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• February 7, 2025
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Are you preparing for the UGC-NET English Literature exam? Yes! You must have read about Greek playwrights like Aeschylus and Euripides. Obviously! But have you heard of Sophocles? Confused? Thinking about who he is. Here is your answer. This blog is solely meant to educate you all on Sophocles’ literary contributions. Let us first know who he was. 

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Who is Sophocles?

After Aeschylus, comes Sophocles, who was considered one of the great ancient Greek tragedians. Interestingly, only seven of his plays have survived. He was the most awarded playwright in the Dionysia dramatic competitions, held in Athens. He was known for his profound dramatic tragedies. In his plays, he added a third actor, which reduced the importance of Chorus in the presentation of the plot. 

Sophocles was born around 496BCE to a wealthy armour manufacturer in the rural community of Hippeios Colonus in Attica. Most of Sophocles’ plays have Attica as their setting. His literary career began in 468 BCE when he received the first prize in the Dionysia theatre competition. 

Gradually, he became the face of theatres and public halls of Athens. He was elected one of the ten strategoi who commanded the armed forces, as a junior colleague of Pericles. In 443 BCE, he served as one of the hellenotamiai, or treasurers of Athena, helping to manage the finances of the city during the political ascendancy of Pericles, and in 413 BCE, he was elected one of the commissioners crafting a response to the catastrophic destruction of the Athenian expeditionary force in Sicily during the Peloponnesian War.

Sophocles’ son, Iophon, and his grandson, also named Sophocles, continued his legacy as a playwright. 

Sophocles’ Writings 

Sophocles made significant contributions to the evolution of Greek drama. Before Sophocles, Greek tragedy relied on two actors and a chorus. He introduced a third actor which reduced the role of chorus and created greater opportunity for the deeper development of character and additional conflict between characters. Most of his plays were focused on fatalism and marked the beginnings of using Socratic logic in drama. After Aeschylus’ death in 456 BCE, Sophocles became the pre-eminent playwrights in Athens. His innovations in stagecraft enhanced the theatrical experience, making his plays more dynamic and visually engaging.

Impact of his writings 

Sophocles’ works have had a profound impact on literature, philosophy, and drama. His exploration of fate, human suffering, and ethical dilemmas influenced later writers such as Aristotle, who praised Oedipus Rex as the perfect tragedy in his Poetics. His themes of justice and morality have been echoed in Shakespearean tragedies and modern existentialist literature.

Toppers Notes UGC NET English

His influence extends beyond literature to psychology and philosophy. The concept of the “Oedipus complex,” coined by Sigmund Freud, is directly inspired by Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, demonstrating how deeply his themes resonate across disciplines.

Sophocles respected the craft of Aeschylus. Therefore, he imitated his work. He also had some reservations about his style. Therefore, Sophocles introduced new ways of evoking feeling out of an audience, and then, he paid more attention to diction in which his characters spoke in a way that was more natural to them and more expressive of their individual character feelings. 

Major Works 

Sophocles is credited with writing over 120 plays, though only seven have survived in complete form. His most famous works include:

1. Oedipus Rex (Oedipus the King)

This tragedy is arguably Sophocles’ greatest masterpiece. It tells the harrowing tale of Oedipus, the King of Thebes, who unknowingly fulfills a prophecy that he will kill his father and marry his mother. The play explores themes of fate, knowledge, and self-discovery, making it one of the most studied tragedies in literature.

2. Antigone

A powerful drama about loyalty, duty, and defiance, Antigone follows the titular character as she defies King Creon’s orders to give her brother a proper burial. The play highlights the conflict between state law and moral duty, a theme that remains relevant today.

3. Electra

In this tragedy, Sophocles presents the story of Electra, who seeks vengeance for her father Agamemnon’s murder. The play delves into themes of justice, revenge, and the consequences of human actions.

4. Ajax

This play focuses on the Greek warrior Ajax after the Trojan War, dealing with issues of honour, pride, and the psychological toll of war. It is one of the earliest portrayals of a tragic hero struggling with his downfall.

5. The Trachiniae (The Women of Trachis)

This lesser-known tragedy explores the tragic fate of Heracles (Hercules) and his wife Deianira, shedding light on themes of love, betrayal, and destiny.

Fragments of many other plays by Sophocles also exist, in varying sizes and conditions, including fragments of “Ichneutae” (“The Tracking Satyrs”), the best preserved satyr play after Euripides‘ “Cyclops” (a satyr play is an ancient Greek form of tragicomedy, similar to the modern-day burlesque style).

This was all about Sophocles. Hope you loved meeting our author of the day. If you want to read such informative blogs, visit our website and subscribe to our social media channels. If you want to join the offline batch, admissions are going on for the same. Get high-quality education for your bright future at the best UGC-NET coaching in Delhi, Sahitya Classes! You can also opt for UGC-NET paper 1 classes and UGC-NET online classes for English Literature exclusively. 

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