Essays on Sophocles

Antigone, penned by Sophocles, is the final play in the trilogy of tragedies, beginning with King Oedipus. The battle between the two sons of the extinct King Oedipus ends with both dying in battle. With the deaths of two brothers, Uncle Creon, the only remaining…

Oedipus the King is a tragedie written by Sophocles where he narrates the life of a great king who went from royalty to exile. The play is in the form of a tragedy whereby all along, the protagonist, Oedipus, is subject to many significant events…

Aristotle’s thoughts rotate around three vital impacts: First, the group of spectators builds up an enthusiastic connection to the awful legend; second, the crowd fears what may occur for the saint; lastly, the group of spectators feels sorry for the enduring legend. The deplorable saint…

Both Sophocles’ Oedipus the King and Plato’s Apology explore the limits of human wisdom. Socrates spends times trying to understand the nature of wisdom and whether the people who claim to possess it actually do. This investigation stems from the oracle, who proclaimed that Socrates…

In society, pride and selfishness are one of man’s most compelling yet detrimental qualities. It can nurture leadership and most importantly success; however, pride can also exhibit a negative universal connotation which is clearly manifested in the characters’ actions and intentions throughout the novel. In…

Oedipus Rex is a complex work of fiction, interweaving several questions throughout its narrative: if gods are manipulators with ulterior motivations, fate versus agency, the blame to be given in such a complex situation, and the irony of Oedipus’ actions. The only direct contact the…

Sophocles’ Antigone (c.441 B.C. E) is a play from the time when power was the truth. It was the time when people’s voices were either bought by wealth or suppressed by power. Although government nowadays are completely different, it is still hard to change what…

Roland, The Martyr Sophocles, an ancient Greek tragedian, said, “It was my care to make my life illustrious not by words more than by deeds.” The Song of Roland is admired as a “chansons de geste” the French term for song of deeds. In this…

Antigone Essay: Tragic Character “Antigone” by Sophocles is a play about a girl who was born cursed to meet a terrible fate. This curse led to a life of misery, and eventually her death. Antigone and her three siblings were fathered by Oedipus, the king…

Weak Character It is a well-known fact of life that even the most accomplished people can feel insecure. They suffer self-doubt and, in some cases, are in constant need of support and assurance that they are the great people everyone else perceives them to be….

I believe that Oedipus the king was initially in denial regarding the heinous crimes he was accused of committing. He was too vain, as he had vanquished the sphinx monster by solving the riddle and he was appointed as the new king of Thebes. He…

War, what is it good for? While Edwin Starr may say that it is good for “absolutely nothin,” war can allow us to better understand past civilizations. This stems from the importance many civilizations placed on certain codes for their warriors to follow. Warrior codes…

Damning and Redemptive Aristotle famously said that “A man doesn’t become a hero until he sees the route of his own downfall.” The tragic hero archetype is a fundamental concept in many of the most important literary works throughout history. This brand of hero possesses…

Oedipus Rex the King by Sophocles is a tragic drama. It is tragic because of what has happened to the protagonist, Oedipus, the unfortunate man who has fallen into a terrible fate without his knowing. What makes this story sad and terrible is the ending…

Antigone A tragic hero is a character that makes an error in judgement or has a fatal flaw which in combination with fate results in a tragedy. Tragic hero’s must fall from good luck and the wellbeing to misery and misfortune. They cause a sense…