This micro lecture looked more at the history of the translations and books rather than the history of the play itself. I learned that in Oxyrinchus, Egypt, ancient papyrus scraps containing some parts of the play of Antigone were found. I found it interesting that this was kind of the initial step to getting to the translation we have now. Why in Egypt and not in Greece? This makes me also wonder how much of the play could have been lost in those 500+ years in between. How many adaptations could there have been in that time? The part about the line shared through various Greek plays including Antigone (the one about losing husband/brother) was quite fascinating because it again makes me wonder about how much of this current translation could have been from an entirely different play.
In Florence, Italy, some of the earliest versions of Antigone were kept in a library called the Laurentian Library. And yes, the Laurentian Library has very beautiful and stunning architecture. The first book was printed in 1502. Back then, these books were extraordinarily expensive.
The scholarly debate is very interesting because it certainly does not make a lot of sense for Antigone to be saying what she is saying in the exchange between Ismene and Creon. The argument that it is a stolen line makes a lot more sense to me. Some also argue that the line was given to her on purpose.
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