Sophocles's Antigone and Euripedes's Medea - Essay Example

4. Conclusion Sophocles’ Antigone and Euripides’s Medea Guilt once determined as legitimate should be punished in accordance with the rules set. Guilt is the expressed responsibility for a wrong doing and is expected to be responded to via negative retribution known as punishment. Two plays or Tragedies have been written that deal on the aspects of guilt and the punishment accorded therewith. The two are Antigone by Sophocles and Medea by Euripides. Sophocles Antigone and Euripides Medea are two of some of the greatest tragedies that were written and performed in ancient Greek.

A tragedy is a play mainly based on the problems and suffering by human beings. Therefore, the main purpose of this paper is to explore the themes of guilt and punishment as brought out in both Sophocles’ Antigone and Euripides Medea plays. The main intention of a tragedy is to invoke behavior and invoke emotions from the viewers while also entertaining them. Although there are many dramas and plays based on human suffering and meant to stir emotions, tragedies are unique as they relate to traditional cultures that have impacted on civilization.

In analyzing the two plays, instances of punishment will be highlighted and discussed in detail in regard to the guilt there in. this will be key to establishing if guilt of any kind should merit punishment, and also if the punishment there in is appropriate. Sophocles Antigone was written around 442 BC and as the name suggests, was written by Sophocles. Sophocles' was an ancient Greek writer of plays, which are now commonly referred to as tragedies. His two main plays are some of the only surviving tragedies from ancient times, currently known as the Theban Plays.

His play, Antigone describes the events after the death of two brothers in the battle field during the Thebes civil war. The two brothers died leading two opposite sides to fight for the throne and the new king, Creon, decided to burry one brother, Eteocles, with honor while leaving the other, Polyneices, to decompose in shame. This is the first time that punishment is brought out in this play. Polyneices is being punished for betrayal in a most crude way. His body is left on the battle field, to be devoured by vultures, jackals and other scavengers.

This was the cruelest punishment in those ancient times. In contrast, his brother’s body was to be given holy rites of burial, which was considered a sign of honor and respect. On the next part, the two deceased brothers have sisters: Antigone and Ismene. This is where the play opens, with Antigone taking her sister, Ismene outside the gates to the palace. She wants to confide in her sister about plans to bury their disgraced brother, Polyneices (Sophocles, 42). Fearing for her life, as this would have amounted to the death sentence; Ismene does not agree to go along with the plan.

Committing such an offense, would have attracted the death sentence. This is the second time a punishment is mentioned in this tragedy whose implications will be discussed in this paper. Antigone disowns her sister Ismene for refusing to bury their brother and plans to continue alone. The next part is where the new king, Creon enters with the council of elders, who ratify his decision not to bury Polyneices body. A guard enters and informs them that the body has been buried, to which the king responds by threatening to kill the guard if he does not return with the person responsible.

Again, for the third time, punishment by death is mentioned. The sentinel returns with Antigone. She