Greek Stuff

First of all, I thought that seeing Antigone performed on Wednesday was interesting because of the way in which people's interpretations differed. Also, the monologues conveyed the way in which the setting of the play can really change the interpretation. This play has so much ambiguity when it comes to its interpretation that I think that it what makes it a classic: people are able to apply its themes to differing settings or times and it remains applicable. Just look at this clip from youtube. Since when did ancient Greece have the ability to erect photographs instead of the traditional statues? But this was the way in which the director wished to convey the power of Kreon.

There is so much that is not stated and that is left up for the reader to decide what they want to conclude in Antigone. I think that what we did in class today epitomized this because whether one believes that Kreon or Antigone were just in their actions or if the overarching power is the gods, it is left up to debate and for one to decide.

With this in mind, I think that people are largely in charge of their lives, but there are certain events that are going to happen regardless of our control or not. I think that there is a certain time in which I am to die, though I hope it is many, many years from now, and there is a certain person I am supposed to marry. I do not think that I have the ability to control fate in these circumstances. Though I think that if I had picked a different college to go to my current situation would be different because there is no way I could have met the same people, but in the end my soul mate would have still been the same person, even if I met him in a different way, and my final breath would occur at the same time, even if I changed many of the events in between. There are also other major events besides these two to which I am powerless over. I think that with any decision there are certain paths that can be taken, and depending on which path we take there is a different destiny to be awaited, but all of these paths eventually lead to the same ending, and along the way there are the same major events to be encountered.

In that respect, I am able to feel hopeful that I am in charge of my life and that not everything has been predetermined without ignoring the fact that there is a force greater than me in charge of the universe (God in my view), and he is going to direct and ensure that some of the events do take place that I have no control over.