of Act III, in the setting is at night and in a "murky" atmosphere, which has a dark connotation. Additionally, murky means undefined and confusing, so it made me think about how the events that were happening were unclear. This uncertainty creates tension because this makes me as a reader unsure what to expect next. Also, with the setting being at nighttime, the prominence of the moon is illuminated. In Acts I and II, the minor characters serve as a way to change the mood or provide some comic. This contrasts Act III where the Woodcutters, the moon, and the Beggar Woman all seem to be aware about what is going to happen to the Bridegroom and Leonardo. Lastly, the dark tone is heightened in Act III by the death of these two men.  

Journal #7

I believe Lorca uses youth to portray multiple themes. He uses the youth as a way to contrast the ways of life between a child and an adult. For example, when Leonardo's baby is mentioned, it shows how different a child is from an adult. The baby cannot survive without the help of others and cannot make decisions for itself yet. Whereas, adults are opposites because they are expected to have full responsibility for their life. Therefore, Lorca is displaying that marriage concretes the fact that you are an adult and it officially marks the transformation from childhood to adulthood. Also, Lorca uses adulthood to show the power of choices and what you do has a profound impact on your life. I believe Lorca is against forcing marriage upon someone that does not want it because that marriage is not likely to work out. Additionally, enjoying ones childhood, up to a certain point, can be valuable because most of your life is spent being an adult. Lorca shows this through the Bride not wanting to get married to the Bridegroom. Lorca ultimately wants us to enjoy our youth while it lasts because they are some of the best years in our life.