More Tragic; Oedipus Or Antigone? Essay, Research Paper
Sophocles was a master of tragedy, there?s no argument there. But
which of the 2 plays we?ve studied, Oedipus the King and Antigone, is the
more tragic? I believe that Oedipus the King was more intensely tragic and I
think that if I were to see a the plays ?back to back,? Oedipus would be the
more likely one to rivet true emotions from me.
I think Oedipus? cathartic value can be seen clearly when you compare
the entirety of the results in both plays. In Antigone, she loses 2 brothers,
and then a lover, and finally her life. Oedipus loses his self-confidence, his
true father, his true mother, his ?adoptive? father, his wife, his integrity, his
people, and his sight. When you weigh the two, Oedipus is obviously the
more tragic, in this one area at least.
Certainly one must see that Oedipus goes through a more cathartic
tragedy than Antigone when one looks at the circumstances under which the
tragedy falls as well. Antigone knew full well that what she was doing was
wrong. She knew that if she buried her brother bad things would happen and
she was ready and willing to die. Oedipus on the other hand actually thought
he was doing the city some good by searching out the killer of Laius. He
thought everything was going to turn out just fine in the end, which makes
his downfall that much worse.
A point that also must be considered is hybris. Many people don?t feel
like they can relate to Oedipus because of his hybris, whereas Antigone is a
very palpable sort of character, very down to earth and a ?people?s hero? so
to speak. She is strong, and willing to die for her cause.
The presentation of imagery in the plays also creates an argument in
favor of Oedipus being the more tragic of the 2 plays. There is more
dramatic irony in the way Oedipus is written, therefore making it more
cathartic.
Both of the plays tell a great tragic story about the human spirit and
perseverance for a cause, but I feel that Oedipus is more tragic and
emotionally purgative.