Siding with Ismene: Pale Sister by Colm Tóibín (2019)

Abstract

Pale Sister by Colm Tóibín (2019) is the title of one of Ireland’s most recent rewritings of Sophocles’ Antigone. Centred on Ismene, this dramatic monologue takes sides with Antigone’s sister and with her moderate and tolerant attitude. Tóibín responds to recent events and to the contemporary failure of communication, a worrying phenomenon characterising the times in which we live. This debut play is a fine example of a kind of theatre that is revolutionary, and whose expression relies on the use and 103 abuse of silence. This study focuses on the use of silence in Tóibín’s Pale Sister, of which three relevant sections are presented here in translation.