The Greeks' Tragic World View

The Greeks' Tragic World View

The Greeks had a tragic world view. I believe that a tragic world view is a view of the world in which there is little hope for any progress; everything grows, matures, and dies. The values taught by such a tragic world are bravery, fate, humanism, and reasoning. There are many examples of the teaching of these values in the Grecian literary works. Examples of such works are: the epic poetry of Homer, The Odyssey and the Iliad; works of Sophocles, Oedipus Rex and Antigone; works of Euripides, Media and The Trojan Women; and Plato's retelling of the trial of Socrates, The Apology.

The epic poetry of Homer had lasting impact Grecian society. It came to be the basis of Greek religion, teaching honor and bravery, as well as the elements of tragedy. The Iliad teaches that no one is invulnerable. The Iliad expresses the truth that " 'wicked arrogance' and 'ruinous wrath' will cause much suffering and death." This is shown in The Iliad in the quarrel between Agamemnon an Achilles. The Odyssey also teaches the same truth when Odysseus shouts his name to Polythemus. Dr. Owen Duncan said that The Iliad teaches another important lessons is the theme that "pride leads to disaster, yet not to be proud, is not to be Greek." This was illustrated when Achilles challenged Hector to a battle to the death, and Hector accepted although he knew he would be defeated.

Sophocles, one of the most celebrated playwrights in Greek history, played a large role in instilling the value of fate into Greek life. Sigmund Freud talked about "the Oedipus complex" in his book, The Interpretation of Dreams, saying:

Oedipus Rex is what is known as the tragedy of destiny. Its tragic effect is said to lie in contrast between the supreme will of the gods and the vain attempts of mankind to escape the evil that threatens them. The lesson which…the deeply moved spectator should learn from this tragedy is submission to the divine will and realization of his own impotence.

As Freud expressed, the trilogy of Sophocles (Oedipus Rex, Antigone, and Oedipus at Colonus) brought the aspect of fate or destiny into light. Fate was evident because although the actions and feelings of the characters were an integral part of the tragedy, nothing could change one's destiny or fate.