Sophocles

The ending of Sophocles' Electra is perhaps one of the most interesting endings of the Greek tragic plays, as it is incredibly dramatic yet at the same time somewhat anticlimactic. The play ends fittingly dramatically with murder, although it never actually occurs on stage; thus, the anticlimax. Although Electra is a Greek tragedy, it does not end in utterly tragic circumstance, nor does it finish in a blaze of glory. The ending is generally interpreted in one of two ways; 'light' or 'dark',…

Oedipus the King is a exceptional play written by Sophocles. Despite he was made to be killed when he was an infant, only because King Laius didn't want Oedipus to kill him and marry Queen Jocasta, his mother. Oedipus Rex is now the king of Thebes and the citizens of Thebes love Oedipus. Three major characters in this play would have to be Oedipus, Tiresias, and lastly Creon. Oedipus is Jocasta’s husband and is the king of Thebes, Tiresias is the blind prophet and Creon is Jocasta’s brother.…

When it comes to the notions of the law in Sophocles’ Antigone, most of us will readily agree that there were many contrasting beliefs among the characters. However, where this agreement usually ends is on the question of whether the law of the divine or the law of man is superior. The many instances in which the law of the divine and the law of man clash in Sophocles’ Antigone, and the many instances in which the laws of the gods are disobeyed in Homer’s the Odyssey suggest that the law of the…

The play I chose for this report is Oedipus The King by Sophocles. Sophocles grew up in near Athens, Greece to an upper middle class family. His father made armor and was able to ensure that his son received a good education. As he grew so did Athens power. Sophocles entered the public arena during Athens golden age, which netted him prestige. Sophocles added the third actor to the stage and focus more on characterization than playwright before him. He was popular at the time and was well known…

A decision of death or honor has to be made by the character Antigone in Sophocles play Antigone. She has had a hard life her whole life because of her father’s prophecy. However, when her brother, Polynices starts a war against Thebes it gets even worse. Both of her brothers die in a battle against each other but only Eteocles is put to rest. After the fight Creon, enraged by Polynices starting the war and killing his son, announced the law that if anyone was caught burying Polynices, they…

Sophocles was one of the three ancient Greek tragedians to have his plays and quotes survive to this time. Sophocles was born in 496 BCE, in Colonus, Attica, which is just outside the walls of Athens, Greece. Sophocles received an admirable education, which led to his success n not only the playwright industry, but also as a devoted citizen to Athens, Greece. Furthermore, Sophocles lived to the age of 90 and then died in 406 BCE in Athens. Throughout Sophocles lifetime he wrote over 120…

Sophocles, Oedipus the King, uses the characteristics of Aristotle’s ides on what makes a good tragedy. Oedipus left his homeland after he heard a prophecy that he would one day kill his father and marry is mother. Rather than take the gamble he elected to leave. While on his journey he came in contact with a man at a crossroad that he had to kill. Never giving the killing another thought, Oedipus continued his journey when he came across a Sphinx that was holding a town hostage. Oedipus solved…

Creon, it was the right thing to do to a traitor of the state. However, Antigone believed that it was inhumane and morally incorrect to leave a body unburied, especially if it denied a safe passage to the underworld for her brother. In Antigone by Sophocles, Ismene argues that Antigone should not bury Polynices, but Antigone simply states: “He is my brother. And he is your brother too,” meaning that if you love someone, you should be willing to die for them, which is Antigone’s idea of what is…

their lives because they care too much about how others view them, instead of what’s right. Correspondingly, with this idea, Sophocles asserts that the only crime is pride and that we must stop our wrong and fix it. This idea by Sophocles is valid due to the fact that for various people pride runs their life and influences their decisions. One of the assertions Sophocles makes is that “all men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong.” This relates to pride since…

a conversation between Creon and his son Hameon, Creon still unsure what to do about Antigone. “I’ll suppose [Antigone will] please ‘family ties’...If I permit my own family to rebel,” Creon advocates, “How shall I earn the world’s obedience?”( Sophocles ll. 29-30 Emphasis Added). In the quote above, Creon is hesitant in what to do with Antigone because she is family and if he doesn’t punish her that will make him look like a bad leader. Furthermore, he emphasizes the idea that he wants to be a…