Abstract

It is true that the emotions evoked by the spectacle of martyrdom seem all but identical with the pity and terror of the tragic catastrophe, but they really differ intrinsically in their natures and effects. The former, inspiring us with feelings of tumultuous protest against the cruelty and injustice of this world, works a disquieting and painful influence upon our souls, while the not unmerited humiliation of the tragic victim, on the other hand, exercises a chastening power and reconciles us with the operation of a divine justice that works itself out upon this earth and not in the life to come. For it must not escape our attention that tragedy is a form of pagan art and presumes that the accounts of good and evil will be squared on this side of the great divide. The purpose of this paper is to study the story of Antigone by Sophocles and analyze it in light of Sigismund Freud's theory of Psychoanalysis.

Table of Contents

Abstract1

Introduction3

Antigone by Sophocles3

Fruedian perspective about Sophocles' Antigone5

References8

Antigone by Sophocles and Freud's theory of Psychoanalysis

Introduction

The major themes discussed in Antigone were pride; divine law versus humane law; position of women; lack of agency and threat of tyranny. Both the stories are tragic. Antigone starts with a civil war in Thebes. The mood in Antigone is sober, sad and disturbed. The plot of Antigone has a past story where the King Oedipus life is full of turns and tragedies; the city of Thebes is continuously facing disturbances and a suspicious murder occurs of Laius. In Antigone, Gods were seen writing the fate of the characters. The major theme in Antigone is fate decided and dependent on gods.

The purpose of this paper is to study the story of Antigone by Sophocles and analyze it in light of Sigismund Freud's theory of Psychoanalysis.

Antigone by Sophocles

Sophocles was one of the best Ancient Greek dramatists, who formed the structure of the theatre. Here, tragedy does not mean that the play ends with a tragedy, or it has an unhappy ending. It means that the hero, though having the potential of winning the situations, still could not win due to obstacles. Aristotelian has defined tragedy as the replication of an act that is serious also, as having scale, complete in it. It includes events arousing sympathy and terror, where with to achieve the catharsis of such emotions. The hero that goes through tragedy will be the most effectively evoke with both sympathy and terror, if he is neither thoroughly good nor thoroughly evil but a combination of both.

Antigone was the tragic hero, as he has the potential for greatness, but he fated to fail. Antigone nonetheless has the potential to win, but he was trapped in a situation where no matter how much he tried, eventually he failed as he could not win the situation. The reason for her not winning the situation was making a tragic flaw, which caused his greatness to fall massively. Antigone is considered as a tragic hero because even though he ...