Antigonus
Character Description
Antigonus is a lord (advisor) to King Leontes of Sicilia. He is married to Paulina, who also serves as Lady-in-waiting for Leontes’ wife, Hermone. Queen Hermione is falsely accused by Leontes of unfaithfulness. He believes that the baby she’s expecting is his childhood friend’s, King Polixenes of Bohemia. This jealousy drives him mad and he asks his servant, Camillo, to poison Polixenes. When the boy is born, Leontes asks Antigonus to abandon the baby-girl in the desert by the sea. As he is leaving the baby to her mercy, he is attacked and eaten by a bear.
Antigonus appears as a weak man when he is compared to his wife. Even though he defends the queen, he is not as daring and assertive as Paulina. His sense of loyalty to his king makes him an accomplice to the evil doing and self-conviction of the righteous king, who refuses to believe the oracle’s truth in claiming the Queen’s innocence.
As an actor portraying Antigonus, I learned that there are times a person needs to make a serious decision about being obedient and loyal, especially when committing an unjust act. Perhaps one experiences this moment as karma, or simply as a victim of circumstance.
Antigonus appears as a weak man when he is compared to his wife. Even though he defends the queen, he is not as daring and assertive as Paulina. His sense of loyalty to his king makes him an accomplice to the evil doing and self-conviction of the righteous king, who refuses to believe the oracle’s truth in claiming the Queen’s innocence.
As an actor portraying Antigonus, I learned that there are times a person needs to make a serious decision about being obedient and loyal, especially when committing an unjust act. Perhaps one experiences this moment as karma, or simply as a victim of circumstance.