Sophocles Vs. Euripides ' The Peloponnesian War

The Peloponnesian War pitted the Athenians against the Spartans. The Peloponnesians’ were an alliance of city-states controlled by Sparta. These two powerful city-states became locked in a struggle for dominance of the eastern Mediterranean area. The roots of the conflict and in particular this expedition is highly complex. As Thucydides says in his history of the war, the underlying cause was Spartan fear of Athens' expansive power. But, the triggering event was Athens' aggressive behavior towards Corinth, an ally of Sparta.

Throughout the Ancient Greek world, there have been many wars and standoffs. However, there has been only one which changed the course of Greek history forever; the Peloponnesian War. Caused by the growing tension between Athens and Sparta, it came and left, leaving only destruction in its wake. The defeat of Athens in the Peloponnesian War caused the downfall of Greece, and the end of the Classical Age.

Homer’s Iliad and Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War ask if death and philotēs can exist simultaneously. In the respective texts, that which Achilles and the Athenians encounter prove they will not exist in harmony for “human nature” is “incapable of controlling passion” and “the enemy of anything superior” (HPW 3.84). When Achilles does not receive his earned honor after battle and death’s toll from the war blurs the Athenians’ identity, their grief causes apathy. Achilles withdraws from his own people with a “rage, black and murderous” causing his own army to buckle which parallels the Athenians who at Pylos become “obsessed with the idea...to attack Spartans” (HPW 4.34). Before these cruel lapses in judgment, both desire

While the war may have been over, relations between Athens and Sparta continued to go sour. Athens continued to grow in power, and was beginning to pose a threat to Sparta and the Peloponnesian League. A series of conflicts occurred during the “Thirty Year’s Peace” that pushed Sparta and Athens to war again. For example, Athens intervened in a dispute between a colony and a city-state during the Corinth-Corcyra War. Corcyra (the city-state) was backed by Athens, while Epidamnos (the colony) was backed by Corinth. This persisted for a few years until the Corinthians abandoned their campaign, but this would not be the last time that Athens would clash with Corinth. Not long after, a Corinthian colony called Potidaea revolted from its

Athens is a major Greek city-state in European history. It was a great center of cultural and intellectual development, and thus home to philosophers. Socrates and Pericles, two of these philosophers, had polarizing opinions about the city-state and its citizens. While Pericles chooses to praise the Athenian citizen, Socrates criticizes Athens’ people. Pericles gave his opinion at a funeral during the first battles of the Peloponnesian War, while Socrates gave his during the trial that ultimately led to his death. The Athenian city-state has become a model for today’s systems of government and a hearth for western philosophy, so Pericles’ opinion seems to be the one that is more accurate.

The second article I chose was “The Escalation of Conflict in Sophocles” by Melvin R. Lansky. While reading the article I learned that Oedipus actually means swollen foot. This article also has some comparison between Creon and Antigone. It mentions how both Creon and Antigone feel like they are being insulted and diminished. Afterwards they act by returning the shame to one another in contradiction. The author believes that the focus of the drama is the shame conflict that is drawn from both of them. Creon wanting loyalty and honor of the family and Antigone to her family. What I find ironic is that Creon and Antigone are kind of in the same family being Creon’s niece and Haemon’s fiancée. Antigone feels the need to burry her brother to keep

Though the choices that Antigone and Creon face in Sophocles’ Antigone differ, their decisions often end up pitted against each other’s, inviting comparison. Since I am juxtaposing the characters’ degrees of rightness, I believe that the rightness of the reasoning, not just their ultimate stances, should be examined. The entirety of his or her argument, not just the conclusion, must be taken into account. I’ll also note that my perspective of rightness could and does conflict with that of the gods in Antigone and Sophocles. Furthermore, “rightness” has an element of nuance to it because of the word’s multiple definitions and their connotations.

Connor McHugh Latin I April 27, 2015 Mr. Minio Spartan Society and Social Organization as the Decisive Factor in the 1st Peloponnesian War The Peloponnesian War was fought in the 5th century B.C. by the Delian League, led by Athens, and the Peloponnesian League, led by Sparta. After nearly three decades of violent and highly strategic battle, surely the more dominant force came out victorious. This war was a reality check, as well as a test of brute strength and military ability. After a partnership as allies in a previous war, several differences and the willingness to be the best resulted in the two parting ways suddenly and the situation escalating quickly. Several factors resulted in the naming of the

The Peloponnesian war (431–404 BC) was an ancient Greek war fought by Athens against the Peloponnesian led by Sparta. Thucydides famously claims that the war started “because the Spartans were afraid of further growth of Athenian power, seeing as they did have the greater part of Hellas was under the control of Athens”. The two main protagonists from opposing sides Lysander and Alcibiades had the most influential impact on the end of the war.

"Overview: Oedipus Rex." Drama for Students. Ed. David M. Galens and Lynn M. Spampinato. Vol. 1.

The tragedies of Antigone and Othello were written with great depth and are structured in such a way that both characters are victims, in spite of their crimes. Antigone and Othello are tragedy plays created by using many techniques to create the feelings of fear and pity. There are differences and similarities in characters, action, and themes between Antigone and Othello.

The Peloponnesian War was an exceptionally predominant war that had consequential outcomes for both Athens and the opposing side of the Peloponnesian League led by Sparta. The Peloponnesian War was an ancient Greek war that began in 431 to 404 BC. Thucydides was an Athenian historian who wrote the account of “History of the Peloponnesian War”, which became the most immeasurably valuable primary source. The events of the Peloponnesian War, the outcomes, the consequences of the Spartan victory and of the Athenian defeat in conjunction with the historiographical debates about the war, reflect the ramifications of the conflict.

Thucydides was born around 460 BC and will live until 404 BC. Unfortunately, when dealing with ancient civilization it can be hard to find meaningful records and artifacts. Not a lot is known about Thucydides and his life because of this. He lived in Athens and his father was Olorus. In 424, he will be elected strategos and will later be sent to Amphipolis to try to stop an attack by the private Spartan army lead by Brasidas. However, he will be too late and the city will have already fallen and will be recalled and exiled from Athens for 20 years. He was old enough to understand the importance of the Peloponnesian War and to be able to record it. His work “The History of the Peloponnesian War” will record the political and moral aspects and

Sophocles, a famous and renowned Greek dramatist, is the playwright to both the play Oedipus the King and Antigone. Along with Antigone and Oedipus Sophocles had also wrote Electra and Fete. Sophocles wrote many Greek tragedies which are plays in which the main character in the play suffers a tragedy due to some flaw of theirs. An example would be how Oedipus (thinking he is defying a prophecy) murders his father and weds his mother. His flaw was him trying to defy fate if he had not just stayed where he was he would’ve been fine. His works are referred to and taught all over the world in many schools along with colleges; this should give light to how will written his plays are and how

Thucydides was born in 460 B.C.E in a noble family, which was linked to Athens and its leaders. He was one of the greatest ancient Greek historians and author of the History of the Peloponnesian War, in which he describes the struggle between Athens and Sparta.