Antigone Flashcards
Ismene: I couldn’t sleep either. I stayed up all night, watching old movies on tv.
Antigone: you shouldn’t stay up so late. You need your beauty sleep.
Ismene: I really hate when you mock me.
Antigone: I’m not mocking. The only constant thing in my life is your beauty. And your hair. It’s very… Comforting. Seriously how can you spend sleepless nights when you have such beautiful hair.
Ismene: Antigone I have to-
Antigone: what?
Ismene: I was thinking. Your plan… It’s insane.
Antigone: it is.
Ismene: we can’t go through with it.
Antigone: we can’t?
Ismene: you want us to be heroes, but heroes become sentimental or ridiculous. If we do what you talked about, they’d punish us terribly.
Antigone: of course they would. That’s the role we have to play. Just like I have no choice but to bury our brother.
The most important questions
are a paradox,
impossible to resolve.
That’s what makes this such a interesting story, don’t you think?
Ismene: What are you doing up so early?
Antigone: Couldn’t sleep.
Ismene: I don’t want to suffer for your story
Antigone: nobody wants to suffer, ismene.
Ismene: listen to me. I’m your older sister. I know some things. You think I spend all my time looking in a mirror, flipping through fashion magazines, But at least I know you have to think before you act.
Antigone: sometimes that’s deadly.
Ismene: I’m sorry about our brothers. I am. And polynices… But I understand why creons doing what he’s doing.
Antigone: and what is he doing?
Ismene: he’s trying to keep order. He’s in charge. He has to make some tough decisions. Of course, people will disagree with some of his choices.
Antigone: but I’m not a politician. I could never be. And I know what I’m doing is right.
Ismene: impossible as it is to believe, there might be times when you’re not right.
Antigone: this isn’t about saying no to creon. It’s about our brother. Nobody can tell us we can’t bury him. There’s a higher law Ismene.
Ismene: they’ll destroy us. Is that what you want?
Antigone: I want justice.
Ismene: yeah, well, they’ll throw us in jail with the drunks and the scum, and you’ll ask for a lawyer but they’ll just laugh and turn their backs and what does it matter if you did the right thing? Have you thought of that?
Antigone: that’s what you’re afraid of?
Ismene: that’s what I know will happen. And I can’t handle that. I can’t. I’m not strong.
Antigone: I’m not strong either. But it’s doesn’t make a difference.
Ismene: then come back inside
Antigone: it’s no good trying to act the bigger sister. You never did it growing up, and it won’t work now. You’re afraid to die for something you believe in.
Ismene: of course I am
Antigone: And you can live with being so compromised?
Ismene: stop it, you’re too young throw your life away because of some… Belief
Antigone: young? When was I ever young?
Ismene: you’re smart and beautiful-
Antigone: and that’s the most important thing in life
Ismene: haemon. He loves you. I’ve seen him, sitting across from you, quiet, staring at you, aching to lean forward and kiss you.
Antigone: I’ll talk to him
Ismene: and tell him what?
Antigone: go back inside ismene, watch television. The morning programs about diets and face lifts. Or go back to sleep.
Ismene: please come back with me
Antigone: no.
Ismene: please
We’ll go back to bed. And you’ll see. You get some sleep and what I say will make sense. It will all become clear. We just need some sleep.
Antigone: Ismene. How will she live after this?
(Haemon enters, moves towards her)
Antigone: haemon.
I’m sorry. I left last night…
Haemon: we were in bed and suddenly at four in the morning. You’re leaving, I haven’t slept.
Antigone: I know.
Haemon: what’s wrong?
Antigone: don’t.
Haemon: are you worried about what people will think? I have to kiss you, or here, where everyone… You look so beautiful
Antigone: haemon, I have to say something
Haemon: say it.
Antigone: I need you to listen.
Haemon: I’m sorry, it’s just… I missed you terribly
Antigone: it’s only been a few hours
Haemon: hours, minutes, I love you so much.
Antigone: haemon, listen to me-
Haemon: im not letting you go
Antigone: listen!
I know how much last night meant to you.
Haemon: and to you
Antigone: yes. I wanted that more than anything…
Haemon: yes.
Antigone: I know you’ve been patient, would have waited, but something has happened.
Haemon: yes…
Antigone: I remember the moment In school I looked up from my book And suddenly saw you Really saw you for the first time. They say beauty Is Truth, Truth, Beauty. I cannot be without that truth You.. You are my beauty.
Haemon: and you’re mine
Antigone: you love me don’t you?
Haemon: of course I do.
Antigone: I want to believe you.
But
They’re just words, you understand?
Words that have been said thousands of times, and what do they mean?
Because men have lied for centuries.
They’ve lied for so long they’ve forgotten not to. They lie and they Iie and they lie
Haemon: when I say I love you, it’s not a lie.
Antigone: I have to know it.
Haemon: what else can I do?
Antigone: I’m going to tell you something. And after I say it, you can’t talk, you just… Have to leave.
Haemon: not say anything?
Antigone: no. Even if it tears you apart inside.
Haemon: what could you say that would do that? I feel like I could love you forever. There was no love before, there’ll be no love after. Your eyes, they’re too big for your face, your eyes are too big for the earth. There are countries in those eyes. My country is in those eyes. I walk through them, they light up the world. And your waist, my arm shapes it like a river. It has flowed a thousand years through you.
Antigone: just hear me and don’t say anything. Swear you’ll do that.
Haemon: I swear.
Antigone: last night.. I wanted to, to be with you, so that we’d, we’d be one, married in a way, before we… No, you can’t say anything. You have to listen to me.
I can’t marry you, I can’t. You have to go now. Just go.
Good. Now it’s over with haemon.
Ismene: I thought you were coming back to bed
Antigone: I can’t sleep now.
Ismene: I came back here because I was afraid… Afraid you’d do something stupid like try to… To bury him. You tell me I don understand but I do, I know you think compromise is a ugly word, but our brother, he’s dead. He’s gone, and throwing some dirt on him won’t change anything, we need to live our life’s here and now. So promise me you won’t run off and do something like that.
Antigone: it’s too late.
Ismene: what?
Antigone: when you first saw me before. I’d come back from doing it. I buried him.
Jones: look I ain’t got nothing against you, I’m just doing my job.
Antigone: just following orders?
Jones: I’m a soldier, what do you want from me? I’m sure you got your reasons, everybody’s got their reasons, that’s not my concern.
Antigone: stop grabbing at me!
Jones: hey don’t tell them how to do their job. You’re the only one breaking the law. Know what she said to me, she says “I want to dramatize to the world how I’m disgraced by our government”.
Antigone: I didn’t say that-
Stuart: you believe that?
Antigone: do you know who I am?
Barnes: a troublemaker
Antigone: I’m Antigone. Oedipus daughter.
Barnes: his daughter huh? We better back off because she knows some politician. (They laugh)
Antigone: get your hand off!
Jones: tell you what, I wouldn’t go to Atlantic city, but I wouldn’t go home neither.
Antigone: are you finished?
Jones: no but you are
Dunks
Antigone: (fighting for air) just bring me to creon
Stuart: now she’s giving the orders
Antigone: you’ve had your fun. now just take me to him.
Jones: fun? You think hauling you around is fun?
Antigone: I really don’t care.
Creon: Antigone? Is there any truth to this?
Antigone: all of it. Just as they said.
Creon: and a few hours ago, did you try burying your brother just then too?
Antigone: I used a little scoop. The kind we have to scrape the ice off a windshield. That’s all I could find. But it did the job. I only had a minute. Not much time, but then later, there wasn’t even time for that. So I just used my bare hands.