Taylor | Antigone Pdf Don

Sophocles’ Antigone , written around 441 BCE, remains one of the most frequently performed and debated plays in Western literature. Its central conflict—the individual’s moral duty versus the state’s legal authority—is timeless. Among the many English versions available, the translation and adaptation by Don Taylor (1936–2003) stands out for its raw, direct, and highly performable language. Why Don Taylor’s Version? Don Taylor was not only a classical scholar but also a playwright, director, and television producer. His version of Antigone was created for the BBC’s The Theban Plays series (1986), and later published by Methuen Drama and included in Penguin Classics . Unlike poetic or academic translations (e.g., by Fitts & Fitzgerald or Robert Fagles), Taylor’s is purpose-built for the modern ear and the stage.

In Taylor’s translation, the confrontation is stark: You, with your head bent down—do you admit this, or deny it? Antigone: I admit it. I did it. I do not deny it. Antigone argues that the unwritten, eternal laws of the gods—that every corpse deserves burial—override Creon’s human law. Creon argues that loyalty to the state is the highest virtue. Neither yields. antigone pdf don taylor

, daughter of the late King Oedipus and sister to both dead brothers, defies the decree. She performs a symbolic burial ritual (covering the body with dust and pouring libations). She is caught by Creon’s guards and brought before the king. Sophocles’ Antigone , written around 441 BCE, remains