Study Guide For Sophocles' Philoctetes


Background: Philoctetes' father was given the bow of Heracles because he alone lit that hero's funeral pyre. Philoctetes inherited this bow, and became a master archer. Although recruited among the other Greek heroes for the Trojan War, a snake bite left a foul-smelling wound in his leg. The stench and Philoctetes' constant cries of pain drove the Greeks to decide to abandon him on an island while he slept. However, near the end of the war they receive a prophecy that Troy can only fall if Philoctete s and the bow are present. Thus, they send Odysseus and Achilles' son Neoptolemus) to retrieve the bow; Achilles and most of the other noble heroes, as the play explains, are dead already. The play opens with the arrival of the Greeks.

A personal note: this is one of my favorite plays from any era. I know of few scenes as moving as Philoctetes joy at seeing people again after so long, or his anguish at their betrayal of him.

Ideas and actions to consider:

Disease: this play, like the Trachiniae and Ajax, features much talk of illness. Does Sophocles use disease as a metaphor for anything else?

The natural world: this is one of the few Greek plays that is set in nature. Pay attention to how the play represents the desert island and Philoctetes' struggle to survive on it. Is nature a positive, nurturing entity, or is it hostile and destructiv e? Pay attention to Philoctetes' attitude to his surroundings as the play progresses.

Civilization: similarly, setting the play in nature allows the poet to meditate on what civilization means. If life outside the city in nature necessitates a grim struggle for mere survival, is civilization a simple blessing? Does the play suggest tha t civilization lacks when compared to nature (consider that Odysseus is the most "civilized" character).

Philoctetes: Does the play ever hint at or suggest why the gods have allowed him to suffer like this? Did he do something wrong at some point? What kind of person is he?

Odysseus: consider his motives and his methods. Do you find them admirable? Justifiable? Do you think the poet wants us to view him with sympathy? Pay attention to how he manipulates Neoptlemus; to what does he appeal in him?

Neoptolemus: compare him with Orestes as a son of a hero undergoing his own rite of passage. We will talk about this in class. He must decide whom he will emulate: his father, Odysseus, or Philoctetes. What does he decide and why? Does the story he te lls Philoctetes seem plausible to you? What does it mean to be the son of Achilles? What makes him betray and then help Philoctetes?

Men: there are no female characters in this play. How does this absence affect the play's concerns? Is the masculinity of the cast significant?

The ending: Why does Philoctetes change his mind? What is Heracles (or his spirit) have to do with this? Do his words justify Odysseus ? (and where is Odysseus anyway?) Is the ending plausible to you?

General: Of the other Sophoclean dramas you have read, which one does Philoctetes most resemble? Or is it, in your experience, unique? This play also engages on of the great controversies of its time, one which will sound familiar to you: natu re vs. nurture. Are people noble and good because of their familial lineage (their genes), or because of how they have been raised. We will discuss this in class. Look for indications of this debate in the text.