«greek Tragedies» Essay Sample

Aeschylus and Sophocles are the two greatest dramatists of Ancient Greece. Both of them wrote their works in the fifth century BC, and along with Euripides were the greatest Greek tragedians. The main motive of tragedies Aeschylus' and "Oedipus the King" and Sophocles' "Agamemnon" is idea of omnipotence of fate and hopelessness of the fight with it. These tragedies are also about sufferings, not only sufferings but fair sufferings to main characters. Both authors have used in their texts violence as the punishment for previous crimes. It can be sought in the different episodes from the tragedies. Both tragedies are characterized by existence of declamatory prologue - beginning and choirs that share the tragedy so apart that in modern drama called acts. Among the Greek tragedies there are many deep and more powerful tragedies than the "Oedipus the King" by Sophocles, but there is not one in which philosophical depth and tragic force would be combined with inimitable grace, with such a noble grace and perfection of the external form.
Over the whole tragedy reigns, as a symbolic statue above the temple, the image of a monster with a face woman with wings, with sharp claws, with a lion's body, with a dangerous mysterious speech - the Sphinx, the incarnation of Fate, the unknown doom.
The problem of the relations of Man and the Fate - and in fact the Destiny of Man (different names do not change the essence of the phenomenon) - tried to solve all the world's religions. The entire system of beliefs, rituals, superstitions is a byproduct of the interaction of human consciousness with the unknown. In this regard, the good example is the fate of Oedipus, accident Theban king. All his life is continuous investigation of his own crimes, the continuous search for the truth, consisting of a set of local clues.
Oedipus, of Corinth, was the young hero that has quickly defeated the Sphinx. Oedipus has saved his people from the terrible and deadly charm -he had allowed riddle of Sphinx. Thus, at the beginning of the tragedy, he described as the father and savior of the people, the liberator of mankind from the dark forces of Doom, the hero of reason and faith. The people believe in him, and he believes in himself, people thought he was wise as a god, and he considers himself a god, if not, then equal to it.
However, Oedipus was only man. The victory of the mind and will over the Sphinx- was only temporary victory. However, Sphinx fled, leaving the tormented people, but not quite. Still seductive and mocking, he settled in the heart of the hero. It soon again will set in his mind unsolvable riddles, and entangle its network of tricks. That is the horror of the tragedy: Sphinx is not outside, not in nature, but inside, in the soul of its winner. It is worse than any beast of prey, because it elusive and incorporeal, like a ghost, it is the mystery of life.
Oedipus has died not only because he was guilty, but because he wanted to be too great for human strength, too daring enemy for Destiny and mysteries of the ancient Sphinx. He sought to excessive and impossible, its power turned into despotism, he was above all the people forgot their human nature, scoffed at the prophecies of the gods, he wanted to be a god:

Insolence gives birth to tyranny—

that insolence which vainly crams itself
and overflows with so much wealth
beyond what’s right or beneficial,
that once it’s climbed the highest rooftop,
it’s hurled down by force—such a quick fall
there’s no safe landing on one’s feet. (“Oedipus the King” 1041-1047)
Horror and fascination of this tragedy, mainly lies in the inevitable slow and gradual approach to the mystery. This is a terrible as death, approaches, step by step, grows from a tiny grain quietly and steadily, and finally covers and absorbs the sacrifice. At the beginning of the tragedy Oedipus was at the top of glory and power; his people worshiping. The first shadow, the first hint of suspicion flashed after the words of Tiresias. Oedipus irritated fearful omissions of the prophet. Dispute has erupted between them, the king offended the prophet, while the prophet called him a murderer of old king Laius.
He was indignant by insult and has begun to suspect Tiresias and Creon of plotting against his government, and with the greatest zeal himself before the people began to look for a true villain - murderer of Laius. However, in the end he finds out the truth that he is a murderer Laius.
The last scene of despair Oedipus blinding him, his shame, his curse of the gods, written with such power and ruthlessness of realism that pity and horror, disgust has mixed at minds of readers:

It was Apollo. He brought on these troubles—

the awful things I suffer. But the hand
which stabbed out my eyes was mine alone.

In my wretched life, why should I have eyes

when nothing I could see would bring me joy? (“Oedipus the King” 1593-1587)
However, harmony is not disturbed, beauty wins the horror and tragedy of the last scenes is illuminated by reconciling tenderness. He forgets himself, his grief and his pride, thinking only of his own poor, the outcast and abandoned children. Love gives the true immortality of the human will, and love conquers blind force of Destiny.
In Aeschylus' trilogy "The Oresteia" and in particular in the tragedy "Agamemnon" theme of punishment for crimes and inexorable fate described by author even deeply than in "Oedipus the King." This tragedy is about Agamemnon that was the king of Argos and the most powerful king in the latest generation of Greek heroes. He was the chief of all the Greek forces in the Trojan War, and then defeated and destroyed Troy. However, his fate was terrible, and the fate of his son Orestes - even worse. They had to commit crimes and to pay for the crimes - their own and others.
Agamemnon's father Atreus brutally fought for power with his brother Thyestes. In this struggle, Thyestes seduced the wife of Atreus, and Atreus for that killed two young children of Thyestes and fed their meat to Thyestes that didn't know about it father. For this to Atreus and his family has laid down a terrible curse. The third son of Thyestes named Aegisthus, has escaped and grown up in a foreign land. He knew everything about these events, and sought only one thing: revenge for his father.
Artemis has sent the winds down on Greek ships during the Trojan War, and the redemption demands a human sacrifice - a young Iphigenia, daughter of Agamemnon and his wife Clytemnestra. The duty of the leader has defeated the Agamemnon's father feelings: he killed Iphigenia in spite of her pleading and crying, doing it for the sake of war. The Greeks sail to Troy, and in Argos remains Clytemnestra, mother of Iphigenia that has sought only one thing - revenge for her daughter, and justice has prevailed because sacrilege must be punished:
No . . . no . . . a house
that hates the gods . . . house full of death,
kinsmen butchered . . . heads chopped off . . .
a human slaughterhouse awash in blood . . (“Agamemnon” 1287-1290)
These Cassandra’s words fully described to readers the whole picture of the tragedy. Author has wanted to show all horror of the situation and that all acts have consequences. This part of text shows readers that characters have deserved their murders.
Two Avengers have found each other: Aegisthus and Clytemnestra became lovers and for ten years while the war lasts they were waiting for the return of Agamemnon. Finally Agamemnon returned in triumph - and then revenge became possible. When he washed in the bath, Clytemnestra and Aegisthus throw blanket on him and hit him with an axe. Aegisthus said that he has planned it for a long time and make it also for the sake of seizing power. Despite the fact that Clytemnestra killed Agamemnon in name of revenge for their daughter, she was blamed for treason and murder of her husband. However, she didn't repent for murder and Chorus predicted that for the king assassination she will avenged by her own son, thus completing the circle of Destiny:

One disgrace exchanged for yet another,

the struggle to decide is hard.

The man who sins is sinned against,

the killer pays the price.

Yet while Zeus sits upon his throne

this decree from god remains—
the man who acts will suffer.

Who can then cast from this house

its self-perpetuating curse?

This race is wedded to destruction. (“Agamemnon” 1836-1845)

Thus summarizing all the mentioned above it should be stated that both tragedies are characterized by the theme of fate and punishment that is inevitable. Also, it should be stated that both authors thought that their characters have deserved for such punishments. However, there are also some differences between these two tragedies. In the "Oedipus the King" there is only one object for punishment, while in Aeschylus' trilogy "The Oresteia” the number of victims is bigger. The major idea of both tragedies us that suffering generate only suffering, ant that all crimes will be punished.

Works Cited

Aeschylus. Aeschylus: Agamemnon. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004.
Sophocles. Oedipus the King. Chicago: University Of Chicago Press, 2010.