How Did Jean Anouilh Use Creon To Represent Marshal Petain

Vlad Slivkov

Why did, Jean Anouilh in his play Antigone chose Creon to represent Marshal Petain?

Jean Anouilh, considered one of the greatest play writers and dramatists of the twentieth century is remembered greatly for his innovative tragedies, heartbreaking passions and charming poetry. His best-known play, Antigone, is a tragedy that derived from the Greek mythology and Sophocles’ “Antigone” all the way from fifth century B.C. Anouilh wrote this play at the heat of the World War II and it took only a couple of years for the play Antigone to be set on stage. Anouilh’s version of Antigone, begun a run of five hundred performances in Paris at the Theatre de l’Atelier on February 4, 1944 (xlvi). Even though the play was produced during the

Nazi occupation and under Nazi censorship it still provoked fierce controversy and even was encouraged throughout the war by the Germans and collaborators for propaganda reasons. Although the play had its production budgets minimal, and materials for sets and costumes short in supply, Antigone still continued its performance. When Anouilh was writing this play he took into a careful consideration the message that he will send, that will not oppose the Nazis but at the same time stay on the French side. Anouilh’s Antigone is purposefully ambiguous and profound in respect to opposition of authority that is represented by Antigone and the recognition of it, which corresponds to Creon. However, Anouilh still makes clear, fine parallels to the French Resistance and the Nazi occupation. Jean Anouilh in his modified play Antigone had specific reasons and purposes for using the character Creon to embody Marshal Petain. There were three primary reasons why Anouilh chose Creon to represent Marshal Petain. The first purpose wasto promote French Resistance against the Germans and their collaborators. Anouilh knew very well that through theatre performances he will be successful in promoting French Resistance during such harsh and perilous times in Nazi-occupied France. Secondly, Anouilh preferred Creon to symbolize Marshal Petain because Creon’s role in the play Antigone is very vague which could serve as a vehicle in transporting Anouilh’s anti-Nazi beliefs and morals. Finally, Jean Anouilh picked Creon to represent Marshall Petain for the purpose of illustrating Marshal Petain as a traitor to homeland. The correlation between Marshal Petain and character Creon is very obvious in Anouilh’s play, Antigone.
The first primary reason why Jean Anouilh chose Creon to represent Marshal Petain in his play Antigone was to promote French Resistance against the Nazis and their collaborators.

It is very essential to comprehend the settings of when the play was written and when it went to performance. As the Nazi forces invaded France in July 1940, “It took only six weeks for France to capitulate to the German invaders,” (According to Shirer, William L.) and the Nazi rule continued until August 1944. Under such conditions Germans had set up a puppet government in Southern France at Vichy under the direction of a Nazi collaborator, Marshal Petain. During this time period there were many individuals that opposed this regime, including Jean Anouilh, who encouraged the resistance. Through his play, Antigone, he was able to disguise a message for the French. As Ted Freeman said, “At first, certain of Anouilh’s compatriots hostile to collaboration with the Germans, French people interpreted Antigone as a play with meaning for a country suffering under alien rule” (xlvi). According to Anouilh’s play, Creon figures as the Nazi collaborationist ruler, resembling Marshal Petain and the French audience of the play perceived Antigone as the French Resistance. The tone of the author in Antigone criticizes Creon, which makes a parallel to Anouilh opposing the Vichy Government. When Marshal Petain came to power under a puppet government he tried doing “what is best for the country” by capitulating to Germany and compromising with Germans to keep the Nation from war, which is very alike to Creon who values compromises and tries doing what was best for the greater good for the city of Thebes. During the conversation with Antigone, Creon tries persuading her to go home but she refuses (33).Through the creation of the play Antigone, Jean Anouilh attempted to spark French Resistance against the Nazis and their collaborators. Anouilh was successful in this project since by 1944 there were 100,000

members of the various resistance movements that existed in France (Chris Trueman). Anouilh had profound allegorical meaning in the play Antigone.
Jean Anouilh had another intention in making a parallel between Creon and Marshal Petain. Creon’s role in Antigone is very vague and controversial, which serves as a great vehicle to transport Anouilh’s beliefs and thoughts through the Nazi censorship. During the World War II, especially in France it was almost implacable to transmit any anti-fascism ideas. Albert Camus once summed up that, “Antigone is right – but Creon is not wrong”(xlv), this is how carefully and purposefully Anouilh wrote this play, to pass a message for French Resistance but at the same it had to pass through the Nazi censorship. Anouilh’s Antigone had been authorized for performance without any major opposition (xlvii). German bureau of censorship had no pretensions with the performance of this play. The reason for this is straight: the Nazis and their French collaborators had their own way of interpreting Antigone’s and Creon’s role. One of the German collaborators, Charles Mere had nothing to admire in Antigone and even denounced her by saying, Antigone was a “degenerate, unintelligent madwoman whose revolt produces only anarchy, disaster and death” (xlvii). Nazis and their French collaborators had in fact another reason to be pleased with the performance of Antigone: this reason concluded in the fact that Anouilh portrayed Creon very favorably. Many collaborators had agreed that “The real hero is Creon, the just ruler, a slave to his duty who sacrifices everything that is dear to him for the sake of his country” (xlvii).Creon attempted to do everything to save Antigone from death but he failed (37). The collaborators believed that since Anouilh portrays Creon so favorably then it must be the same exact case for Marshal Petain. In Anouilh’s Antigone Creon comes and saves Thebes, same with Petain who came from a well-earned retirement to save his country, France. This direct correlation made the collaborators believe and agree that Anouilh’s Antigone had no anti-Nazi message. Anouilh made a great correlation between Creon and Petain to help his play get through the Nazi censorship. Anouilh’s veiled criticism of the Nazis must have permitted it to be performed in occupied Paris because Anouilh's gloomy view of humanity made the play seem unpolitical. His use of Creon’s ambiguous role was a key factor in allowing this play to go in performance.
Jean Anouilh had another profound reason in making an evident parallel between Marshal Petain and Creon. By using Creon as a character in his play Antigone, Anouilh was able to successfully illustrate Petain as a traitor to France. Charles Williams, a historical politician once wrote, referring to Marshal Petain that “the hero of France became a convicted traitor and changed the course of history.” According to Anouilh’s descriptions, Creon could be seen as a traitor to homeland. By using Creon, Anouilh wanted to transmit a message and make a connection that Marshal Petain is a traitor to France. Marshal Petain acted very alike as Creon did. Creon is a character that just quietly confronts laws while, Antigone stands up for her beliefs and morals, she even says, “They have uncovered my brother’s body. I must go and bury him” (34). Creon traded the morals and beliefs just to confront the law. Creon expresses that, “I must have her put to death” (50). Petain had a similar situation. He failed to save France from the invading Nazis. Also, Petain collaborated with the enemy. Through the character Creon from the drama play Antigone, Anouilh wanted to send a message that Marshal Petain is a traitor.
Jean Anouilh’s political allegory, Antigone, has several interesting characters. One of them is King of Thebes, Creon. His niece wanted to follow her beliefs but Creon with his desperate want to follow the order, put her to death. The author of this book, Jean Anouilh chose Creon to represent Marshal Petain for several key factors. Through this political allegory Anouilh tried sending a message to French citizens for resistance against Germans and their collaborators. However to do so, Anouilh needed the play to pass through the Nazi censorship. This task may seem impossible but Jean Anouilh made it possible simply just by making the role of Creon in his play more ambiguous. At the same time Anouilh sent another message to his French people that Petain is a traitor to homeland. The use of character Creon and the occurring condition around him helped Anouilh transport his thoughts to the audience of the play Antigone.

Works Cited:
Shirer, Williams L."France in Defeat, 1940," EyeWitness to History, www.eyewitnesstohistory.com (2006).
Chris Trueman. "The French Resistance". HistoryLearningSite.co.uk. 2014.Web.
Williams, Charles. Pétain: How the Hero of France Became a Convicted Traitor and Changed the Course of History. New York City: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. Print.