Sophocles was a leader in the field of play. He added a third actor, created or greatly improved stage scenery, increased the number of choruses from 12 to 15, and stopped writing linked tetralogies so that each play could stand on its own as a work of art.
Sophocles as a Classic Playwright
HIS PART IN GREEK TRAGIC WORK
Sophocles was a leader in the field of play. He added a third actor, created or greatly improved stage scenery, increased the number of choruses from 12 to 15, and stopped writing linked tetralogies so that each play could stand on its own as a work of art. In his tragedies, the will of man is more important than the will of the gods. This is not true of Aeschylus' tragedies. The plots of his plays are driven by the characters of the main characters, the changes they go through, and the punishments they have to face. Sophocles is not a philosopher or a person who speculates about life's deeper questions. Instead, he takes religion as it is without questioning it. Even though they have flaws like everyone else, his main figures are usually heroic and driven by high goals. Sophocles may have meant this when he said that he showed people as they should be and Euripides showed them as they were. His great heroes Antigone and Electra are two of his most famous works. In them, he shows how a woman can be both gentle and brave. The lyrics of his plays are less important than those of Aeschylus. They are both charming and grand, but they don't have the mystery and fear of Aeschylus or the "descriptive embroidery" of Euripides. Sophocles' figures talk in a way that is respectful and right for them. The whole thing has a strong simplicity.
According to his own account of how his poetry changed over time, he left behind the grandiosity of Aeschylus, moved on to his own harsh and forced style (as seen in the Electra), and then moved on to a more natural and simple style.
AS A SHOWMAN
Sophocles was held in high regard by Lessing and Racine. Matthew Arnold calls him a relic that has been used in modern times; for example,
"by Whom life was seen steadily and in its entirety,
The quiet glory of the stage in the attic,
Singer of "Colonus and its Sweet Child."
Shelley carried a book of Sophocles with him when he wrote Frankenstein.
was lost at sea. One of the Imaginary Conversations by Landor is about
from Sophocles to Pericles."
DISASTER WITHOUT AN EXCUSE
The Aeschylean world is run by moral rules, and if you break them, bad things will happen. In Sophocles' world, people who do wrong do get punished, but bad things can also happen for no reason or, at most, because of their own carelessness. If Oedipus had been a little more careful and a little less sure of himself, he wouldn't have done what he did. Similarly, Heracles wouldn't have had to go through what he did if he hadn't given Deianeira a reason to use the claimed love poet. But this doesn't explain why a relatively small mistake should have such big effects in a certain situation. Even less does it explain why Deianeira could be a loving, worried, but hopeful wife one minute and a dead body the next. Does Sophocles have any words of comfort or advice for the people who read his work?
NEED OF SHAME AND SENSE
A big part of this pattern, which people call the will of the gods, is faith and purity. Sophocles talks more than any other artist about the need to be respectful. But some of it is not moral and can't be measured. Sophocles talks more than any other artist about the need to be wise. A man should know who he is and where he fits in the world. He should also be able to see the big picture and have a sense of balance, like Antigone, who could only see that Polynices was a dead traitor and not the more important fact that he was dead.
WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A MAN
But neither religion nor intelligence can protect a person from the blows of fate. And there is no way to make Oedipus feel better about what he is going through. Sophocles does have something to give his readers, though. He gives no hope that things will get better. But the serious beauty and dignity of his plays show that he found beauty and respect in people. Even though man is just a shadow, Sophocles gives us a great sense of what it means to be a man and how important it is. Being great and having a good heart is everything. Ajax is not afraid of dying. Antigone knows that she has done her job and that her relatives in the afterlife will be glad to see her. As for Oedipus, there is no question about his greatness at heart.
SOPHOS, THE "COMPLEX"
The hero of Sophocles is complicated and doesn't have just one goal, so he needs to be seen from more than one point of view. Creon's tragedy and Oedipus's tragedy can't be understood unless we know how they treat different people and how different people treat them. Oedipus's care for his people, his kindness to Creon and Teiresias, which quickly turns into suspicion and anger, and Creon's treatment of Haemon are not additions or improvements; they are important to understanding the tragedy. In the same way, the Watchman's unwillingness to face Creon is important because it shows something about the King's personality. It's not just a funny aside. Eteocles's colorless Spy has to be changed into this attractive, real-life figure. This isn't "progress"—it's just common sense. This technique of "undercutting" is used in Oedipus Rex, but it hasn't been used much since then. The fact that Jocasta's bold scepticism falls apart shows that Oedipus is the most important person in the world.
WHY THE THIRD ACTOR IS NECESSARY
Most likely, this is where the third character came from, but there was also an additional cause and a change. No disaster can be caused by just one person; there are always other people involved. Aeschylus saw this important part of tragedy as a straight line, which is why he made a trilogy about it. Either the tragic event is caused by the person's character or it leaves a legacy of tragedy for the next generation. Sophocles sees this idea as a complicated situation that includes more than one person at the same time. Ajax's pride gets him killed, but it also puts his sailors, Tecmessa, and others in danger. Creon's stubbornness puts the Watchman in danger and kills Antigone before it gets to him through Haemon and Eurydice. So, again, there is a need for more players. Eventually, Sophocles started to put more emphasis on how sad events and characters affected each other. This made the situation more complicated. The three players can be used in the most fluid way when the situation is the most complicated.
In Oedipus Rex's two big discovery scenes, the problem isn't quite finished yet. Not only does it get worse, but it gets worse in different ways for the two main characters. Even though the talk between Oedipus and the Corinthian messenger is painfully dramatic on its own, adding Jocasta to the scene makes it more than twice as powerful. The way Jocasta's feelings change from hope to confidence to frozen horror and the way Oedipus's feelings change from fear to a sublime resolve and confidence, with the commonplace cheerfulness of the Corinthian in between, makes for a really great mix of cross-rhythms.
Finglass, P. J. (2019). Sophocles. Cambridge University Press.
Nda, U., & Akpan, M. (2012). Sophocles and Shakespeare: A Comparative Study of Classical and Elizabethan Tragedies. International Journal of Asian Social Science, 1(5), 1-9.
Ormand, K. (Ed.). (2012). A companion to Sophocles (Vol. 91). John Wiley & Sons.
Calder III, W. M. (1959). Sophocles the Playwright.
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Oedipus Rex, the Tragic Hero | Sophocles | Summary, Themes and Characters