Structure in Sophocles Antigone Essay -- Antigone essays S

Structure in Sophocles Antig unity Aristotle in his Poetics (chap. 7) says ?Let us now discuss the proper organize of the plot, since this is the first and most important thing in tragedy? (1033). M. H. Abrams says that ?almost all literary theorists since Aristotle have emphasized the importance of structure, conceived in diverse ways, in analyzing a work of literature? (300). The matter of the structure of Sophocles? Antigone is a subject of varying interpretation among literary critics, as this essay will reveal. Gilbert Murray, professor at Oxford University in England, cites structure as one of the reasons why he chose Sophocles to translate. Then he elaborates on this structure ?But Sophocles worked by blurring his structural outlines just as he blurs the ends of his verses. In him the traditional divisions are all made less distinct, all worked over the direction of greater naturalness. . . .This was a very great gain. . . .? (107). Murray here refers to Sophocles? modifi cation of the classic structure for tragic drama. This is distinct from what Aristotle above refers to as the ?structure of the plot.? The classic structure for drama includes Prologue ? everything up to the chorus Parodos ? the chorus? sings First Episode ? development of plot by main character(s) First Stasimon ? the chorus again Repetition of Episodes and Stasimons until the climax is near Exodos ? the climax, crisis, and catastrophe. As Murray notes, Sophocles does not adhere to the classical structure as rigidly as other dramatists of the period. Aristotle?s ?structure of the plot? is what most literary critics mean when they refer to the ?structure? of Antigone. In Chapter 18 of the Poetics Aristotle states ?Ever... ...s Hurt. NewYork Macmillan Publishing Co., 1984. Murray, Gilbert. ?A Great translating program?s Reflections on Oedipus the King.? In Readings on Sophocles, alter by Don Nardo. San Diego, CA Greenhaven Press, 1997. Segal, Charles Paul. ?Sophocles? Praise of M an and the Conflicts of the Antigone.? In Sophocles A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Thomas Woodard. Englewood Cliffs, NJ Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966. Sophocles. Antigone. Translated by R. C. Jebb. The Internet Classic Archive. no pag. http//classics.mit.edu/Sophocles/antigone.html ?Sophocles? In Literature of the Western World, edited by Brian Wilkie and James Hurt. NewYork Macmillan Publishing Co., 1984. Woodard, Thomas. Introduction. In Sophocles A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Thomas Woodard. Englewood Cliffs, NJ Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.