Sophocles

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• Sophocles
• 496-406 BC
• Greatest of Greek playwrights

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Sophocles

• Born in Colonnus, suburb of Athens
• Father was wealthy sword-maker or carpenter.
  Provided arms for armies
• Provided with best traditional, aristocratic
  education
• Gifted musician
• As a boy, won prizes for wrestling and music

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Sophocles

• In 468, at age 28, he defeated Aeschylus for
  prize of Dionysus.
• From 468, Sophocles won first prize 24 times.
• Wrote 123 plays 7 survive.

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Broke many traditions

• Added a third actor.
• Increased chorus from 12-15 players.
• Abandoned practice of writing trilogies and
  interdependent plays.
• Removed his characters from the world of fable
  and gave them human feelings and flaws.

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Sophocles

• Tremendously popular. Everyone liked him.
• Lived to age 90.
• His life coincides with period of greatness in
  Athens.
• Hailed as a favorite of the gods
• Aeschylus is father of Greek tragedy Sophocles
  is known as greatest playwright.

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Sophocles

• Served Athens as a general (elected post in
  Athens.)
• Was quite patriotic
• Was quite religious

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Oedipus

• Story was old and well known to audiences.
• Hero is his own destroyer.
• First detective story. Oedipus is the detective
  who tracks down and identifies the criminal who
  turns out to be himself.

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Oedipus

• Oraclesvoice of destiny.
• Oracles were an institution as present and solid
  as organized religion is for us.
• Gods know everything, including the future.
• Advice of gods is precious.
• Apollomost influential dispenser of advice

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Prophesy

• Key question of 5th century BC
• Age of intellectual revolution.
• Philosophers and sophists were examining all
  accepted ideas with a critical eye.
• Skepticism.
• SignificanceIf gods did not know the future,
  they didnt really know anything more than man.

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Themes

• Guiltless guilt.
• Worst possible punishment
• Discovery of truth/Moment of truth
• Recognition scene
• What is an ideal ruler?
• Role of fate in lives of men?
• Tragedy of fate/tragedy of destiny

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Themes

• Individual responsibility
• Is a man responsible for his own actions?
• Is there such a thing as free will? What is
  relationship between fate and free will.
• Man is ignorant knowledge belongs to the gods.