Sophocles (496-406 BC) is an ancient tragic playwright.
Major works: "Ajax" (442 BC), "Antigone" (441 BC), "Trachinyanki" (date of writing unknown), "Philoctetes". In a brief biography of Sophocles, which is presented on this page, we have collected basic facts about the life and work of the playwright Sophocles.
Born in the suburbs of Athens - Kolon in a wealthy family. He received a good musical education, with which his creative innovations are connected (the use of choirs, solo songs, and the like; a treatise on the choir). This largely influenced the way the biography of Sophocles developed. He owns the fame of a reformer ancient Greek theater. Sophocles was not only fond of the theater, but was also an active political figure, a patriot of his homeland. He has held government and military positions. Was close to the circles of Pericles. As a playwright, he spoke in 468 BC. e. During his life, Sophocles created more than 100 tragedies. At the beginning of the 20th century, an excerpt from the satyr drama Pathfinders was found. Sophocles took the plots for his tragedies from mythology.
In his tragedies, Sophocles raised topical social and moral issues, the main place among which was the problem of the relationship between the individual and state power. The playwright showed inner world their heroes, in which whole, somewhat idealized characters are embodied. His tragedies inspire faith in her strength. Continuing the traditions of Aeschylus, Sophocles developed the genre of tragedy. He increased the number of characters to three, abandoned the plot-related tetralogy, introduced monodies - solo songs, improved scenery, masks, etc.
Speaking about the biography of Sophocles, it is important to note that his work had a significant impact on the development of new drama in Europe, starting from the Renaissance. In Greece, the name of Sophocles was extremely popular and authoritative, so after his death he was revered as a hero.
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Biography of Sophocles (briefly)
In the tragedies of Sophocles, the main thing is not the external course of events, but the internal torment of the heroes. Sophocles usually explains the general meaning of the plot right away. The external denouement of the plot is almost always easy to foresee. Sophocles carefully avoids confusing complications and surprises. His main feature is the tendency to portray people, with all their inherent weaknesses, hesitations, mistakes, and sometimes crimes. The characters of Sophocles are not general abstract embodiments of certain vices, virtues or ideas. Each of them has a bright personality. Sophocles almost strips the legendary heroes of their mythical superhumanity. Just as Socrates brought philosophy from heaven to earth, so the Athenian tragedians (even before Socrates) brought down the demigods from their pedestals, and removed the gods from direct interference in human destinies, leaving behind them only the role of supreme moral arbitrators.
The catastrophes that befall the heroes of Sophocles are prepared by the properties of their characters and circumstances, but they are always retribution for the guilt of the hero himself, as in Ajax, or his ancestors, as in Oedipus Rex and Antigone. Oedipus must bear the punishment for the guilt of his criminal father, but he himself does not deserve a heavy share. The crimes committed by him in ignorance - and Oedipus receives from the gods complete forgiveness and even the glory of the righteous. Family atrocities doom Oedipus' daughter, Antigone, to an evil fate. But she, too, is full of pure motives, and, having undergone execution, leaves behind a reverent memory. Sophocles in a deeply human sense interprets the ancient legends of folk fantasy. But with all this, his characters do not lose their ideality and do not go down, like in Euripides, to the level of everyday life.
According to Sophocles, a person is subject to fate, which often subjects him to severe trials and suffering. But the gods are merciful to those who, even in adversity, do not leave personal dignity, do not cease to hold on to high moral ideals. Sophocles is inclined to give more freedom to the personal human will than Aeschylus. Unable to change external circumstances, this will determines the measure of steadfastness shown by a person in adversity, his ability to overcome base impulses. It does not depend on the gods - they only give a moral assessment of the choice made by a person, and in accordance with this determine punishments and rewards.
Marble relief supposedly depicting Sophocles
According to the Athenian penchant for dialectics, the tragedy of Sophocles develops in a verbal contest between two opponents. It helps the viewer to better understand their rightness or wrongness. But, unlike Euripides, in Sophocles, verbal discussions are not the center of dramas. Scenes filled with deep pathos and at the same time devoid of Euripides' pomposity and rhetoric are found in all the tragedies of Sophocles that have come down to us. These are the magnificent laments of Dejanira, Antigone, Ajax before death, Philoctetes, Oedipus (who realized that he was the wicked one who called the wrath of the gods on Thebes).
By combining high heroism and deep suffering from disasters generated by irreparable fate in the main characters, Sophocles achieves the highest effect. Heroes of Sophocles are experiencing severe mental anguish, but positive characters, even in them, retain the full consciousness of their rightness.
Tragedies of Sophocles (briefly)
Seven tragedies of Sophocles have come down to us, of which three belong to the Theban cycle of myths (“Oedipus Rex”, “Oedipus in Colon”, “Antigone”), one to Hercules (“Trachinyanki”) and three to the Trojan (“Ajax”, “Electra and Philoctetes). About 1000 fragments from other tragedies have also survived.
Sophocles. video film
(circa 496-406 BC) ancient Greek playwright
Along with Aeschylus and Euripides, Sophocles is considered a great playwright. Ancient Greece, a master of classical tragedy. His fame and glory were so great that even after the death of the playwright they called him heros dexion (“right husband”).
Sophocles was born in the Athenian city of Kolon in the family of a wealthy owner of weapons workshops. The high social position predetermined the fate of the future playwright. He received an excellent general and artistic education and already in his youth he became famous as one of the best Athenian choirists - choir leaders during dramatic performances. Later, Sophocles was entrusted with the most important position in Athens - the keeper of the treasury of the Athenian Maritime Union, and, in addition, he was one of the strategists.
Thanks to his friendship with Pericles, the ruler of Athens, as well as with the famous historian Herodotus and the sculptor Phidias, Sophocles combined literature with active political activity.
Like other Greek playwrights, he regularly competed in poetry competitions. Scientists have calculated that in total he performed more than thirty times, and won twenty-four victories and only six times took second place. Sophocles defeated Aeschylus for the first time at the age of 27.
According to contemporaries, he wrote 123 tragedies, of which only seven have survived to this day. They are all story based. ancient Greek mythology. Basically, the heroes of Sophocles are strong and uncompromising personalities. Such is Ajax, the hero of the tragedy of the same name, offended by the unfair decision of the leaders. The wife of Hercules Dejanira, suffering from love and jealousy, who inadvertently became the culprit of his death (The Trachinian Women, 409 BC) has a similar character.
The most significant are the tragedies of Sophocles "Oedipus the King" (429) and "Antigone" (443). Exiled from his kingdom, Oedipus tries to understand the reasons for such a harsh decision of the elders and dies when he learns that he has become the husband of his mother. Such acute dramatic conflicts later became the basis of the aesthetics of the plays of the period of classicism, the basis of plots in the works of P. Corneille and J. Racine.
Sophocles sought to make his tragedies more dynamic and expressive. To do this, he invented painted theatrical scenery, which helped the audience to feel the drama of what is happening. Prior to this, the whole action was explained by the choir, which appeared with the corresponding signs (“forest”, “house”, “temple”).
In addition, Sophocles for the first time brought to the stage not two, but three characters, which made their dialogue more lively and deep. In his works, actors sometimes even portrayed abstract concepts: for example, in the tragedy Oedipus Rex, a special actor played the role of Doom, the personification of ruthless fate.
Sophocles also simplified the language of his plays, leaving the slow hexameter only for the chorus. Now the speech of the characters was constantly changing, approaching a natural human conversation. Sophocles believed that the playwright should portray people as they should be, and not as they really are. He outlined his views in a treatise on the theory of drama and choral singing that has not come down to us. Even during the life of the author, his tragedies were recognized as exemplary, and they were studied in schools. Even at the end of the ancient era, already in Ancient Rome, Sophocles was considered an unattainable role model.
Apparently, therefore, other playwrights often used his tragedies as a source for their works. They were much more dynamic and believable than the plays of his contemporaries. Of course, the authors of different eras shortened their text, but always retained the main thing - its courageous and just heroes.
In addition to tragedies, Sophocles also wrote satirical dramas. A fragment of one of them called "Pathfinder" is known.
) participated in folk holiday as a choir leader. Twice he was elected to the post of strategist and once acted as a member of the collegium in charge of the union treasury. The Athenians chose Sophocles as a strategist in 440 BC. e. during the Samian War, under the impression of his tragedy Antigone, the setting of which on the stage, therefore, dates back to 441 BC. e.
His main occupation was composing tragedies for the Athenian theatre. The first tetralogy, set by Sophocles in 469 BC. e. , brought him victory over Aeschylus and opened a series of victories won on stage in competitions with other tragedians. The critic Aristophanes Byzantine attributed 123 tragedies to Sophocles (including Antigone).
Sophocles was distinguished by a cheerful, sociable character, did not shy away from the joys of life, as can be seen from the words of a certain Cephalus in Plato's "State" (I, 3). He was closely acquainted with the historian Herodotus. Sophocles died at the age of 90, in 405 BC. e. in the city of Athens. The townspeople built an altar to him and annually honored him as a hero.
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In accordance with the successes that tragedy owed to Sophocles, he made innovations in the stage production of plays. So, he increased the number of actors to three, and the number of choirs from 12 to 15, while at the same time reducing the choral parts of the tragedy, improved the scenery, masks, the sham side of the theater in general, made a change in the staging of tragedies in the form of tetralogy, although it is not known exactly what this change was. Finally, he also introduced painted decorations. All the changes were intended to give more movement to the course of the drama on the stage, to strengthen the illusion of the audience and the impression received from the tragedy. Preserving for the presentation the character of honoring the deity, the priesthood, which was the tragedy originally, by its very origin from the cult of Dionysus, Sophocles humanized him much more than Aeschylus. The humanization of the legendary and mythical world of gods and heroes inevitably followed, as soon as the poet focused his attention on a deeper analysis of the mental states of the heroes, who were known to the public until now only from the external vicissitudes of their earthly life. portray peace of mind demigods were perhaps nothing more than traits of mere mortals. The beginning of this treatment of legendary material was laid by the father of tragedy, Aeschylus: it is enough to recall the images of Prometheus or Orestes he created; Sophocles followed in the footsteps of his predecessor.
Characteristic features of dramaturgy
Sophocles liked to play heroes with different life principles(Creon and Antigone, Odysseus and Neoptolem, etc.) or to oppose each other people with the same views, but with different characters - to emphasize the strength of the character of one when it collides with another, weak character (Antigone and Ismene, Electra and Chrysothemis). He loves and knows how to portray the mood swings of the characters - the transition from the highest intensity of passions to a state of decline, when a person comes to a bitter realization of his weakness and helplessness. This fracture can also be observed in Oedipus in the finale of the tragedy Oedipus Rex, and in Creon, who learned about the death of his wife and son, and in Ajax, who regains consciousness (in the tragedy Ajax). The tragedies of Sophocles are characterized by dialogues rare in skill, dynamic action, naturalness in untying complex dramatic knots.
Plots of tragedies
In almost all tragedies that have come down to us, it is not a series of situations or external events that attracts the attention of the audience, but a sequence of mental states experienced by the characters under the influence of relationships that are immediately clearly and finally set in tragedy. The content of "Oedipus" is one moment from the inner life of the hero: the discovery of the crimes he committed before the tragedy.
Surviving plays
- " Trakhinyanki"(c. 450-435 BC)
- "Ajax" ("Eant", "Scourge") (between the mid-450s and mid-440s BC)
- Antigone (c. 442-441 BC)
- "Oedipus Rex" ("Oedipus the Tyrant") (c. 429-426 BC)
One of the three greatest tragic poets of classical antiquity. Sophocles was born in the village of Kolon (the setting of his last drama), about 2.5 km north of the Acropolis. His father, Sophill, was a wealthy man. Sophocles studied music with Lampr, an outstanding representative of the high school, and in addition, he took prizes in athletic competitions. In his youth, Sophocles was distinguished by his extraordinary beauty, which is probably why he was assigned to lead the choir of young men who sang thanksgiving hymns to the gods after the victory over the Persians at Salamis (480 BC). Twelve years later (468 BC) Sophocles took part in the theatrical festivities for the first time and won the first prize, surpassing his great predecessor Aeschylus. The competition between the two poets aroused the liveliest interest in the public. From that moment until his death, Sophocles remained the most popular of the Athenian playwrights: more than 20 times he was the first in the competition, many times the second and never took the third place (there were always three participants). He was not equal in terms of the amount of writing: it is reported that Sophocles owned 123 dramas. Sophocles enjoyed success not only as a playwright, he was generally a popular personality in Athens. Sophocles, like all Athenians in the 5th century, actively participated in public life. He may have been a member of the important board of treasurers of the Athenian League in 443-442 BC, and it is certain that Sophocles was chosen as one of the ten generals who commanded the punitive expedition against Samos in 440 BC. Perhaps twice more Sophocles was elected strategist. Already at a very advanced age, when Athens was going through an era of defeat and despair, Sophocles was chosen as one of the ten "proboules" (Greek "adviser"), who were entrusted with the fate of Athens after the disaster that befell the expedition to Sicily (413 BC). ). Thus, the successes of Sophocles in the state field are not inferior to his poetic achievements, which is quite typical both for Athens in the 5th century and for Sophocles himself.
Sophocles was famous not only for his devotion to Athens, but also for his piety. It is reported that he founded the sanctuary of Hercules and was the priest of one of the minor healing deities, Halon or Alcon, associated with the cult of Asclepius, and that he hosted the god Asclepius in his own house until his temple in Athens was completed. (The cult of Asclepius is established in Athens in 420 BC; the deity hosted by Sophocles was almost certainly the sacred serpent.) After his death, Sophocles was deified under the name "hero Dexion" (this name is derived from the root "dex- ”, in Greek “to receive”, perhaps recalls how he “received” Asclepius).
There is a widely known anecdote about how Sophocles was summoned to court by his son Iophon, who wanted to prove that the aged father was no longer able to manage the family's property. And then Sophocles convinced the judges of his mental usefulness, reciting an ode in honor of Athens from Oedipus in Colon. This story is certainly fictitious, since the reports of contemporaries confirm that the last years of Sophocles passed as serenely as the beginning of his life, and he maintained the best relations with Jophon to the end. The last thing we know about Sophocles is his act upon receiving news of the death of Euripides (in the spring of 406 BC). Then Sophocles dressed the members of the choir in mourning and led them to the "proagon" (a kind of dress rehearsal before the competition of tragedians) without celebratory wreaths. In January 405 BC, when the comedy of Aristophanes was staged frogs Sophocles was no longer alive.
Contemporaries saw in his life a continuous series of successes. "Blessed Sophocles," exclaims the comedian Phrynichus in Muses(delivered in January 405 BC). “He died having lived a long life, he was happy, smart, composed many beautiful tragedies and died safely, without experiencing any troubles.”
The seven tragedies that have come down to us, by all accounts, belong to the late period of Sophocles' work. (In addition, a papyrus was published in 1912 that preserved more than 300 complete lines from the amusing satyr drama Pathfinders.) On the basis of ancient sources, the dates of staging tragedies are reliably established Philoctetes(409 BC), Oedipus in Colon(posthumous production 401 BC) and Antigone(a year or two before 440 BC). Tragedy Tsar Oedipus usually attributed to 429 BC, since the mention of the sea may be associated with a similar disaster in Athens. Tragedy ajax stylistically, it should be attributed to an earlier period than Antigone, regarding the two remaining plays, philologists have not come to a consensus, although most suggest a fairly early date for the tragedy trachinian women(until 431 BC) and later - for electra(c. 431 BC). So the seven surviving plays can be arranged roughly in this order: ajax,Antigone,trachinian women,Oedipus Rex, Electra,Philoctetes,Oedipus in Colon. It is known that Sophocles received the first prize for Philoctetes and the second for Oedipus Rex. Probably the first place was awarded Antigone, since it is known that it was thanks to this tragedy that Sophocles was elected strategist in 440 BC. There is no information about other tragedies, it is only known that they were all awarded either first or second place.
Technique.
Sophocles' most striking innovation in the genre of Attic tragedy was the reduction in the scope of drama by abandoning the trilogy form. As far as we know, the three tragedies that Sophocles presented at the annual competition were always three independent works, without any plot connections between them (therefore, talking about tragedies Antigone, Oedipus Rex And Oedipus in Colon as about the "Theban Trilogy" is to make a gross mistake). The Tragedies of Aeschylus (with the exception of the trilogy, which included Persians) invariably combined into a trilogy in the literal sense of the word - in dramatic work in three parts connected by a common plot, common characters and motives. The drama of Sophocles takes us from the cosmic perspective of action (the will of the deity is carried out in the actions and suffering of people from generation to generation) to a condensed presentation of this moment of crisis and revelation. It is enough to compare Oresteia Aeschylus, where the central event, matricide, is preceded by an image of its causes ( Agamemnon) and then showing its consequences ( Eumenides), with a mysterious Elektra Sophocles, a tragedy in which the dramatic transmission of the main event turns out to be self-sufficient. The new technique made the divine will less significant, which in Aeschylus interferes with the action, overcoming the human motives of the heroes, and emphasized the importance of the human will. The consequences of this shift in emphasis were twofold. On the one hand, Sophocles could concentrate completely on the character of his heroes, bringing to the stage a whole series of surprisingly idiosyncratic characters (thus, in electra we are dealing with a spectacular move when the character of the character is subjected to a full-scale and subtle analysis, which almost does not take part in the action). On the other hand, due to the unprecedented cost savings for the development of the plot of Sophocles in his best examples (for example, Oedipus Rex) is unparalleled in the entire history of Western literature.
It was to be expected that the rejection of the trilogy would entail a reduction in the role of the choir, which in the dramas of Aeschylus invariably correlates the actions and sufferings of the individual with the whole picture of divine providence, connecting the present with the past and the future. Indeed, the lyrical part of the choir in Sophocles is much less than that of Aeschylus. IN Philoctetes(to take an extreme case) the choir is fully involved in the action as a full-fledged character, and practically everything that is said to them revolves around a specific situation in the drama. Nevertheless, in most tragedies, Sophocles still uses the chorus skillfully and carefully to give greater scope to the moral and theological dilemma that arises in connection with the action.
But Sophocles was most famous for another technical innovation: the appearance of a third actor. This happened earlier than 458 BC, since in this year Aeschylus already uses in orestee a third actor, albeit in his own, Aeschylus, way. The goal pursued by Sophocles, introducing a third actor, becomes apparent when reading the brilliant scenes with three participants, which are almost the pinnacle of Sophocles' drama. Such, for example, is the conversation between Oedipus, the Messenger from Corinth and the shepherd ( Oedipus Rex), as well as an earlier scene in the same tragedy - while Oedipus questions the Messenger, Jocasta already sees the terrible truth. The same applies to Lich's cross-examination in Trachinyanki, which is arranged by the Herald and Dejanira. Aristotle's indication that Sophocles also introduced "scenography", i.e. Literally translated from Greek as “painting the stage”, it still gives rise to disputes between specialists, which can hardly be resolved due to the extreme scarcity of information about the technical side of theatrical productions in the 5th century.
Worldview.
The fact that the playwright's attention is focused on the actions of people, and the divine will is relegated to the background, incl. it, as a rule, appears in the play as a prophecy, and not the root cause or direct intervention in the action, suggests that the author adhered to a "humanistic" point of view (although an elegant attempt has recently been made to characterize Sophocles' worldview as "heroic heroism"). However, Sophocles makes a different impression on most readers. The few details of his life known to us indicate a deep religiosity, and the tragedies confirm this. In many of them, we see a person who, during the crisis he is experiencing, encounters the mystery of the universe, and this mystery, shaming all human tricks and insight, inevitably brings defeat, suffering and death to him. The typical hero of Sophocles relies entirely on his knowledge at the beginning of the tragedy, and ends with the admission of complete ignorance or doubt. Human ignorance is a constant theme of Sophocles. It finds its classic and most terrifying expression in Oedipus Rex, but is also present in other plays, even Antigone's heroic enthusiasm is poisoned by doubt in her final monologue. Human ignorance and suffering is opposed by the mystery of the deity possessing the fullness of knowledge (his prophecies invariably come true). This deity is a certain image of perfect order and, perhaps, even justice, incomprehensible to the human mind. The underlying motive of the tragedies of Sophocles is humility before the incomprehensible forces that direct the fate of man in all their secrecy, grandeur and mystery.
In such a world order, the human will to act would have to weaken, if not completely disappear, but the heroes of Sophocles are distinguished precisely by their stubborn focus on action or knowledge, they are characterized by a fierce assertion of their independence. Oedipus Rex persistently and adamantly searches for the truth about himself, despite the fact that he will have to pay for the truth with his reputation, power and, finally, his eyesight. Ajax, finally realizing the precariousness of human existence, renounces it and fearlessly throws himself at the sword. Philoctetes, despising the persuasion of friends, the implicit command of the oracle and the promise of healing from a painful illness, stubbornly rejects his heroic appointment; to convince him, the appearance of the deified Hercules is required. Similarly, Antigone despises public opinion and the threat of the death penalty from the state. No playwright was able to glorify the power of the human spirit in such a way. The precarious balance between the omniscient providence of the gods and the heroic onslaught of the human will becomes a source of dramatic tension, thanks to which the plays of Sophocles are still full of life, not only when reading, but also on the theater stage.
TRAGEDIES
Ajax.
The action of the tragedy begins from the moment when Ajax, who was bypassed by the award (the armor of the deceased Achilles, intended for the bravest hero, was awarded to Odysseus), decided to do away with both Atrid kings and Odysseus, but in the madness sent by the goddess Athena, he exterminated the cattle captured from the Trojans. In the prologue, Athena demonstrates Ajax's madness to his enemy, Odysseus. Odysseus regrets Ajax, but the goddess does not know compassion. In the next scene, the mind returns to Ajax and with the help of the captive concubine Tekmessa, the hero becomes aware of what he has done. Realizing the truth, Ajax decides to commit suicide, despite Tekmessa's touching persuasions. A famous scene follows, in which Ajax is presented thinking about what he has conceived with himself, his speech is full of ambiguities, and at the end of her chorus, believing that Ajax has abandoned the idea of \u200b\u200bsuicide, sings a joyful song. However, in the very next scene (which has no parallel in the Attic tragedy), Ajax is stabbed to death in front of the audience. His brother Teucer appears too late to save the life of Ajax, but he manages to defend the body of the deceased from the Atrids, who wanted to leave their enemy without burial. Two scenes of a furious argument lead opponents to a dead end, but with the appearance of Odysseus, the situation is resolved: he manages to convince Agamemnon to allow an honorable burial.
Antigone.
Antigone decides to bury her brother Polynices, who died while trying to conquer his native city. She goes to this contrary to the order of Creon, the new ruler of Thebes, according to which the body of Polynices should be thrown to birds and dogs. The guard seizes the girl and brings her to Creon; Antigone despises the ruler's threats, and he sentences her to death. Creon's son Haemon (Antigone's fiancé) tries in vain to soften his father. Antigone is taken away and imprisoned in an underground dungeon (Creon commuted his initial sentence - stoning), and in her wonderful monologue, which, however, some publishers do not recognize as truly Sophocles, Antigone tries to analyze the motives of her act, reducing them in the end to purely personal affection to her brother and forgetting about the religious and family duty to which she referred initially. The prophet Tiresias orders Creon to bury Polynices, Creon tries to object, but in the end he gives up and goes to bury the deceased, and also to release Antigone, but the messenger sent reports that when he arrived in the dungeon, Antigone had already hanged herself. Haemon draws his sword, threatening his father, but then turns the weapon against himself. Upon learning of this, Creon's wife Eurydice leaves the house in grief and also commits suicide. The tragedy ends with the incoherent lamentations of Creon, who brought the body of his son onto the stage.
King Oedipus.
The people of Thebes come to Oedipus with a plea to save the city from the plague. Creon announces that it is first necessary to punish the murderer of Laius, who was king before Oedipus. Oedipus begins searching for the perpetrator. Tiresias, summoned on the advice of Creon, accuses Oedipus of the murder. Oedipus sees in all this a conspiracy inspired by Creon, and sentences him to death, but cancels his decision, succumbing to the persuasion of Jocasta. The subsequent complex plot is difficult to retell. Oedipus brings the search for the killer and the truth hidden from him to the sad conclusion that the killer of Laius is himself, that Laius was his father, and his wife Jocasta is his mother. In a terrifying scene, Jocasta, having figured out the truth before Oedipus, tries to stop his persistent search, and when she fails, she retires to the royal palace to hang herself there. In the next scene, Oedipus also realizes the truth, he also runs into the palace, after which the Messenger comes out to report: the king has deprived himself of his sight. Soon, Oedipus himself appears before the audience with a face covered in blood. The most heartbreaking scene in the whole tragedy follows. In his final dialogue with Creon, the new ruler of Thebes, Oedipus gets over himself and somewhat regains his former self-confidence.
Elektra.
Orestes returns to his native Argos along with the Mentor, who accompanied him in exile. The young man intends to enter the palace under the guise of a stranger who brought an urn with the ashes of Orestes, who allegedly died in a chariot race. From that moment on, Elektra becomes the dominant person on the stage, who, since the killers dealt with her father, has been living in poverty and humiliation, harboring hatred in her soul. In dialogues with her sister Chrysothemis and mother Clytemnestra, Electra reveals the full measure of her hatred and determination to take revenge. The Mentor appears with a message about the death of Orestes. Electra loses her last hope, but still tries to persuade Chrysothemis to join her and attack Clytemnestra and Aegisthus together, when her sister refuses, Electra swears that she will do everything herself. Here Orestes enters the stage with a funeral urn. Elektra delivers a touching farewell speech over her, and Orestes, who recognized this embittered, aged woman dressed in rags as her sister, loses his temper, forgets his original plan and reveals the truth to her. The joyful embrace of brother and sister is interrupted by the arrival of the Mentor, who brings Orestes back to reality: it's time for him to go kill his mother. Orestes obeys, leaving the palace, he answers all the questions of Electra with dark, ambiguous speeches. The tragedy ends with an extremely dramatic scene when Aegisthus, bending over the body of Clytemnestra and believing that this is the corpse of Orestes, opens the face of the murdered woman and recognizes her. Urged on by Orestes, he goes into the house to meet his death.
Philoctetes.
On the way to Troy, the Greeks left Philoctetes, suffering from the consequences of a snake bite, on the island of Lemnos. IN Last year During the siege, the Greeks learn that Troy will submit only to Philoctetes, who wields the bow of Hercules. Odysseus and Neoptolemus, the young son of Achilles, go to Lemnos to bring Philoctetes to Troy. Of the three ways to possess a hero - force, persuasion, deceit - they choose the latter. Intrigue turns out to be perhaps the most intricate thing in Greek tragedy, and therefore it is not easy to summarize it. However, we see how, through all the intricacies of the plot, Neoptolemus gradually abandons the lies in which he has become entangled, so that the character of his father speaks in him with ever greater force. In the end, Neoptolemus reveals the truth to Philoctetes, but then Odysseus intervenes, and Philoctetes is left alone, taking away his bow. However, Neoptolemus returns and, defying Odysseus's threats, returns the bow to Philoctetes. Then Neoptolemus tries to persuade Philoctetes to go under Troy with him. But Philoctetes can only be convinced when the deified Hercules appears to him and says that the bow was given to him to accomplish a heroic feat.
Oedipus in Colon.
Oedipus, expelled from Thebes by his sons and Creon, leaning on the hand of Antigone, comes to Colon. When he is told the name of this place, some unusual confidence is instilled in him: he believes that it is here that he will die. Ismena comes to his father to warn him: the gods have announced that his grave will make invincible the land in which he will lie. Oedipus decides to provide this benefit to Athens by placing a curse on Creon and his own sons. Creon, vainly trying to convince Oedipus, takes Antigone by force, but King Theseus comes to the aid of Oedipus and returns his daughter to him. Polyneices is to ask for help from his father against his brother, who seized power in Thebes, but Oedipus renounces him and curses both sons. There is a thunderclap, and Oedipus retires to meet his death. He mysteriously disappears, and only Theseus knows where Oedipus is buried.
This unusual play, which was written at the end of the war lost by Athens, is filled with a poetic sense of patriotism towards Athens and is a testament to Sophocles' confidence in immortality. hometown. The death of Oedipus is a religious riddle, hardly comprehensible to the modern mind: the closer Oedipus comes to divinity, the tougher, embittered and furious he becomes. So unlike King Lear with which this tragedy has often been compared, Oedipus in Colon shows the path from the humble acceptance of fate in the prologue to the righteous, but almost superhuman rage and majestic self-confidence that the hero experiences in the last minutes of earthly life.
