Erin Lillo
Lillo
Honors English II
24 March 2015
Outline: Arete and Hubris in Sophocles’ Plays
I. Excellence develops through the individual’s willingness to explore his inner world and
to know everything about his desires, dreams, and fears.
II. People’s excellence progresses because they complete the difficult work of delving into
their personality, both the strengths and the weaknesses.
a.
“I stopped the Sphinx with no help from the birds. The flight of my own
intelligence hit the mark” (Oedipus the King 670)
i. Oedipus celebrates the triumph of his mind
ii. His intelligence leads to other measures of greatness: leadership, power,
wealth
iii. All other aspects of fortune derive from Oedipus’s ability to know himself
b. “If you say so, you will make me hate you . . . leave me to my own absurdity,
leave me to suffer this dreadful thing. I will suffer nothing as great as death
without glory” (Sophocles, Antigone 704)
i. Because Antigone knows herself, she can determine where to show loyalty
ii. Through following her internal moral compass, as revealed by selfknowledge, Antigone overcomes obstacles to her ability to achieve
excellence
c. “You came to Thebes and cut us loose . . . we taught you nothing, no skill, no
extra knowledge, still you triumphed” (Sophocles, Oedipus the King 659)
i. Oedipus arrives at Thebes with his excellence already developed through
his experiences and reflection on those experiences
ii. Excellence cannot be taught by external sources
iii. Excellence evolves as a person’s self-awareness evolves
III. However, some argue true self-knowledge is impossible because the human mind cannot
see the personality as it really is.
a. “Do as you like, dishonor the laws the gods hold in honor” (Antigone 704)
i. Despite Antigone’s intentions to act on her excellence, she really supports
the social values instilled in her mind during her childhood
ii. However, the internalized values of a culture dictate the individual’s
ability to evaluate strengths and weaknesses
iii. Antigone’s self-awareness is strong because she filters her knowledge
through her religious values
b. “Quickly, go to your master, tell him this: you prophesies of the gods, where are
you now” (Oedipus the King 684)
i. Jocasta dismisses the prophecies because she does not know herself well
enough to see how fate shapes her life
ii. On the other hand, her lack of self-awareness drives her to a moment of
awakening
iii. In the end, Jocasta achieves self-awareness, in which she recognizes her
flaws and weaknesses in a moment of brutal honesty
IV. Despite people’s best intentions, self-knowledge can be undermined through a refusal to
examine the darkest corners of the mind.
a. “If you think crude, mindless stubbornness such a gift, you’ve lost your sense of
balance” (Oedipus the King 674)
b. “Then go if you must, but rest assured, wild, irrational as you are, my sister, you
are truly dear to the ones who love you” (Antigone 704)
c. “And whoever places a friend above the good of the community, he is nothing”
(Antigone 706)
V. When self-knowledge fails, individuals harm not only themselves but also their
community until the reality of their damage reawakens their self-awareness.
a. “You pray to the gods, let me grant your prayers” (Oedipus the King 664)
b. “Oh it’s terrible when the one who does the judging judges things all wrong”
(Antigone 711)
c. “Now I’ve exposed my guilt, horrendous guilt” (Oedipus the King 697)