Ancient Greek Tragedies: A Literary Analysis

The Ancient Greek Tragedies were a way for poets to tell a story with a twist. A way for others to see that life isn’t perfect for anyone. People get the feeling that if someone is from money, or they have the best house, that their lives must be perfect. With trag edies the authors made sure it was the heroes that suffered the downfalls and heartaches. The tragic hero’s in the following stories are destined for suffering after fighting as a hero would. In the Ancient Greek Tragedies, Oedipus the King, Antigone, and Medea, the author’s followed Aristotle’s ideas of a real tragedy and a tragic hero.
Sophocles’ uses the characteristics of Aristotle’s ideas on what makes a good tragedy in Oedipus the King. The main character, Oedipus, left his …show more content…
Euripides focuses on the life of Jason after he got Golden Fleece. Medea, Jason’s wife, is a princess and a sorceress. She gives up everything for Jason, even going as far to kill her brother to escape her father’s home. Her actions leave her with no family she can turn to and no homeland to go back to. Media then assists Jason in obtaining the thrown by tricking the daughters of the King into killing him. Medea and Jason have to flee to Corinth because of their actions. Jason then decided he wants to leave Medea and his children for the princess of Corinth. Medea being prideful and unable to let go of Jason’s deceit will do whatever it takes to have revenge of his betrayal. Medea uses her children to poison and kills the princess, and in the process kills the King of Corinth, whom had wanted her to leave knowing she would kill his daughter. Medea’s final dagger to Jason’s heart is killing their two boys. Medea sacrifices the life of her children to get even with Jason; Medea’s revenge is complete with the killing of her children. Jason, having nothing left, is emotionally broken. Medea escapes on her chariot leaving Jason to mourn the loss of