Page:The Theatre of the Greeks, a Treatise on the History and Exhibition of the Greek Drama, with Various Supplements.djvu/316

 290 ON THE EEPRESENTATION OF CERTAIN of tlie chorus, remaining in the orchestra, call loudly for Theseus, and he comes in hastily from sacrificing in the neighbouring temple of Neptune, and therefore through the middle door on the right. The armed attendants of Creon have already left the stage with Antigone, probably by the door by which they had entered. And while Theseus enters into angry conversation with Creon, who had been detained by the choreuta?, he sends word to his followers to march off to the meeting of the roads to Thebes and there to intercept the runaways. There is no reason to suppose that the horsemen and foot-soldiers of Theseus (v. 899) pass over the stage. It would be more natural to imagine them as pursuing their march on the other side of the sacred grove which forms the center of the scene. As Creon is to be the guide of Theseus (v. 1025), they must leave the stage by the middle door on the left by which the former had entered, and of course Theseus re-enters (v. 1099) by the same opening. It is stated (v. 1158) that Polyneices was a suppliant at the altar of Neptune, where Theseus was sacrificing when he was interrupted by the outrage of Creon. He therefore enters (v. 1249) by the middle door on the right, and makes his exit by the same way (v. 1447). The three peals of thunder (vv. 1456, 1462, 1479) accompanied of Israene and is intending to carry off his other daughter also. Hereupon Q^^dipus implores the aid of the chorus, which at once forbids the meditated violence ; Creon however beckons to his attendants to carry off the maiden, whom he has obviously seized with his own hands ; these followers, who had been left in the orchestra, mount the steps and compel the chorus to give way, in spite of their protestations against a wrong which they are unable to prevent (v. 839: firj V^rao-o-' a fir] KpareTs). It is therefore a case in which the chorus and actors come into personal contact (Geppert, Ueb. d. Eingdnrje, p. 30). It is possible to explain particular expressions of the chorus by the supposition that different choreutae are speaking; but the only way to conceive the character of the separate words is to consider them as induced by the course of the action. How could we explain the decided expressions of v. 824, X<^P^h ^^"'j ^s^ dacraov ovre yap ra vvv dUaia irpdacreis, oiid' a irpbadev eipyacai, immediately followed by the helpless ri Spas, ^eVe ; of v, 829, and by the feeble declai-a- tion of V. 831, w ^iif' ov diKaia dpdsl How incongruous would be the threat of v. 839, Ti Spcis, c5 ^€U ; oi>K dcprjaets ; rdx' els (3daavov el X^P^^} if Antigone had not been conducted through the orchestra. The silence of the chorus during the act of violence, vv. 844 — 847, is the consequence of their flight before Creon's myrmidons. After these have withdrawn (v. 856) Creon is left alone face to face with the chorus, and the words cttiVx^ s aiirov, ^ive, are easily explained, if the chorus thinks it can cut off his retreat (v. 857: oUtol g d0T7crw). At this point the chorus must either be on the stage, of which I can find no trace, or by occupying the steps from the orchestra is cutting off Creon's retreat, in which case he must be intending to depart by way of the orchestra."