The Mind of a Playwright

Sophocles was one of the most influential people during his time period. He held important positions in offices, participated in around thirty contests, where he won around twenty-four and was never placed lower than second, and he also received the posthumous award of Dexion, or receiver, from the Athenians. However, much of his beliefs and ideals concerning various subjects can only be drawn out through his plays, as little else remains to tell us his beliefs. Antigone in particular reveals facts about Sophocles that shows an interesting light upon him. It, along with his other plays, shows an interesting take on his beliefs about the Greek gods and goddess, and his views on a single person’s morality vs. the power and morality of the state, along with his values and philosophy.

When it comes to his views on religion, Sophocles is in a special category of people that you would rarely see in his time. While he clearly showed reverence for the Greek gods and goddess, he never painted them in the same light that many playwrights of his time did. The powerful figures still act as the directors of human destiny in his plays, but they are never given the prominence in his plays that they are given in the plays of his peers. For example, throughout the play, Hades is referenced, but very rarely as just Hades. He is usually portrayed as a personification of Death. Along with this, Zeus, the very king of the gods, is only referenced thirteen times total in the play, and Olympus, the home of the gods, is only mentioned twice. Most of Sophocles’ peers would have many references to Zeus and Olympus, showing nothing but the utmost respect and reverence, but for Sophocles, it almost seems as though he mentions them merely because it works. ...

... middle of paper ...

...sin would be punished with misfortune and that the two would be linked to each other, but Sophocles had no such thought. His plays more so represented actuality, with him admitting that unjustified evil exists, and that man cannot truly explain why it does.

Overall, Sophocles is a very special case when it comes to Greek playwrights. His reverence to the gods seems to more out of obligation rather than true belief, even though he makes it quite clear that he does believe. He seems to believe that morals will triumph over any laws that a human sets into place, yet he does not support the idea that a good person will always have a good end, like other playwrights of his time did. His writing style in that he rarely directly involved the gods was an abnormal idea during his time, and it made his writing stand out in the same way that it caused his beliefs to stand out.