In the story of Electra, Chrysothemis “is in many ways the invisible woman” (Choate 183). As stated by Amber Jacobs, “her name has been committed to our mythical corpus, yet with a seeming insignificance” (Jacobs 179). Sophocles is the only Greek playwright who mentions her in his version of Electra’s tale. As the tale goes, Chrysothemis was viewed as the obedient daughter, and in an effort to uphold the story of Electra as well as the social norms of the time, Sophocles depicts Chrysothemis as the perfect daughter — dainty, modest, and obedient. Despite having more scenes than her mother, Clytaemnestra, Chrysothemis was not viewed as the captivating character. Her role was not coveted among actors of the time. She was depicted as the good girl, and her character was considered as static and bland (183). It conformed to guidelines articulated in Aristotle’s Poetics, which stated that a female character in an ideal tragedy should act feminine (Aristotle 60). Hofmannsthal takes a completely different approach on Chrysothemis’s character, molding her in a way that makes her more modern, relevant, and significant to the story. This new approach changes how the relationships in the story are perceived and how Chrysothemis is received by the audience. Despite being the forgotten sister in the House of Atreus, Chrysothemis evolves throughout the various renditions of Electra, going from a reserved, obedient sister in Sophocles’ Electra to an independent, opinionated young woman in Hofmannsthal’s Electra.
Sophocles presents Chrysothemis as a reserved sister who remains obedient to her murderous mother, despite the effects it has had on her lifestyle and family dynamic. Chrysothemis encounters Electra in passing on her way out of the cas...
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...tton. 1st. New York: Norton, 1982. 43-63. Print.
Choate, E. Theresa. "Chrysothemis, the Good Girl." Electra USA. Cranbury: Rosemont Publishing & Printing Corp, 2009. 183-204. Print.
Donaldson, John William. The Theatre of the Greeks: A Treatise on the History and Exhibition of the Greek Drama. 8th. London: George Bell and Sons, 1879. 106-147. Print.
Hoffmannsthal, Hugo von. Electra: A Tragedy in One Act. Trans. Arthur Symons. New York: Brentano’s, 1908. Print.
Jacobs, Amber. "The Question of Chrysothemis." On Matricide: Myth, Psychoanalysis, and the Law of the Mother. New York: Columbia U P, 2007. 178-182. Print.
Mueller, Martin. "Hofmannsthal's Electra and Its Dramatic Models." Modern Drama 29.1 (1986): 71-91. Print.
Sophocles. "Electra." Sophocles II. Ed. David Grene and Richmond Lattimore. Trans. David Grene. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1957. 125-187. Print.
Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus can be argued that it is related loosely to Rita Dove's The Darker Face of the Earth. This comparative and contrasting characteristics that can be seen within both plays make the reader/audience more aware of imagery, the major characters, plot, attitudes towards women, and themes that are presented from two very different standpoints. The authors Sophocles and Dove both have a specific goal in mind when writing the two plays. In this paper I will take a closer look of the two, comparing and contrasting the plays with the various elements mentioned previously.
Woodard, Thomas. Introduction. In Sophocles: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Thomas Woodard. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.
The greatest influence on a growing girl is her mother, and in some cases, like Sula, her grandmother. In order to fully grasp the connection between Nel and Sula, one must examine who and what their mothers were and what traits and beliefs they handed down to their daughters. Nel's mother, Helene, sought to teach her daughter the ways to be a stereotypical "good woman," a supportive wife and a caring mother. As an example to her daughter, Helene took great pleasure in raising Nel and found in her "more comfort and purpose than she had ever hoped to find" in her life (2105). Helene took pride in motherhood and was proudest when someone complemented on how "obedient and polite" Nel was (2105). Helene's embracing of these qualities, an accommodation to the sta...
Woodard, Thomas. Introduction. In Sophocles: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Thomas Woodard. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.
Madeleine Neveu eloquently gives words of wisdom to her daughter Catherine in her piece entitled, "Epistle to My Daughter." Madeleine is quite aware of the attitude surrounding educated women in her time period. Yet, she abandons those opinions to express her own for her daughter. Her epistle embraces the need for a woman to be true to herself and to stand on her own two feet, as opposed to relying on a man to hold her up.
But what does Virginia’s mother have to do with Virginia’s writing? I chose to look at the problem of inheritance by starting with Julia’s first influences on Virginia, particularly her stories for children. I then move on to portraits of mothers in Virginia's novels. This essay is not only about Virginia’s task of overcoming "the Angel in the House" but moving past a confrontational and convoluted memory of a mother, into an orderly, whole picture of females working together.
In conclusion, it becomes obvious by these three plays that for a woman to achieve kleos in ancient Greece, she usually had to become more man-like in her role. The murders committed by Electra and Medea, the bravery of Antigone—all three of these were fulfilled by what would have normally been considered a man’s role. A woman could rarely be considered a hero unless she became like a man in her actions. Otherwise, she would be only a simple woman.
In conclusion, Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums” illustrates the life of Elisa Allen, who struggles with womanhood, self-recognition, and impotence. Although, she is described as a modern house wife of the 1930's, it is clear, that she is far from the average traditional spouse. Rather, she yearns to be represented in the masculine world. However, through Elisa’s tribulations and limitations, she has unfortunately lessoned her stature. Therefore, one should learn to make the best use of our present rights of equality.
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.
Russell Brown, J. 1995. The Oxford Illustrated History of the Theatre. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
The character of Antigone in Sophocles’ play, Antigone, is one of the most controversial tragic characters in classic literature. The war in her city has torn her family apart, caused the death of both her brothers, and created a reason for her to fight against the King, her uncle. Her uncle, Creon, makes a ruling that her brother, Polynices, is not to be buried because he is a traitor, but according to her religion, her brother’s soul will not go to the afterlife until he is buried. In defense of her brother, she buries his body illegally and is subsequently sentenced to death. With her complex patterns of thought, bold actions, and the end she encounters, the character of Antigone causes debate among critics as to whether or not Antigone is in fact a tragic heroine. She can be perceived as a martyred hero, dying for love and religion, or as a fanatic woman who lacks the ability to think rationally. The way in which Antigone’s role is interpreted can further help to interpret Sophocles’ view of women and politics. In taking the view that she is a hero who died for her beliefs, it shows that Sophocles was aiming to prove that women deserve to be treated as equals and as citizens of Greece.
This paper aims to study two significant playwrights, Sophocles and Euripides, and compare their respective attitudes by examining their plays in respect to plot and character structures. To achieve this goal, the paper is organized into two main sections. In the first section, we provide a brief biography of both Sophocles and Euripides. The second and last section includes summaries of Sophocles’ Electra and Euripides’ Electra which were based on same essentials and give an opportunity to observe the differences of the playwrights. This section also includes the comparisons that are made by our observations about the plays.
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’ tragic drama, Oedipus Rex, presents to the reader a full range of conflicts and their resolution after a climax.
Greek and Elizabethan theatre, while similar in some respects, had a few large differences. The Greeks believed in a certain unity of theme, which was prevalent throughout the production. Greek plays were often drawn from myth or of historical significance, so it seems that only ki...