Sophocles 1

Antigone Ode 1 As great as man is, his most lethal enemy is himself. In Ode 1, "Fitts & Fitzgerald," the chorus explains how man is strong and intelligent but at the same time weak. Through the Ode, the chorus demonstrates that however great and mighty man has and will become, he can always suffer a greater fall. Through diction, imagery, and syntax, the chorus uses ironic and grand tones to reveal the image of man being magnificent yet perilous.

In Ode 1, Sophocles chooses his words very carefully when describing mans greatness and vulnerability. Every word used describes mans greatness and weakness in an ironic and sad tone. When man plows through the ocean "the stormgray sea Yields to his prows". This quote shows how powerful man is and can be viewed as a type of diction because of the great adjectives used in the sentence. The "stormgray sea" moves out of his way.

Sophocles. Cast

Marble relief of a poet, maybe Sophocles. Hellenis...

Irony

This can be interpreted that not only does the regular, swift ocean "yield to his prows" but also the furious sea. This scene puts man on a throne and has a very grand tone to it. Through all of man's greatness, he cannot stand up to the "anarchic man". This is another powerful use of diction in which gives the reader a sense of an untamed and uncontrollable man. Through all of man's achievments and greatness, this sets an ironic tone because one of man's flaws is himself.

Man has the power to secure himself from the "spears of winter". The words chosen by Sophocles are very powerful and very descriptive. Not only can man stand up to winter, but he can protect himself from even the worst things winter and nature has to throw at him. This is very descriptive and sets up a...