abstract illustration of the Oedipus story depicting the Sphynx, Jocasta, and Oedipus

The Oedipus Trilogy

by Sophocles

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Student Question

Which play by Sophocles, Oedipus the King or Antigone, is a more powerful tragedy?

Expert Answers

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Both Oedipus the King and Antigone by Sophocles may be considered powerful tragedies that get to the heart of what it means to be human and what it means to suffer (both as a result of one's actions and not). Both plays examine good and evil, fate and free will, and the hierarchy of virtues. You are asked to determine which of the plays is the more powerful tragedy. You could make a good case for either one. Let's look at some possibilities for both to help you decide for yourself.

First, it is important to remember what Aristotle thought about tragedy. For him, tragic plays center on moral ambiguity and on a tragic flaw in the protagonist that leads him or her to make choices on the path to great misfortune. For an audience watching a tragedy, there is an experience of catharsis, a purification of emotion.

In Oedipus the King, we certainly have plenty of moral ambiguity. We wonder whether Oedipus has done anything wrong and, if so, whether it could have been avoided. Some interpreters come down on the side of free will and say that Oedipus has created his own fate. Others think that there is nothing he could have done or not done to avoid what happens. We can see the depth for reflection and discussion here. Oedipus does, of course, have a tragic flaw: his pride.

In Antigone, the protagonist may be more sympathetic for many readers/viewers. All Antigone wants to do is bury her brother. She believes that she is following the higher law of the gods and of family obligations even though she must break the law of King Creon. Herein lies the moral ambiguity, for her sister, Ismene, takes the opposite position. We might wonder if Antigone has a tragic flaw. She does give in to despair in the end, dying just before her husband-to-be comes to rescue her in defiance of his father. Had she waited just a little while longer, the tragedy might have become a comedy with a happy ending.

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