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Sophocles allegedly said that he portrayed his characters as they ought to be, Euripides as they are. To what extent would you agree with this statement?
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| Submitted: Thu Jul 11 2002
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Sophocles allegedly said that he portrayed his characters as they ought to be, Euripides as they are. To what extent would you agree with this statement? The characters in Sophocles' tragedies are very different to those in Euripides' for a number of reasons; Sophocles tends to give his characters more heroic features, whereas Euripides is more concerned with portraying the human weaknesses of his characters. Indeed, Sophocles' Oedipus is considered Aristotle to be the archetypal tragic hero, suggesting the heroic qualities of the character. Euripides' characters tend to be more flawed, such as Medea with her jealous nature, and Hippolytus, who displays the impious arrogance of youth. The striking realism of Euripides's Electra has been discussed by many commentators over the years, adding to the argument that Euripides portrayed his characters as they are. Throughout Electra we are presented with the horrific concept of matricide, combined with a disturbingly realistic group...
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