Women of Trachis Essay
In Sophocles’ Women of Trachis, who is responsible for Heracles’ death? Note: that an important part of your response to this question will be to discuss the extent to which Heracles may be responsible for his own destruction, through his nature as a traditional hero.
It could be argued that none of the characters in "Women of Trachis" are essentially and solely responsible for the death of Sophocles’ character Heracles. It is simply human error and the innate qualities of a tragic hero and heroine. All the same, one could justify that the characters could have foreseen the impact of their actions or perhaps that the disastrous end of Heracles was inevitable as it was the prediction of the oracle (Women of Trachis ll.77-82). In the first instance, the character Deianira’s role in the death of her husband will be examined. Although she sent the fatal love token that would result in his death, she means no harm by her actions. Upon reviewing her actions from this angle we can see it was an act of innocence, not out of malicious homicide intent. There will also be consideration that perhaps it was Heracles’ actions that first began the cycle of destruction for his family, and he is ultimately to blame for everyone’s downfall; “we see the imagery of Heracles the monster-killer, is himself a monster” and possibly Heracles is a threat to society as well as endangering the victims of his lust.
Although at first appearance it is easy to blame Deianira as the one responsible for the death of her husband Heracles, as she was the one who smeared the blood of Nessus on his tunic and sent it to him. However, at the outset of the play we realize her vulnerability and deepest fears of losing her husband. Achelous the river-god haunted her with horrifying images of masculinity, appallingly disturbing to a young innocent girl, as Deianira says in scene 1,
My hand was sought by the river god Achelous,
Who took three shapes when he asked my father to make
Me his:
It could be argued that none of the characters in "Women of Trachis" are essentially and solely responsible for the death of Sophocles’ character Heracles. It is simply human error and the innate qualities of a tragic hero and heroine. All the same, one could justify that the characters could have foreseen the impact of their actions or perhaps that the disastrous end of Heracles was inevitable as it was the prediction of the oracle (Women of Trachis ll.77-82). In the first instance, the character Deianira’s role in the death of her husband will be examined. Although she sent the fatal love token that would result in his death, she means no harm by her actions. Upon reviewing her actions from this angle we can see it was an act of innocence, not out of malicious homicide intent. There will also be consideration that perhaps it was Heracles’ actions that first began the cycle of destruction for his family, and he is ultimately to blame for everyone’s downfall; “we see the imagery of Heracles the monster-killer, is himself a monster” and possibly Heracles is a threat to society as well as endangering the victims of his lust.
Although at first appearance it is easy to blame Deianira as the one responsible for the death of her husband Heracles, as she was the one who smeared the blood of Nessus on his tunic and sent it to him. However, at the outset of the play we realize her vulnerability and deepest fears of losing her husband. Achelous the river-god haunted her with horrifying images of masculinity, appallingly disturbing to a young innocent girl, as Deianira says in scene 1,
My hand was sought by the river god Achelous,
Who took three shapes when he asked my father to make
Me his:
Bibliography: 4. Sorum, Christina E. Monsters and the Family: A study of Sophocles’ Trachiniae. Place of publication unknown: University Microfilms, 1978/9. Pages 59-73 5 [ 2 ]. Davies, Gilbert A, M.A. The Trachiniae of Sophocles with a commentary abridged from the larger edition of Sir Richard C. Jebb, Litt.d. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1921. page xxiv [ 3 ]