Sophocles

Biography of Sophocles

Sophocles was born around 496 BCE near Athens in a deme (small community) called Colonus. From an early age had an education in music, dancing, and athletics. When he was around 15 years old he was chosen to lead a procession of choir boys to sing the paean, which is a type of hymnal praise, in honor of the Victory of Salamis. In 468 BCE, he won first place for the first time in the Dionysian dramatic festival. Before Sophocles' victory in 468 BCE, the poet Aeschylus had been the reigning champion.

It is believed that Cimon, an Athenian statesman, was Sophocles' patron. However, when Cimon was ostracized in 461 BCE by his rival Pericles, it seems that Sophocles' success did not falter.

Around 443 or 442 BCE, Sophocles worked as a Hellenotamiai, which was a treasurer for Athens, and by 441 BCE, was elected as a general working in a campaign against Samos, an island in Greece that was Athens' rival in the 5th century. Sophocles died around the age of 90 in 406 or 405 BCE.

Sophocles lived in Athens, pixabay.

Sophocles's Beliefs

According to Sophocles, human nature—in particular human passion and suffering—are not merely internal, but they also relate to Divine laws and government. The Greek deities were irrational and unpredictable in their alignment with the forces of nature. Humans are ignorant of these forces of nature, until they are faced with a tragic circumstance that reveals to them the universe. Therefore, with Sophocles's beliefs in mind, his plays reveal to the reader that destiny and fate are always lurking in the background; there is little humans can do to escape their divine fates.

Sophocles and Aristotle's philosophy

Sophocles was a playwright and not a philosopher as many may think. However, Sophocles' work, especially Oedipus Rex (429 BC), influenced later philosophers, particularly Aristotle (384 BCE-322BCE). Aristotle was the founder of the Peripatetic school of philosophy.

Aristotle used Sophocles' plays as points of analysis in his philosophical thought, pixabay.

When Aristotle analyzed Sophocles' play Antigone (around 441 BCE), he analyzed it through the lens of the golden mean and role of the Olympian divine.

In many of Sophocles' plays, the Greek gods are unpredictable, irrational, and impulsive which would impact the lives of mortal beings. In Aristotle's belief surrounding the play Antigone, men who choose the middle path between extremes will find a balance and serenity regardless of the actions of the gods above. The characters of Antigone and King Creon represent two opposite extremes and they both face a tragic ending. Aristotle concluded that man is as imperfect as the gods above and therefore should strive to find a balance between extremes to avoid any tragedies.

Plays by Sophocles with Quotes

A majority of Sophocles' plays have been lost to time. Seven tragedies have survived to this day and only two have precise dating: Philoctetes (409 BCE) and the posthumous Oedipus at Colonus (401 BCE).

Sophocles was the author of many tragedies, pixabay.com

The Theban Plays

The Theban Plays refer to three plays written by Sophocles that are set in and around the city of Thebes and have a continuation of characters. Despite being grouped, the plays were not performed as a trilogy and were most likely written at different points throughout Sophocles's life.

Oedipus Rex (circa 429 BCE)

Oedipus is told a terrible prophecy in which he will kill his father and marry his mother, so he leaves his home of Corinth. He left because he believed himself to be the son of King Polybus of Corinth. Through a series of trials and victories, Oedipus becomes the king of Thebes and marries Jocasta, the widowed queen. Oedipus learns during the play that he is the abandoned son of King Laius and Queen Jocasta, and Oedipus realizes the prophecy that he was told—about killing his father and marrying his mother—had come true all along. The play explores the role of destiny, the gods, and generational shame.

Antigone (circa 441 BCE)

Antigone is the daughter of Oedipus and she has to make a difficult decision. Either she can bury the body of her dead brother, Polyneices, outside the city walls where he will be ravaged by animals, or she can bury him inside the city walls and face the punishment of death. King Creon refused to let Polyneices be buried within the city walls because Polyneices was a traitor. Antigone decides to bury her brother within the city walls and is sentenced to death. However, before King Creon can tell Antigone he has changed his mind, she has already committed suicide. This prompts the suicide of King Creon's son Haemon, who Antigone was to marry. This then prompts the suicide of Haemon's mother—King Creon's wife, Eurydice. The play explores extremities in the face of destiny.

Oedipus at Colonus (409 BCE)

The blind Oedipus has been in exile for many years and is only cared for by his daughters: Antigone and Ismene. He arrives in Colonus and is offered protection by Theseus, the King of Athens, against King Creon of Thebes, his brother-in-law. Oedipus's son, Polyneices, decides he will fight against Thebes. Oedipus mysteriously dies, and Polyneices fights his brother Eteocles. As Sophocles' last known play, it is also one of his most beautiful and lyrical plays.

Other plays by Sophocles

Along with Sophocles's Theban plays, four other Tragic plays have survived:

• Ajax (5th century BCE)
• Trachinian Women (after 458 BCE)
• Electra (Date unknown; potentially 420-414 BCE)
• Philoctetes (409 BCE)

As with most of Sophocles' Tragedies, the central theme that appears is that of fate versus free will.

Analysis of Sophocles' plays

Sophocles is known for his Greek Tragedies.

Many of Sophocles's plays focus on how characters respond to pressure, usually caused by some sort of mental strife.

This differs from Aeschylus's works, which Sophocles imitated in his early writings. Aeschylus often focused on the relationship between man and the actions of deities.

Sophocles also continued Aeschylus's addition of a third actor, which expanded the talking parts of the play from two main speakers to three in any given scene. His characters had strong characteristics and would always have some kind of flaw that would lead to their tragic downfall.

Rather than reduce the number of people in the Chorus, however, Sophocles is credited with increasing it from twelve people to fifteen people. The Chorus was an essential element of Greek Tragedies as the Chorus represented the voice of the people and made commentaries on the main actions of the protagonist.

Sophocles also potentially introduced skenographia (scenery paintings) during the performances of his Tragedies to add visual interest and context. It also made the plays feel more local if the audience could recognize the scenery.

Sophocles was also known for his delicate and carefully chosen form of diction and phrases. Sophocles would use elements such as meter, dramatic irony, and occasionally rhyme.

In many of his plays, he used lyric and iambic trimeters which are determined by how syllables are stressed and unstressed in a line of poetry. Iambic trimeters are a meter that contains three or two metrical feet. The language Sophocles would use could range from decorative and lofty, to plain and simple, depending on which character was speaking and what the scenario was. This increased dynamism, and suspense, and added depth to his plays.