Class - 22 January 2007

Notes and Thoughts:

agon - (Greek) a contest, a kind of battle between adversaries, an adversarial relationship
-root of agony
(Isn't lexicon fascinating?)

Conflicts in Antigone:
1. man v. woman
2. old v. young
3. individual v. society
4. living v. dead
5. humans v. god(s)

In Steiner's Antigones, on pages 114 and 121 are important, however elitist, quotes, including "The myth precipitates and purifies the agitated, opaque elements of the immediate situation. It enforces on them distance and the dignity of the insoluble..."(121). The myths are relevant to our lives, and our common experiences are so much more than common or agitated.

What's old?

And there is a "fistful of Greek myths which have shaped western consciousness," Antigone being the most important, according to Steiner. It is so necessary (and enriching) to be familiar with mythology when reading literature. It seems to pop up everywhere.