I found Sophocles’ Oedipus the King and Antigone two captivating and intriguing plays. I chose to examine these plays in depth because I am drawn to Sophocles’ poetic style, particularly the sharp imagery, dramatic prose, and rhythmic flow his work achieves. Although Sophocles wrote both plays as poems, the English translator of Oedipus the King, Bernard M. W. Knox, decided to adapt the text as an “acting version” for the stage, as stated in the translator’s preface. He also crafts sympathetic characters whose journeys pose deep philosophical questions for the reader to contemplate and analyze. He effectively employs literary techniques such as dramatic irony, symbolism, and foreshadowing to develop his characters and the plays’ central themes. In addition, his work offers readers a glimpse into ancient Greek culture by exploring how the roles of gender and the gods shape a character’s quest for truth. Thus, altogether, Sophocles employs a combination of literary devices and commentary on Greek culture and society in Oedipus the King and Antigone to reveal the importance of following one's heart and remaining committed to the truth, no matter how painful, dangerous, or tragic the consequences.
To begin, one primary literary device that Sophocles employs in Oedipus the King is dramatic irony. Early on in the play, through Oedipus’s encounter with the blind prophet Tiresias, the reader is asked to question who the real blind man is in Thebes. Though Tiresias is literally blind, Oedipus is figuratively blind, because he is blind to the truth of his identity. Sophocles therefore uses irony not only to show the contrast between the blindness of these two characters, but as a tool for realizing tragedy. For example, Tiresias tells O...
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... though he is figuratively blind to the truth of the literally blind prophet Tiresias’s words, and his wife Jocasta deters him in his pursuit to discover that truth, he ultimately confronts his tragic destiny. Here, the reader moreover sees how masterful Sophocles is at employing irony, foreshadowing, and symbolism to contrast Oedipus’s blind ignorance to Tiresias’s physical blindness as a guise for divine truth. Through analyzing both Oedipus the King and Antigone I have not only developed a deeper understanding of Sophocles’ literary brilliance, but I have also gained sharper insight into Greek society and the role of gender and the gods in complicating tragedy and the pursuit of truth. I found Oedipus and Antigone particularly sympathetic characters; both remind me of the importance of staying true to oneself and following one’s heart even at the risk of death.
In Sophocles play, Antigone, the reader explores many aspects of a Greek tragedy. In this play, a complex family follows a series of mishaps after hearing from a “seer.” After the family thinks they have overcome the worst, they then endure two brothers fighting over both of their rightful places on the throne. In the end, both of them die, but one, Eteocles, was buried a king, and the other, Polynices was left to be untouched a “traitor.” Their sister, Antigone, feels it is her rightful to disobey her uncle, Creon, who sets a decree that declares Policies was to be left unburied. She called this “the doom reserved for enemies marches on the ones we love the most” (Fagles 1984, 59).
Roche, Paul. The Oedipus Plays of Sophocles. The New English Library Limited, London. New York and Scarborough, Ontario. 1958.
Boston: Pearson, 2013. 1396-1506. Print. The. Sophocles. “Oedipus the King” Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing.
Segal, Charles Paul. “Sophocles’ Praise of Man and the Conflicts of the Antigone.” In Sophocles: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Thomas Woodard. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.
In the awe-inspiring play of Antigone, Sophocles introduces two remarkable characters, Antigone and Creon. A conflict between these two obstinate characters leads to fatal consequences for themselves and their kindred. The firm stances of Creon and Antigone stem from two great imperatives: his loyalty to the state and her dedication to her family, her religion but most of all her conscience. The identity of the tragic hero of this play is still heavily debated. This tragedy could have been prevented if it had not been for Creon's pitiful mistakes.
In the play "Oedipus the King" by Sophocles, the author presents us with several instances of dramatic irony. Dramatic irony occurs when the meaning of the situation is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play. Dramatic irony plays an important part in "Oedipus the King", because it is used to describe Oedipus' character as arrogant and blind toward the truth. The audience is expected to understand Oedipus' history well before he does. In the first three episodes, Oedipus uses a lot of dramatic irony in his speeches.
People are undisputedly faced with the challenge to grow and encounter headfirst all the unexpected changes life throws at them. Change, perhaps the solitary constant factor of life, drives people to make decisions that will be reciprocated with an unforeseen event. This principle of life is applied as an underlying web of the plethora of ironies throughout all of Antigone. Set in the age of reconstruction in Thebes, no doubt due to the aftershock of a war between brothers and their ongoing family curse, Sophocles’s constant use of irony in Antigone around Creon, the king of Thebes, indicates that the ironic nature of man contributes and lurks in their ultimate demise.
In Ancient Greece the existence of gods and fate prevailed. In the Greek tragedy King Oedipus by the playwright Sophocles these topics are heavily involved. We receive a clear insight into their roles in the play such as they both control man's actions and that challenging their authority leads to a fall.
Sophocles’ use of symbolism and irony is shown in Oedipus Tyrannus through his use of the notion of seeing and blindness. This common motif is extended throughout the play and takes on a great significance in the development of the plot. In an effort to escape his god given prophecy, Oedipus tragically falls into the depths of unthinkable crimes as a result of the mental blindness of his character; thus never escaping his lot.
Despite the male dominant society of Ancient Greece, the women in Sophocles’ play Antigone all express capabilities of powerful influence and each individually possess unique characteristics, showing both similarities and contrasts. The women in the play are a pivotal aspect that keeps the plot moving and ultimately leads to the catharsis of this tragedy. Beginning from the argument between Antigone and Ismene to Eurydice’s suicide, a male takes his own life and another loses everything he had all as a result of the acts these women part take in. The women all put their own family members above all else, but the way they go about showing that cherishment separates them amongst many other things.
Sophocles’ background influenced him to write Antigone. One important influence on the drama was the author’s life in the “golden era” of Athens during fifth century BCE. In that time, Athens was experiencing much change in all facets, and drama was a major factor in Athenian culture. In his essay “Sophocles,” Ed Downey reports that Sophocles was born at the beginning of the “golden era” in Athens and lived a long life influenced by “the artistic and cultural achievements in the ancient Greek world”. Sophocles was a wealthy and highly educated, “happy man.” As a young man, Sophocles began his playwright career, eventually becoming one of the greatest writers in history although only seven of his works are still intact (1). Similarly, the setting
The ineffaceable impression which Sophocles makes on us today and his imperishable position in the literature of the world are both due to his character-drawing. If we ask which of the men and women ofGreek tragedy have an independent life in the imagination apart from the stage and from the actual plot in which they appear, we must answer, ‘those created by Sophocles, above all others’ (36).
Sophocles’ Antigone is a text rich with layers of meaning. In this essay, I intend to uncover some of these layers in order to assert the extent to which Antigone is responsible for her tragic end. I will argue that the protagonist is responsible for her own actions – actions that by her own choice result in her death. The catalyst for said death, however, is the result of other characters and events. I will focus particularly on the edict of Creon and his role in the tragedy, as it is the juxtaposition of their beliefs, which results in both of their tragic endings. Throughout the essay I will analyse scholarly works on the subject, as well as the events in the text itself, in order to weigh the ultimate accountability of Antigone.
Irony used from beginning to end and with each statement made by Oedipus about finding the killer of Laius. Although the audience is familiar with the story they are fully invested in Oedipus. Because Sophocles uses irony in his play it makes the audience empathize with the protagonist. Oedipus becomes human, a tangible character that experiences the same emotions as everyday people. The thing that makes Oedipus even more human is that he is a victim of a fate assigned to him before he was born. He unknowingly carries out the prophecy destined for him which leads to the discovery that he was abandoned at birth by his biological parents; with this discovery a sense of his identity is taken from him. A character so arrogant normally does not receive empathy from the audience, however, he is still very much an innocent fragile human being punished for his father’s defiance. Sophocles used irony to bring a new twist to a familiar story. The use of irony keeps the audience ahead of the protagonist yet still eagerly awaiting his reaction to the obstacles before him; even though they know his fate the audience wants to see how he deals with his unfortunate
Sophocles makes use of many situations involving dramatic irony. In fact, the entire play could be said to be an example of dramatic irony. The audience becomes aware of Oedipus’ prophecy from the very beginning of the play. The reading from the Oracle stated that Oedipus was destined to murder his father and marry his mother. Although Oedipus is unaware of his fate, the reader knows the tragic future of the character. This use of dramatic irony allows the story to avoid the typical Greek tragedy structure and keep the reader intrigued as the events unfold.