Ibsen/Anouilh Compare and Contrast

Antigone Pastiche:
Anastasia: So why bother telling me?
William: Would you rather begin a marriage with lies?
Anastasia: I never would have found out. I loved him.
William: So what's next?
Anastasia: I'll go back home. Before the blizzard gets worse.
William: Don't be alone for Hanukkah, Anastasia. Pay a visit to your sister. It will be good for you.
Anastasia:Okay.
William: It's for the best.There will be other men. Marriage is sacred. No place for lies.
Anastasia: Okay.

Ibsen Pastiche.
Father: I wish you would stay with me. I'm been lonely all my life son, but especially now as I begin to age when the cold winter months set in. It would be nice to have someone around-
Son: You have Mrs. Jones.
Father: Yes, I do- I don't know what I'd do without her. She's lovely, smart, she brings a whole new light into the house- that's what I truly need.
Son: Well, then I guess you have everything you need.
Father: Yes, but I don't know if it can continue. You know what people will say about a woman like her. I may as well say, a man doesn't gain anything from it either.
Son: I'm sure a man of your status can afford the risk.
Father: Oh but what about her? She won't stand for it for too long- even if she did- with all the gossip- do you really think-



Comparison:
I agree that Anouilh was easier to work with. His style is very clear and it is more natural to mimic his crisp lines and tones. Ibsen, on the other hand, is a lot more inconsistent. His writing tends to be more choppy, often broken up with dashes which symbolize things the characters don't say. Anouilh doesn't tell things in chronological order because he wants to emphasize the characters motivations rather than the plot. Ibsen tells the story in chronological order, which should be easier to understand but reading Ibsen requires the audience to make a lot of inferences, which can make things confusing. Although characters motivations are important in Ibsen as well. Also Ibsen doesn't have any type of narration or Chorus and Anouilh does. Ibsen has the audience more submerged in the actual actions and events, focusing his main points and what's happening, and who is saying what, etc. Anouilh has a Chorus which makes the audience feel more removed from the actual plot, since that is not really his focus. Even more so, he has the Chorus break the 4th wall and speak directly to the audience, using a lot of metaphors. It definitely switches his focus to be more external than Ibsen.