In an intro to Antigone, H.D.F. Kitto, author of The Greeks, said that the idea of the gods can be 'a stumbling block'. He thought the modern reader would come closer to Sophocles' own thought, and consequently to his drama:
'if he thinks of them [the gods] as representing the immanent laws or conditions of human existence, those which we must obey or perish ... Man must not arrogantly suppose that he is in control and need no longer respect the restraints of religion' 1
Change that last word from 'religion' to 'Gaia' and Sophocles sounds very up-to-the-minute.
1 Sophocles: Three Tragedies (0UP, 1962)
Country diary: Our pond is a year old – already dragonflies are emerging |
Nic Wilson
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*Hitchin, Hertfordshire:* The broad-bodied chaser is often the first to
arrive at a new pond, and sure enough, I spot an exuvia clinging to a leaf
blade
...
32 minutes ago
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