About the authors techniques and uniqueness - Sophocles
1. Sophocles was said to be the inventor of verbal scene painting
- In the dialogue between the actors, we are all the time with the
noise of the sea and the cry of the birds,the beat of wind and
rain,the heat and the cold,summer and winter, and suggest a
scenery that can do without paint or sound effects
2. Sophocles presents suffering as a continuous psychological condition
rather than a sudden tragic event, making Philoctetes’ pain deeply
human and realistic.
- Physical pain : The wound
- Emotional : The Betrayal
- Psychological : The isolation
3. The main conflict is not the war : but a moral tension “ Is it right to do
wrong for the greater good”?
4. He uses slow pacing and extended dialogues to show the unfold of
emotional suffering
5. Odysseus = clever speech, manipulation
Neoptolemus = simple, honest language
Philoctetes = raw, emotional speech
- Distinguishes characters with different speaking styles
6. He uses irony
7. Deus ex machina : divine intervention
,THE STORY
1. Greeks on their way to Troy, visited the temple of the goddess Chryse
2. Philoctetes got bitten by a venomous snake
3. He cried in pain and the smell of the wound affected the others
4. Thus he was abandoned in the island of Lemnos
5. Ten years go by, Philoctetes have lived alone on Lemnos
6. He finds his food with his bow, a gift from Heracles and nursed his
terrible wound by himself
7. Greeks get to know from Helenus, the trojan prince that troy will not
be taken without Achille’s son Neoptolemus, Philoctetes and his bow.
8. Thus,to fetch Philoctetes, Odysseus( with sons of Atreus) who
Philoctetes hated the most,has come to Lemnos with Neoptolemus
(who had come to Troy to collect his father’s possessions upon his
death)
9. Odysseus wanted Neoptolemus to deceive Philoctetes
10. Neoptolemus refuses claiming that he would rather use force than
lie; he’s true to his father Achille’s nature
11. But Odysseus persuades him by saying that he had too been just
like Neoptolemus, but with experience he learned that words count
more than force - and that whatever happens he must win
12. The conflict happens between - Neoptolemus- to his conscience,
and Odysseus to his country
13. Neoptolemus however gives up after hearing the reward -
intelligence and courage
14. Neoptolemus lies to Philoctetes mentioning that he was going
home to Scyros after being deceived by Odysseus and Agamemnon
and Menelaus
, 15. Neoptolemus mentions how when he went to Troy to receive his
father’s arms (Achilles : who had been killed by Apollo/Phoebus), the
arms were given to Odysseus
16. Neoptolemus pretends to Philoctetes that he will be taken to home
and not to Troy
- An additional sailor who is pretending to be a merchant comes to
strengthen Neoptolemus’s lie by mentioning how he heard Odysseus
and Diomedes were coming after Philoctetes and to take him away
soon.
17. Philoctetes feels immense gratitude and affection
18. He even allowed Neoptolemus to hold his precious bow
19. Chorus joins and sings how Philoctetes had suffered and now he’s
finally free and can go back home to Malia
20. At this point Neoptolemus grows empathy towards Philoctetes and
makes him worry about the ugly role he is playing
21. Philoctetes decide to fully trust Neoptolemus by giving him the only
source of strength he had : the bow to keep till they reach home
22. Now everything's done - The bow is secured, philoctetes is
deceived
23. Philoctetes gets anxiety because of what he has gone through
24. Philoctetes worries that he might offend the crew of the ship
because of his pain
25. But Neoptolemus was too deep in thought- thinking about the
betrayal
26. Neoptolemus bursts confronting what he has done
27. Philoctetes gets hurt again
28. Neoptolemus apologises and decided to give the bow back to him
29. But enters Odysseus- and threatens Neoptolemus
30. Philoctetes helpless and betrayed threatens that he will suicide
himself
31. Odysseus takes Neoptolemus by force leaving Philoctetes again
alone in the island - with no bow
1. Sophocles was said to be the inventor of verbal scene painting
- In the dialogue between the actors, we are all the time with the
noise of the sea and the cry of the birds,the beat of wind and
rain,the heat and the cold,summer and winter, and suggest a
scenery that can do without paint or sound effects
2. Sophocles presents suffering as a continuous psychological condition
rather than a sudden tragic event, making Philoctetes’ pain deeply
human and realistic.
- Physical pain : The wound
- Emotional : The Betrayal
- Psychological : The isolation
3. The main conflict is not the war : but a moral tension “ Is it right to do
wrong for the greater good”?
4. He uses slow pacing and extended dialogues to show the unfold of
emotional suffering
5. Odysseus = clever speech, manipulation
Neoptolemus = simple, honest language
Philoctetes = raw, emotional speech
- Distinguishes characters with different speaking styles
6. He uses irony
7. Deus ex machina : divine intervention
,THE STORY
1. Greeks on their way to Troy, visited the temple of the goddess Chryse
2. Philoctetes got bitten by a venomous snake
3. He cried in pain and the smell of the wound affected the others
4. Thus he was abandoned in the island of Lemnos
5. Ten years go by, Philoctetes have lived alone on Lemnos
6. He finds his food with his bow, a gift from Heracles and nursed his
terrible wound by himself
7. Greeks get to know from Helenus, the trojan prince that troy will not
be taken without Achille’s son Neoptolemus, Philoctetes and his bow.
8. Thus,to fetch Philoctetes, Odysseus( with sons of Atreus) who
Philoctetes hated the most,has come to Lemnos with Neoptolemus
(who had come to Troy to collect his father’s possessions upon his
death)
9. Odysseus wanted Neoptolemus to deceive Philoctetes
10. Neoptolemus refuses claiming that he would rather use force than
lie; he’s true to his father Achille’s nature
11. But Odysseus persuades him by saying that he had too been just
like Neoptolemus, but with experience he learned that words count
more than force - and that whatever happens he must win
12. The conflict happens between - Neoptolemus- to his conscience,
and Odysseus to his country
13. Neoptolemus however gives up after hearing the reward -
intelligence and courage
14. Neoptolemus lies to Philoctetes mentioning that he was going
home to Scyros after being deceived by Odysseus and Agamemnon
and Menelaus
, 15. Neoptolemus mentions how when he went to Troy to receive his
father’s arms (Achilles : who had been killed by Apollo/Phoebus), the
arms were given to Odysseus
16. Neoptolemus pretends to Philoctetes that he will be taken to home
and not to Troy
- An additional sailor who is pretending to be a merchant comes to
strengthen Neoptolemus’s lie by mentioning how he heard Odysseus
and Diomedes were coming after Philoctetes and to take him away
soon.
17. Philoctetes feels immense gratitude and affection
18. He even allowed Neoptolemus to hold his precious bow
19. Chorus joins and sings how Philoctetes had suffered and now he’s
finally free and can go back home to Malia
20. At this point Neoptolemus grows empathy towards Philoctetes and
makes him worry about the ugly role he is playing
21. Philoctetes decide to fully trust Neoptolemus by giving him the only
source of strength he had : the bow to keep till they reach home
22. Now everything's done - The bow is secured, philoctetes is
deceived
23. Philoctetes gets anxiety because of what he has gone through
24. Philoctetes worries that he might offend the crew of the ship
because of his pain
25. But Neoptolemus was too deep in thought- thinking about the
betrayal
26. Neoptolemus bursts confronting what he has done
27. Philoctetes gets hurt again
28. Neoptolemus apologises and decided to give the bow back to him
29. But enters Odysseus- and threatens Neoptolemus
30. Philoctetes helpless and betrayed threatens that he will suicide
himself
31. Odysseus takes Neoptolemus by force leaving Philoctetes again
alone in the island - with no bow
