The Sophoclean Hero: The Birth of the Tragic Hero

1. The Sophoclean Hero: The Birth of the Tragic Hero AP English Literature

2. Sophocles and the birth of the Tragic Hero • Sophocles is often credited as the author of the “tragic hero,” a type of character that sets the stage for more modern examples like Hamlet, Othello, and Frankenstein. • Perhaps the most marked difference is the concentration on the individual, typically characterized by a kind of heroic and splendid isolation. • Of the seven surviving plays, only one is named for the chorus—the rest names their protagonists.

3. Characteristics….. • The circumstances differ, but in each case, the main character is faced with a crisis in which disaster can only be averted by a compromise that, in the protagonist’s view, would constitute betrayal of something that he or she holds to be supremely important. • The protagonist often refuses to compromise, despite being urged to do so by persuasive speeches, threats, actual violence, or all three. • The end result is usually complete destruction.

4. “Deinos” • In all six of these plays, the protagonist is referred to as a deinos, a Greek word meaning “terrible, wondrous, strange.” • The protagonists are often paired with another character who is more normal, more like an everyday person. • This second character often pleads with the protagonist to yield and is harshly rebuffed. (note how the chorus often fulfills that role) • These protagonists are indeed deinos—they are both repellant and admirable.

5. The Greek Hero and the gods • The isolated protagonist is not the only important characteristic of Sophocles tragedy; equally obvious is the almost total absence of the gods—though they are often referred to. • With the exception of Athena in one of the plays, the gods do not appear at all. • Yet, plays like Antigone demonstrate that the laws of the gods are paramount to human will and desire—and look what happens when they are ignored. • Thus, the characters are left to determine the will of the gods through signs, omens, and prophecies—oracles which are often unclear and purposefully evasive. • Clearly this underscores the isolation of the characters. • Furthermore, it offers us an understanding of the beginning of man’s tragedy—his lack of certainty, his struggle to negate tragedy, his attempts to achieve solidarity.

6. Sophists and Humanism • The question of man’s will and the gods’ power was a topic hotly debated at the time, especially by a group of controversial thinkers called Sophists. • The Sophists were a group of teachers who specialized in teaching rhetoric and techniques of argumentation. They often taught their students to make the weaker argument appear stronger—it was not a matter of truth. Of course, the sophists questioned the very existence of truth. • They espoused a naturalistic view of of morality and religion, questioning the universal validity of morals. • The most famous Sophist was Protagorus, best remembered for his statement “man is the measure of all things”—a statement often misunderstood. ( he is also reported to have taught that moral beliefs are true for the communities in which they are held.) • Most importantly, they questioned the validity of oracles, which implies questioning the very existence of the gods.

7. “Ode to Man” • Terribly relevant to the questions of Sophism • Often read out of context, the ode takes on something of a positive reading….Sophocles’ celebration of humanism and humanistic value. • Yet read in the context of the play, the ode seems much less positive • First, the word translated “wonders” is deinos, which already gives a negative slant to the ode, and many of the skills for which the chorus praises man, such as shipbuilding, are themselves ambiguous. • The chorus concludes that all of human cleverness has not found an escape from death (from our own human frailty). • Seen in context, then, the “Ode to Man” is not a celebration of humanism, but rather a reminder of his limitations of the humanism of the Sophists and of its failing points.