The great tragic poet Sophocles is on a par with Aescholus and Euripides. He is known for such works as "Oedipus Rex", "Antigone", "Electra". He held government positions, but his main occupation was still composing tragedies for the Athenian stage. In addition, Sophocles introduced several innovations in theatrical performance.
Short biographical note
The main source of biographical data about the second after Aeschylus tragic poet of Ancient Greece is an unnamed biography, which was usually placed in editions of his tragedies. It is known that the world-famous tragedian was born around 496 BC in Colon. Now this place, glorified by Sophocles in the tragedy "Oedipus at Colon", is a district of Athens.
In 480 BC, at the age of sixteen, Sophocles participated in the choir that performed in honor of the victory at the Battle of Salamis. This fact gives the right to compare the biographies of the three great Greek tragic authors: Aeschylus participated inThe battle of Salamis, Sophocles glorified him, and Euripides was born just at that time.
Sophocles' father was most likely a middle-class man, although there are differing opinions on this. He managed to give his son a good education. In addition, Sophocles was distinguished by outstanding musical abilities: in adulthood, he independently composed music for his works.
The heyday of the tragedian's creative activity coincides in time with the period that in history is usually called the "age of Pericles". Pericles was at the head of the Athenian state for thirty years. Then Athens became a significant cultural center, sculptors, poets and scientists from all over Greece came to the city.
Sophocles is not only an outstanding tragic poet, but also a statesman. He held the positions of treasurer of the state fund, a strategist, took part in the campaign against Samos, who attempted to secede from Athens, and the revision of the Athenian constitution after the coup. Evidence of Sophocles' participation in public life was preserved by the poet Jonah from Chios.
“The age of Pericles” was distinguished not only by the flourishing of Athens, but also by the beginning of the decomposition of the state. The exploitation of slave labor forced out the free labor of the population, small and medium-sized slave owners went bankrupt, and there was a serious stratification of property. The individual and the collective, which had been in relative harmony, were now opposed to each other.
The literary heritage of the tragedian
How many works did Sophocles create? What isliterary heritage of the ancient Greek playwright? In total, Sophocles wrote more than 120 tragedies. Only seven works of the author have survived to our time. The list of Sophocles' works includes the following tragedies: "The Trachinian Women", "Oedipus the King", "Electra", "Antigone", "Ajax", "Philoctetes", "Oedipus in Colon". In addition, significant excerpts from the drama Pathfinders, based on the Homeric hymn to Hermes, have survived.
The dates of the staging of tragedies on stage cannot be determined exactly. As for "Antigone", it was staged approximately in 442 BC, "Oedipus the King" - in 429-425, "Oedipus in Colon" - after the death of the author, around 401 BC.
The playwright repeatedly participated in tragic competitions and even defeated Aeschylus in 468. What piece did Sophocles write to compete in this contest? It was a trilogy based on the tragedy "Triptolem". In the future, Sophocles took first place twenty more times and was never third.
Ideological basis of works
In the contradictions between the old and the new way of life, Sophocles feels doomed. The destruction of the old foundations of Athenian democracy forces him to seek protection in religion. Sophocles (although he recognizes the freedom of man from the will of the gods) believed that human capabilities are limited, over each there is a force that dooms one or another fate. This can be seen in the works of Sophocles "Oedipus the King", "Antigone".
The tragic man believed that a person cannot know what is prepared for him every next day, and the will of the gods is manifestedin the constant variability of human life. Sophocles did not recognize the power of money, which corrupted the basis of the Greek policy and wanted to strengthen the democratic foundations of the state, protesting against the stratification of citizens according to we alth and property.
Sophocles' innovations in ancient Greek theater
Sophocles, being the successor of Aeschylus, introduces several innovations into the theatrical performance. Deviating somewhat from the principle of the trilogy, the author began to write separate dramas, each of which was a complete whole. These parts had no connection with each other, but three tragedies and a satyr drama were still staged on stage.
The Tragedian expanded the number of actors to three people, which made it possible to make the dialogue more lively and reveal the acting characters more deeply. The chorus has already ceased to play the role that was assigned to it by Aeschylus. But it is obvious that Sophocles skillfully used it. The choir parts echoed the action, intensifying all the feelings of the audience, which made it possible to achieve that cleansing action (catharsis) that Aristotle spoke of.
"Antigone": content, images, composition
The work of Sophocles "Antigone" was not part of the trilogy, representing a complete tragedy. In "Antigone" the tragedian puts divine laws above all else, shows the contradiction between human actions and the will of the gods.
The drama is named after the main character. Polynices, son of King Oedipus and brother of Antigone, betrayed Thebes and died in battle with his brother Eteocles. King Creon forbade the funeral, leaving the body to be torn to pieces by birds and dogs. But Antigone complieda rite, for which Creon decided to wall her up in a cave, but the girl committed suicide. Antigone fulfilled the sacred law, did not submit to the king, followed her duty. After her fiancé, the son of Creon, pierced himself with a dagger, and in despair from the death of her son, the king's wife took her own life. Seeing all these misfortunes, Creon admitted his insignificance before the gods.
The heroine of Sophocles is a determined and courageous girl who consciously accepts death for the right to bury her brother according to the established rite. She honors the ancient laws and has no doubts about the correctness of her decision. The nature of Antigone is revealed even before the start of the main action - in a dialogue with Ismene.
Creon (as a stern and adamant ruler) puts his will above all else. He justifies actions in the interests of the state, is ready to pass cruel laws, and considers any resistance as treason. Compositionally, a very important part of the tragedy is the interrogation of Antigone by Creon. Each remark of the girl increases Creon's irritability and the tension of the action.
Climax - Antigone's monologue before execution. The comparison of the girl with the lot of Niobe, the daughter of Tantalus, who was turned into a cliff, enhances the drama. The disaster is coming. In the death of his wife and son, which followed the suicide of Antigone, Creon blames himself. In utter desperation, he exclaims, "I am nothing!".
The tragedy of "Antigone" by Sophocles, a summary of which is given above, reveals one of the deepest conflicts of the modern author of society - the conflictbetween tribal and state laws. The religion, rooted in hoary antiquity, ordered to honor blood ties and perform all rituals in relation to close relatives, but every citizen of the policy had to comply with state laws, which often contradicted traditional norms.
Oedipus Rex by Sophocles: an analysis of the tragedy
The tragedy discussed below raises the question of the will of the gods and the free will of man. Sophocles interprets the myth of Oedipus, belonging to the Theban cycle, as a hymn to the human mind. The author shows the extraordinary strength of character and the desire to build a life of his own.
The work of Sophocles "Oedipus Rex" tells the story of the life of Oedipus, the son of the Theban king Laius, who was predicted to die at the hands of his own child. When Oedipus was born, his father ordered to pierce his legs and throw him on the mountain, but the slave, who was instructed to kill the heir, saved the child. Oedipus (his name in ancient Greek means "with swollen legs") was raised by the Corinthian king Polybus.
As an adult, Oedipus learns from an oracle that he is destined to kill his own father and marry his mother. The prince wants to avoid such a fate and leaves Corinth, considering Polybus and his wife to be his real parents. On the way to Thebes, he kills an unnamed old man who turns out to be Lai. The prophecy has begun to be fulfilled.
Upon arrival in Thebes, Oedipus managed to solve the riddle of the Sphinx and save the city, for which he was elected king and married the widow of Laius Jocasta, that is, his own mother. For many years, Oedipus ruled in Thebes and enjoyed the well-deserved love of his people.
When a terrible plague happened in the country, the oracle announced the cause of all misfortunes. There is a murderer in the city who needs to be expelled. Oedipus seeks to find the culprit, not assuming that it is himself. When the truth becomes known to the king, he deprives himself of his sight, believing that this is a sufficient punishment for the crime committed.
The central character is King Oedipus, in whom the people see a wise and just ruler. He is responsible for the fate of people, he is ready to do everything so that only the pestilence stops, saves the city from the Sphinx. The priest calls Oedipus "the best of husbands." But Oedipus also has weaknesses. As soon as he began to suspect that the priest was covering for the murderer, he thought that he himself participated in the crime. Anger quickly covers Oedipus and in a conversation with Creon. The king, suspecting intrigues, throws insults. The same trait - incontinence of character - became the reason for the murder of old man Lai on the road to Thebes.
Not only Oedipus in the work of Sophocles seeks to avoid a predetermined fate. Jocasta, the mother of Oedipus, is sinful from the point of view of morality, as she allows the baby to be given to death. From a religious point of view, this is a disregard for the sayings of the oracle. She later tells the adult Oedipus that she doesn't believe in divination. Jocasta pays for her guilt with death.
Creon in "Antigone" and "Oedipus Rex" is endowed with different features. In the tragedy of Sophocles "Oedipus the King" he did not at all strive for power, he values honor and friendship above all,promises patronage to the daughters of the Theban king.
"Oedipus in Colon": images, features of the tragedy
This tragedy by Sophocles was staged after his death. Oedipus, accompanied by Antigone, reaches the outskirts of Athens. Ismene, the second daughter of the former Theban king, brings the oracle's message that her father is destined to become the patron of the country where he dies. The sons of Oedipus want to bring him to Thebes, but he refuses and, hospitably received by King Theseus, decides to stay in Colon.
In the mouth of the choir and actors - the anthem of Colone. The main goal of the work of Sophocles was the glorification of the motherland and the atonement of the perfect sin by suffering. Oedipus here is no longer the same ruler as the viewer sees him at the beginning of the Oedipus Rex tragedy, but also not the man broken by misfortunes, which he became by the end of the work mentioned above. He is fully aware of his innocence, says that there was no sin or malice in the crimes he committed.
The main feature of the tragedy is the parts of the choir, glorifying the native village of the author. Sophocles shows a person's lack of confidence in the future, and worldly hardships evoke pessimistic thoughts in him. It is possible that such a gloomy attitude towards the surrounding reality was caused by the last few years of life.
The tragedy "Philoctetes": a brief analysis of the work
Sophocles is briefly studied at philological faculties, but the lack of teaching hours often forces certain works to be excluded from the program. Thus, Philoctetes is often overlooked. Meanwhile, the image of the protagonist is drawn in development, which is of particular interest. At the very beginning of the action, this is a lonely person, but has not yet completely lost faith in people. After the appearance of Hercules and the hope of healing, he is transformed. In the depiction of characters, one can see the techniques inherent in Euripides. The main idea of the tragedy is that a person finds happiness not in satisfying his own interests, but in serving his homeland.
Ajax, Trachinian Women, Elektra
The theme of the tragedy of Sophocles "Ajax" is the award of the armor of Achilles not to Ajax, but to Odysseus. Athena sent a fit of madness to Ajax and he cut the herd of cattle. Ajax thought that this was the Achaean army, led by Odysseus. When the protagonist came to his senses, he, fearing ridicule, committed suicide. So, the whole action is built on the conflict between the power of God and dependence on the divine will of an individual.
In the work "Trachinian" the wife of Hercules becomes a criminal out of ignorance. She soaks her husband's cloak with the blood of the centaur he killed, wanting to return love. But the centaur's gift turns out to be deadly. Hercules dies in agony, and his wife commits suicide. The woman is portrayed as meek, faithful and loving, forgiving her husband's weaknesses. The sense of responsibility for the crime she unknowingly committed makes her punish herself in such a cruel way.
The theme of the tragedies of Euripides and Sophocles "Electra" was the myth of the same name about the daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra. Elektra is a passionate nature; in Sophocles, this image is distinguished by psychological depth. girl with brotherkills his mother, fulfilling the sacred will of the god Apollo, the patron of paternal right. The idea of the tragedy is to punish the crime and protect the religion of Apollo. This is confirmed not only by the finale, but also by many parts of the choir.
General characteristics of creativity
The works of Sophocles reflect issues typical of his time, for example: attitude to religion, unwritten laws and state laws, free will of an individual and gods, the problem of nobility and honor, the interests of the individual and the team. A number of contradictions are found in the tragedies. For example, in "Electra" the tragedian defends the religion of Apollo, but he also recognizes the free will of man ("Oedipus Rex").
In tragedies, complaints about the instability of life and the changeability of happiness are constantly heard. Each work deals with the fate of an individual, not a family. Interest in the individual was reinforced by the innovation introduced by Sophocles in the theatrical performance, namely the addition of a third actor.
The heroes of Sophocles' works are strong personalities. In describing their characters, the author uses the technique of opposition, which allows you to emphasize the main feature. This is how the brave Antigone and the weak Ismene, the strong Electra and her indecisive sister are depicted. Sophocles is attracted to noble characters, reflecting the ideological foundations of Athenian democracy.
Sophocles is on a par with Aeschylus and Euripides
And Aeschylus, and Sophocles, and Euripides - the greatest Greek authors of tragedies, the significance of whose creative heritage was recognized even by themcontemporaries. Between these authors, who belonged to different generations, there is a significant difference in the field of dramatic poetry. Aeschylus is imbued with the precepts of antiquity in all respects: religious, moral and political, his characters are often given schematically, and the heroes of Sophocles are no longer gods, but ordinary personalities, but distinguished by well-developed characters. Euripides already lived in the era of a new philosophical movement, began to use the stage to promote certain ideas. Aeschylus and Sophocles differ significantly in this respect. The characters of Euripides are completely ordinary people with all the weaknesses. In his works, he raises difficult questions of religion, politics or morality, but there is never a definitive answer.
Tragics mentioned in Aristophanes' comedy "The Frogs"
When characterizing ancient Greek authors, one cannot fail to mention another outstanding author, but in the field of comedy (tragedics are Aeschylus, Euripides, Sophocles). Aristophanes glorified the three writers in his comedy The Frogs. Aeschylus (if we talk about the time of Aristophanes) died quite a long time ago, and Sophocles and Euripides died almost simultaneously, half a century after Aeschylus. Immediately disputes began about which of the three was still better. In response to this, Aristophanes staged the comedy The Frogs.
The work is named that way, because the choir is represented by frogs that live in the Acheron River (through which Charon transports the dead to the kingdom of Hades). The patron of the theater in Athens was Dionysus. It was he who took care of the fate of the theater, decided to go downto the underworld and bring Euripides back to continue staging tragedies.
In the course of the action, it turns out that there is also a competition of poets in the afterlife. Aeschylus and Euripides read their poems. As a result, Dionysus decides to bring Aeschylus back to life. The comedy ends with a choir part in which Aeschylus and Athens are glorified.
