Anouilh’s Little Antigone: Tragedy, Theatricalism, and the Romantic Self Michael Spingler The loss of a tragic sense in the theatre is a major concern of many modem dramatists and critics. In his Antigone, Jean Anouilh suggests that the reasons for this decline may be located within one of the fundamental developments of modem tragedy, that is, the replacement of action by character as the dramatic mainspring.1 He sees the predominance of character as a funda mentally romantic development which leads to the emergence of a protagonist whose self-consciousness diminishes the tragic event. Anouilh’s disenchantment with romantic posturing is expressed primarily in terms of a theatricalism which implies that tragedy based solely on character is really role-playing and self-dramatization. He does not see the role as a solution to the problem of writing a modem tragedy but as a reflection of the dilemma. In Antigone, the self-conscious role is inimical to the tragic spirit.2 There are three elements in the play which comprise the design Anouilh uses to dramatize his theme. At the heart of Antigone lies a persuasive denial of tragic vision put forward by Creon who, traditionally, should be the partner in the tragic action. In counterpoint to this, we find a highly sentimentalized and romantic rendering of Antigone which makes the play seem to be, at least superficially, a tragedy of character rather than of action. The unifying perspective through which we are invited to judge the conflict caused by a sentimental character replacing the moral structure of a tragic universe is provided by Anouilh’s use of the chorus as a distancing device. Anouilh depends primarily upon the chorus to establish the play’s essential theatricality. Anouilh’s chorus does not follow the Greek model of dancing 228 Michael Spingier 229 and singing the transcendent vision of the tragedy. It is com prised instead of a single actor, a commentator whose observa tions invite the audience to assume a detached and critical per spective toward Antigone and her drama. A frame for the play and a creator of distance between it and the spectator, the chorus’ presence on the stage recalls the Brechtian admonition not to mistake the staging of the event for the event itself. This function of the chorus is clear from the first words of the play in which he introduces the characters as actors waiting to play a part: “Voilà. Ces personages vont vous jouer rhistoire d’Antigone.”3 The key word here is jouer, and the use of histoire rather than tragédie is also significant. He clarifies Anti gone’s position within the play by referring to her as a character who has not yet become fully realized: “Elle pense qu’elle va être Antigone toute à l’heure, qu’elle va surgir soudain de la maigre jeune fille noiraude et renfermée que personne ne prenait au sérieux dans la famille et se dresser seule en face du monde, seule en face de Créon, son oncle, qui est le roi. Elle pense qu’elle va mourir, qu’elle est jeune et qu’elle aussi, elle aurait bien aimé vivre” (p. 9). Initially, these words seem to be an introduction to the tragedy which is about to unfold, a prepara tion of the audience in order that it be familiar with the plot. Yet, if we consider these words more carefully and ask who, precisely, at this very moment, is thinking these thoughts, it becomes apparent that Antigone is an actress thinking about the characteristics and demands of her part just before going on. This view of Antigone as both actress and character is essen tial to the play’s theme. The chorus repeats it when she is led in by the guards: “Alors, voilà, cela commence. La petite Anti gone est prise. La petite Antigone va pouvoir être elle-même pour la première fois” (p. 58). The sense of the importance of the role is very strong here, and the chorus has, in fact, pointed out the connection between Antigone’s role and the element of fate within the play: “. . . et il n’y a rien à faire. Elle s...