Social context of Antigone

Social Context 

• What do we mean by the social context?

People with a similar social context tend to experience what is called "social solidarity." They are more inclined to trust and help one another. The environment that makes up a social context is defined as a natural resource that enriches the life of an individual. 

• How did people live at the time Antigone was created?

At this time, 75,000 people lived in the city of Athens and around 225,000 lived in the surrounding countryside called Attica. The city had an area of about 0.7 square miles. In Athens, society was male-dominated - only men could be citizens and only upper-class males enjoyed a formal education. Women had few political rights and were expected to remain in the home and bear children. Fully one quarter of the population was made up of slaves. These slaves provided much of the manpower that boosted the economy, working in shipyards, quarries, mines, and as domestic servants. Most homes were simple, windowless and wrapped around a courtyard. Furniture was rare. People spent the majority of the day out of doors enjoying the mild Mediterranean climate. The Greek diet was also plain, based largely on wine and bread. A typical day would start with bread dipped in wine, the same for lunch and a dinner of wine, fruits, vegetables and fish. Consumption of meat was reserved for special occasions such as religious holidays. Who was the target audience for the piece? Only men were allowed as actors. The chorus were men, as were the actors and the audience.They had to be citizens of Athens, which only applied to free-born men plus a few special cases. The actors wore masks, so that the people would know which character the actor played. What were the needs, values and beliefs of the target audience? Men watching believed they were superior therefore they got to enjoy life luxuries, they valued performance and entertainment. It was also a democratic system in which adult male citizens voted. Men needed to be dined and waited on, they drank a lot of wine and partied throughout the night. They valued riches and wealth.  How did this influence the themes and characters of Antigone? This influenced the themes and characters because the audience were all males they needed to be effected in many different ways such as they included a lot of death so the audience would be on there feet and the atmosphere would be tense. They included small tabs where dancers would come on and joke around this was because it was quite intense and they needed something to lighten the mood occasionally. In Antigone, her father is the king which is influenced by the dominant roles in the democratic system.  What have you found out about the social context of Antigone?  Who went to the theatre? Only men went to the theatre because women weren't thought as important in that time.  What was the relationship between theatre, politics and religion?  Theatre- The beginning of theatre started because of greek gods such as Dionysus, a god of fertility and wine. In keeping with the god's special interests, exciting occasions. His female accompanies in particular, would dance themselves into a state of frenzy. Carrying long phallic symbols, known as thyrsoi, they tear to pieces and devour the raw flesh of sacrificial animals.  But the Dionysians also develop a more structured form of drama. They dance and sing, in choral form, the stories of Greek myth. Politics-  Politics is linked with theatre because in this time politics only included men and women had know say, they made the decisions and fought each other. It was very democratic and opinionated. This also tied into the performances as it was a way for de-stressing and being entertained. Religion-  Religion ties in with greek theatre purely because of the greek gods, they believed they had to please the gods and honour them they also followed what the gods believed was right, this is relevant to today as religion is important to many people as they worship and follow the God that they believe in much like Grecians worshipped Greek gods.