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Sophocles- The Greek Tragedian


'Old age and the passage of time teach all things'.
Sophocles 
Sophocles was one of the three Greek tragedians. He was born in 497-96 BCE and died in 405-06 BCE. He lived through most of the century, experiencing the age of Pericles and Peloponnesian war. Sophocles produced his first set of plays in 468 B.C. Sophocles learned much of his art from Aeschylus who is known as the “father of Greek tragedy”. But he developed his own innovations to Greek drama. He increased the chorus strength from 12 to 15, included the use of painted scenery on stage, and also introduced a third actor as a key figure in the play.
Source: BrainyQuote
Sophocles was a prolific writer and his long life enabled him to have a prodigious literary output. He wrote almost 120 plays, but only seven have survived in complete form. He was an innovator in tragedy. In addition to these, he is also believed to have written a book on his dramatic art which has not survived unfortunately. His surviving works are Antigone, Oedipus, Tyrannus, Electra, Ajax, Trachiniae, Philoctetes, and Oedipus at Colonus.
Source: Azquote
                Many aspects of modern tragedy owe their origin to Sophocles. He developed an important character as the central figure and the focus of attention in tragedy. In Aristotle's Poetics, he outlines the major principles of tragedy, citing Sophocles' Oedipus as the paragon of the form. The feeling inspired by the tragedies of Sophocles is that of respect for human life and pity for those who fall victim to their errors of judgement or their fate. The balance between character and fate is very well maintained by Sophocles. Sophocles seems to have pondered deeply over the questions which concern man’s place in the universe, as well as the role of the individual in society. His plays best embody the essence of Greek life and culture at one of the highest points in human history.

For many years, a long tradition of criticism held Sophocles above both Aeschylus and Euripides, hailing his works as the apex of Greek tragedy. Sophocles continued to write and serve in government even during his eighties .Although only seven plays by him have survived; Sophocles is regarded as one of the founding fathers of western drama.


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(This article has been contributed by Dimpi Borah, a student of BA first semester, Department of Englsih, Furkating College.) 
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