As the course Athens to New York begins, four questions are drilled into our heads as the foundations of the course. These questions might as well be Greek to us, for many college freshmen have never been asked these questions before, not to mention required to take a course that is focused mainly...

People with different views of the way humanity and its laws function reach certain stages of moral development. Kohlberg presents us with these stages of moral development. The individual is categorized under his or her moral priority and the way he or she would handle unexpected situations. In Sop...

There are two major characters that dominate Sophocles's play, Antigone, that drive the play's action. The first is Antigone who seeks to appease the Gods and lay her brother to rest. The opposing figure in this play is Creon, the king of Thebes, who feels that Antigone's brother deserves no suc...

Who Is the Tragic Hero, Antigone or Creon? This analysis is to determine the character that fits the tragic hero profile; it was completely based according to the Aristotelian idea of tragic hero and it is understood that hero is: "...neither purely evil or purely wicked; the hero must bor...

Antigone The main theme for Antigone is that people sometimes have to learn the hard way from their mistakes. This theme is expressed in the final four lines of the play. They read, There is no happiness where there is no wisdom; No wisdom but in submission to the gods. Big wor...

Heroic characters have been portrayed in many ways in literature. The hero character has been shown to be both infallible and imperfect, both strong and weak, and both superhuman and ordinary. Consequently, this central figure has evolved over time to become a very complex character. In his Theba...

In the play Antigone, Sophocles portrays a tragic hero and a heroine through the two characters, Creon and Antigone. According to the nature and concept of the Greek Tragedy and what it means to be a tragic character, it becomes clear that Creon is indeed the tragic hero, a character of high rank w...

ANTIGONE According to Aristotle, "Tragedy, then, is an imitation of a noble and complete action, having the proper magnitude...; it is presented in dramatic, not narrative form, and achieves, through the representation of pitiable and fearful incidents, the catharsis of such incidents"...

Antigone, written by Sophocles, is one of the three dramatic plays with a tragic ending. There are many themes in this play, however in order to understand this play in depth, there are three major themes the reader must identify. These themes are hubris, or better known as pride, Antigone's g...

In Medea by Euripides, a desire for revenge and a determination to redress a moral wrong are both used in a way which conflicts with moral duty. It is in this way that Euripides creates a protagonist in which a maniacal, almost evil aura can be seen. The actions of the antagonist, Jason, drive M...

A) Moira is an ancient Greek word for a predetermined fate. It's meaning points out that everything does not depend on free will. There are certain things in life that one cannot control. Moira plays a central role in Sophocles' Oedipus because the play's conflict is between fate a...

Throughout history mankind has always been faced with judgments. According the Oxford English Dictionary, judgment means "the mental ability to form an opinion" (AHD, 454). We are forced to make decisions based on our "mental opinions." Then, one's actions are based on ...

Tragedy involves the downfall of an important figure, the protagonist, who usually becomes isolated or detached from his or her environment or social standing (Tragic pg). Moreover, the downfall includes others as well, such as his or her family or a society as a whole (Tragic pg). Unlike comedy, w...

The Brutality of Creon Vs. The Admirability of Antigone Many critics feel that in the play "Antigone" by Sophocles, there are two characters that can be considered the tragic hero. Antigone and Creon both display many characteristics that would label them the tragic hero. Creon&apo...

ROLE OF THE CHORUS In both of the plays Electra and Medea the chorus has a large part in terms of interaction in the play itself. The chorus offers advice to the characters of the play throughout their many times of turmoil. The chorus becomes the opposing view of Anaxagoras' theme of "Nous". The c...

The distinction between right and wrong is rarely as simple as it seems; there are often differing values of what constitutes right and wrong among individuals, and therefore it becomes a matter of finding who is more right than the other is. In the play "Antigone" by Sophocles, Creon and Antigone...

Society cannot escape contemporary moral issues. We are continually exposed to situations that bring into question our very system of beliefs. In response to these ethical dilemmas we are forced to adapt and reevaluate our present frame of mind resulting in both positive change and unavoidable str...

Fate vs Free Will - A Close Look at Sophocles' King Oedipus (Oedipus Rex) In the play King Oedipus, Sophocles suggests that while we have free will, this translates into little control over one's lives, as fate cannot be escaped. At the end of the play, Oedipus has been totally destroyed &nd...

In both Sophocles' Oedipus the King and Homer's The Odyssey, the main characters transgress beyond accepted social norms and commit crimes. Odysseus blinds a man, acts recklessly in providing for the safety of his crew, and is unfaithful (repeatedly) to his wife. Oedipus is unkind to a b...

Positive Law vs. Natural Law; Do what you believe is right; This is a phrase common to us all, this is the main focal point of in the play Antigone, written by Sophacles. But how does one define what is right? Is it what we believe in our hearts, or is it what we know is acceptable? Antigone is one...

Ultimate Tragedy "Tragic heroes may be instruments of the divine as well as victims of the divine." The Greek tragedy Electra written by Sophocles exemplifies the idea that tragic heroes are not only conductors of power because but also victims of their own tragedy. E...

Creon's Tragic Flaw When a flaw overcomes a person with dignity, honor, and leadership, it becomes tragic. This tragic flaw conquers a man who has great leadership skills, and eventually causes death once it has taken over completely. This man, by definition a Tragic Hero, experiences a dow...

Antigone and Medea In two different plays, Medea and Antigone by Sophocles, portray two different women, Medea and Antigone, as stubborn and independent individuals. In the stories both women are fighting back for what they want or what they feel is right. Both stories share the lives of stron...

Tragedy was performed in Athens at the annual festival of Dionysus, the Great, or the City, Dionysia in late March. Competition was held on three successive mornings of the festival. Three tragic poets, who had been selected earlier in the year, each presented a tetralogy, consisting of three traged...

Tragedy is the oldest form of drama in the western world. It generally deals with two particular points: fate and faith. This is especially the case in Greek tragedy. These plays always incorporate these two points, fate being that no matter what the main character or other characters try to do...