The Age of Pericles | Sophoclean Tragedy (Lecture 14)

Lecture 14: In this lecture, we examine Antigone, written by Sophocles. The play explores the agony of a young woman who must choose between obeying the orders of the state or the dictates of family honor. Will she bury her brother, killed in the assault on Thebes, or will she obey Creon’s injunction forbidding burial to Polyneices as a traitor and enemy? This clash of systems is characteristic of Greek tragedy and reflects the ethical complexity of Athenian culture in the age of Pericles. This is a community capable of recognizing the necessities of family loyalty while also contemplating the needs of the state. These do not necessarily overlap, and the conflict between them is at the heart of this drama.

Suggested Reading:
Linforth, I. M. Antigone and Creon. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1961.

Lecture 15: https://rumble.com/v5ej4x9-the-age-of-pericles-euripides-lecture-15.html