... . In addition, if a female role exists in the play, the male actors must assume the persona of a female and wear both an intricate mask and feminine clothing. For example, in the production of Antigone, a male will play the characters of Antigone and Ismene, the two daughters of Oedipus and Iokaste. After hours of preparation, Sophocles will finally conduct the production of his play ... over the conflict of the burial of her slain brother Polynices. Prior to the beginning of Antigone, Polynices and Eteocles, the brother of Polynices, Antigone, and Ismene, engage in a dual that takes the...

• Word Count: 1410
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In the ancient tragedy, Antigone, the Greek dramatist Sophocles presents a primary conflict that features a desperate struggle for dominance and challenges the blind justification of authorial power. Although the tragedy bears the name of its ... be the conflict between the dominant and the subjugated. Specifically, the focus will be on the conflict between father and son. In Sophocles' Antigone, the opposition of Creon and Haemon mirrors the main conflict and is a reflection of the modern dynamics of father-son relationships rendering the subject ... the differences in characterization are r...

• Word Count: 1647
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In the play Antigone, Sophocles at first portrays Creon as a respected leader who formulates a rational basis for his laws and punishments, and has a generally positive reputation among the people of Thebes. By the end of the play Creon's excessive ... realize their hamartia and see their place in the universe. It is this manner that Creon can be seen as the tragic character in the play Antigone. Creon's stubbornness prevents him from being influenced by any other character. He refuses all advice that is in his best interest, which eventually causes his ... realizes that Haimon's death was o...

• Word Count: 951
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... answer, lifting a curse on Thebes, allowing Oedipus to become King, win the hand of Jocasta, Queen of Thebes and have 4 children: Eteocles, Polynice, Antigone, and Ismene. The reader discovers the first element of Aristotle's definition at the height of Oedipus" reign as King. An excellent ruler, Oedipus assures the ... to Aristotle occurs when Oedipus discovers he was the baby that was the child of Laius, whose wife, Jocasta, ordered to have Oedipus killed for she had been told that she would be killed by her own son. Oedipus screams, realizing the truth and flees back into the palace o...

• Word Count: 696
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... consider that the prophecy is not self fulfilling or conditional, or in other words some claim that even though it might be accepted that they existed for purposes of mythology, they do not cause the issues that happen, humans do.  In his essay "On Misunderstanding the Oedipus Rex", E.R. Dodds draws ... instead of investigating himself. One can therefore say that there was not much difference in character between the two while even with the desire for the truth being understood Oedipus could have handled the investigation better. It namely, already seems as if there was nothing else t...

• Word Count: 1353
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... an actor who conversed with the leader of the chorus, and by his reports of events occurring off the stage could provide the chorus with materials for fresh songs in new scenes. Through the addition of a second actor (by Aeschylus) and a third (by Sophocles), the representation was made possible ... When he discovers what he has done, he blinds himself in a paroxysm of horror and remorse. Every tragic situation results in severest suffering for the protagonist. In most cases the protagonist's suffering is so severe that he is destroyed by it, and very often the protagonist's entire .....

• Word Count: 1396
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... of The Oedipus Cycle, a trio of stories about how a man named Oedipus's cunning led him to become the king of Thebes, but an unrelenting search for the truth about his birth coupled with an irascible nature ultimately guided him to his demise. At birth, Oedipus was prophesied to one day kill his father ... the city. Thinking quickly on his feet to try and resolve the issue quickly, Oedipus told the Thebans that if the murderer confessed they would be pardoned for the crime, but would be exiled from the city. Also, no punishment would come to any who came forth with information about the ...

• Word Count: 1488
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... as a savior to the people of the city and constructs his identity around these character traits. Creating such an image of power and authority for himself alters his reality. He is exalted in the insular world of Thebes, but not nearly as powerful in a worldly perspective. Therefore, ... though Teiresias is a reliable prophet with word from the gods. By refusing this prophecy, Oedipus shows that he listens to the gods selectively for good news, rather than fully submitting himself to anything that may be prophesized. He sees himself as so powerful and prosperous that he does ... must b...

• Word Count: 1741
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate