Though for sicknesses, even those that cannot be cured, Never at a loss in the face of all they encounter.įor one thing alone, for death, there is no cure nor remedy at hand, Truly human beings have resourcefulness in all things, and are Man can withstand the arrows of the frost and the rushing rain They have built nations and established laws.

Men have devised the arts of language, and their thought is Whose home is in the wilds, who roam over the hills.īy their ingenuity they have tamed the rough-maned horse,īy their skill they have mastered the unwearied mountain bull. Man who surpasses all in the acuity of his mind.īy their arts human beings have subdued the beasts He drags his plough across the ground, the ancient immortal Earth,Īnd year upon year he turns the unwearied soil with beasts of burden.īirds fly carefree on high, wild animals stalk the forests,įish teem in the deep seas. He traverses the waves, driven by the winds of the storm,Īnd leaves his wake in a surge that could overwhelm him. Wonders on earth are many, but none is more formidable than man. The chorus hedge their bets by making comments of a general nature, and sing what has become the most famous ode in Greek tragedy, the so-called ‘Ode to Man’: While the ingenuity and bravery of the unknown person who has defied that law may be acknowledged, so must the requirement for all to observe the bounds of human justice. They are conscious of the need for piety, but also feel bound to support their angry leader’s call to uphold the law of the land. Unlike the exchanges of the masked actors who have preceded them, the chorus will sing rather than speak their lines. But one of Sophocles’ main themes will be to stress that human beings should observe divine commands or expect to face certain tragedy.Īntigone and Ismene, by Svetlin Vassilev (reproduced with the artist’s permission © Vicens Vices, Barcelona, Spain)Īrrayed before the attentive audience, the chorus of elders now give their opinion on events.

Through the initiative of Pericles’ astute wife Aspasia, such retribution has been averted, at least for the time being, by propitiatory sacrifices. The successful but violent conquest of Samos has led to murmurs of unease among some Athenians, who fear divine retribution for Pericles’ decision to leave unburied the enemy commanders executed on his orders. 495–429 BC), and his tragedy Antigone is being performed for the first time. 496–406 BC) has returned from active service as a general on the island of Samos under the command of the celebrated statesman Pericles (c. It is 438 BC, a year since the dramatist Sophocles (c. The fifteen chorus members, robed and masked to represent the elders of Thebes, march in unison to the centre of the orchēstra, the dancing space in the centre of the theatre that has been erected in the precinct of Dionysus at Athens.

Antigone by sophocles