Sophocles, Antigone, 478-505

Κρέων
...σμικρῷ χαλινῷ δ᾽ οἶδα τοὺς θυμουμένους
ἵππους καταρτυθέντας: οὐ γὰρ ἐκπέλει
φρονεῖν μέγ᾽ ὅστις δοῦλός ἐστι τῶν πέλας.
αὕτη δ᾽ ὑβρίζειν μὲν τότ᾽ ἐξηπίστατο, [480]
νόμους ὑπερβαίνουσα τοὺς προκειμένους:
ὕβρις δ᾽, ἐπεὶ δέδρακεν, ἥδε δευτέρα,
τούτοις ἐπαυχεῖν καὶ δεδρακυῖαν γελᾶν.
ἦ νῦν ἐγὼ μὲν οὐκ ἀνήρ, αὕτη δ᾽ ἀνήρ,
εἰ ταῦτ᾽ ἀνατὶ τῇδε κείσεται κράτη. [485]
ἀλλ᾽ εἴτ᾽ ἀδελφῆς εἴθ᾽ ὁμαιμονεστέρα
τοῦ παντὸς ἡμῖν Ζηνὸς ἑρκείου κυρεῖ,
αὐτή τε χἠ ξύναιμος οὐκ ἀλύξετον
μόρου κακίστου: καὶ γὰρ οὖν κείνην ἴσον
ἐπαιτιῶμαι τοῦδε βουλεῦσαι τάφου. [490]
καί νιν καλεῖτ᾽: ἔσω γὰρ εἶδον ἀρτίως
λυσσῶσαν αὐτὴν οὐδ᾽ ἐπήβολον φρενῶν.
φιλεῖ δ᾽ ὁ θυμὸς πρόσθεν, ᾑρῆσθαι κλοπεὺς
τῶν μηδὲν ὀρθῶς ἐν σκότῳ τεχνωμένων:
μισῶ γε μέντοι χὤταν ἐν κακοῖσί τις [495]
ἁλοὺς ἔπειτα τοῦτο καλλύνειν θέλῃ.

With a small bridle, I know, the restive
horses are trained: for [it's not permitted
to whosoever is a slave of [those nearby] their neighbours to intend greatness]
Whoever is a slave of their neighbours is not permitted to think of greatness.
This girl at that time knew well how to commit outrage,
having over-stepped the laws which were set forth.
After she did it, this is a second outrage,
that she exults in these things she's done, and laughs.
And now I won't be a man, but she'll be a man,
if this power rests with her with impunity.
Whether she's [of my sister] my sister's daughter or nearest kin
of all who light upon our Household Zeus
neither she nor her kinswoman will avoid
a most terrible fate. So indeed I accuse
the other equally of resolving on these funeral-rites.
And summon her! For within just now I saw
her raving and not in her right mind.
The soul loves beforehand, to have caught a thief
not one of these being contrived skillfully honestly in darkness: [not a clue here]
I really hate when someone captured in evils
then wants to pride themselves for it.


Ἀντιγόνη
θέλεις τι μεῖζον ἢ κατακτεῖναί μ᾽ ἑλών;

Κρέων
ἐγὼ μὲν οὐδέν: τοῦτ᾽ ἔχων ἅπαντ᾽ ἔχω.

Ἀντιγόνη
τί δῆτα μέλλεις; ὡς ἐμοὶ τῶν σῶν λόγων
ἀρεστὸν οὐδὲν μηδ᾽ ἀρεσθείη ποτέ: [500]
οὕτω δὲ καὶ σοὶ τἄμ᾽ ἀφανδάνοντ᾽ ἔφυ.
καίτοι πόθεν κλέος γ᾽ ἂν εὐκλεέστερον
κατέσχον ἢ τὸν αὐτάδελφον ἐν τάφῳ
τιθεῖσα; τούτοις τοῦτο πᾶσιν ἁνδάνειν
λέγοιτ᾽ ἄν, εἰ μὴ γλῶσσαν ἐγκλῄοι φόβος. [505]


Antigone:
Do you want something more than, since you've captured me, to slay me?

KreonL
I? Nothing: having this, I have everything.

Antigone:
So why do you delay? Since not one of your words
are pleasing to me - nor may they ever please me!
Just so also at the same time [mine] are by nature displeasing to you.
And yet whence could I have held more famous glory
than by laying my own brother in the grave?
They'd say they agreed with this, all of these,
if fear didn't stop up their tongues.

"Every third thought will be my grave." Unreviews: "The Debt" and "The Tempest"

"The Debt" is a strange and compelling film starring Helen Mirren and Jessica Chastain. Beautifully shot, with a solid performance from Dame Helen as retired Mossad agent Rachel Singer, and excellent performances from Jessica Chastain (as the younger Rachel Singer) and Jesper Christensen (as Nazi war criminal Dieter Vogel), it works best in its 1960s scenes of East Berlin, with psychologically real, tense, claustrophic drama. Viewed as a whole, though the film never quite coheres: I would have liked, at least, to feel more emotional investment in Helen Mirren's older Singer.


"The Tempest" is strange, compelling, and utterly gorgeous. Julie Taymour's screen adaptation of Shakespeare's final play stars Helen Mirren as Prospera, the exiled Duchess of Milan, and Felicity Jones as her daughter Miranda. Djimon Hounsou plays Caliban, and Ben Whishaw's Ariel is playfully, occasionally creepily, spirit-like. The rest of the cast is likewise excellent.

But Helen Mirren is the star of the show. She should play arrogant manipulative superheroes more often, because she's fantastic at it.

Really. Helen Mirren. Go watch it.