ANALYSIS OF MAJOR CHARACTERS
Philoctetes:
Perhaps due to his years of solitude and seclusion, Philoctetes is a very stubborn character who is very set in his ways. He is rightfully angry for being stranded at Lemnos by his own people and channels all of his blame and hatred toward Odysseus. Unlike Neoptolemus, Philoctetes is not a particularly dynamic character as he does not demonstrate any real growth or change throughout the course of the play.
Philoctetes is a suffering man deserving of compassion (Hawkins, 1999), but his refusal of engagement is an unusual characteristic for the Greeks of which Sophocles did not approve (Harsh, 1960). His self-interest has the power to negatively affect everyone in the story; if he returns home, his own suffering will continue unabated, he will cause not only himself but also Neoptolemus to be viewed as a traitor, and the Greeks will likely fail to realize a victory at Troy (Tessitore, 2003). Philoctetes' temper and selfishness in many ways resembles the portrayal of Achilles in Homer's Iliad. Apart from society, he is weak and disabled, destined to be whole only when he again becomes an active participant in society (Harsh, 1960).
Odysseus:
Despite being the hero of other Greek accounts, Odysseus appears to take on the role of antagonist (Hawkins, 1999) in this story. He serves a sort of mentor and educator to young Neoptolemus, but his manipulative ways and persuasive words have a corrupting effect on him, convincing him to lie and scheme. Odysseus desires victory above all else (Tessitore, 2003) and is willing to use whatever kind of deceit is necessary to achieve it. In his words, he is by a nature "a man who needs to win in everything" (Sophocles, 409 B.C.E./2012, 1400).
One redeeming quality of Odysseus is that his words do suggest that he is truly concerned about the fate of his city (Tessitore, 2003). His actions, although devious and underhanded, are consist with advancing the good of the Greek society; however, they are not entirely selfless since his own welfare is inextricably bound with that of the Greeks (Tessitore, 2003). Needless to say, he has no problems sacrificing individuals (as when he abandoned Philoctetes) or principles (as with Neoptolemus' honesty) in order to accomplish his goals. Instead, he looks to general welfare as the only relevant standard for human action (Tessitore, 2003). As he states, "when what you do brings benefits, you should not hesitate" (Sophocles, 409 B.C.E./2012, 135).
Neoptolemus:
Although the play is named for Philoctetes, Neoptolemus is truly the central character of this play, which is a study in evolving moral character (Hawkins, 1999). Throughout the play, Neoptolemus is confronted with situations that require him to make important choices, each one "following logically the one before it and paving the way for the one to come, in a moral and psychological sense" (Gelin, 1959, p. 9).
The son of the mighty Achilles, Neoptolemus is frequently reminded of his obligation to be true to his noble nature; however, his youth renders him quite impressionable and also makes him subject to the demands of the cunning Odysseus, his senior in both age and rank. Neoptolemus' integrity become a focal point almost immediately when Odysseus approaches him with the idea of deceiving Philoctetes. The fact that Odysseus must appeal to his sense of duty in order to overcome Neoptelmus' reservations about lying immediately reveals him as a morally upright character, placing him at odds with the rather deceitful Odysseus. This fact is repeatedly emphasized through comments about Neoptolemus' character, including Odysseus' acknowledgment that his "nature is not fit to make up lies or speak deceitful things" (Sophocles, 409 B.C.E./2012, 95).
Throughout the story, Neoptolemus must make a total of nine decisions. Although the first four of these decisions are unscrupulous, his conscience eventually leads him to do the right thing, returning Philoctetes' bow and attempting to follow through on his promise to take him home. He exhibits extreme courage in standing up to Odysseus; however, his actions are somewhat self-serving. Neoptolemus is ultimately seeking personal honor (Harsh, 1960), striving initially to attain it through aiding the Greeks' war efforts but eventually valuing the mutually exclusive honor of his reputation and integrity more.
Perhaps due to his years of solitude and seclusion, Philoctetes is a very stubborn character who is very set in his ways. He is rightfully angry for being stranded at Lemnos by his own people and channels all of his blame and hatred toward Odysseus. Unlike Neoptolemus, Philoctetes is not a particularly dynamic character as he does not demonstrate any real growth or change throughout the course of the play.
Philoctetes is a suffering man deserving of compassion (Hawkins, 1999), but his refusal of engagement is an unusual characteristic for the Greeks of which Sophocles did not approve (Harsh, 1960). His self-interest has the power to negatively affect everyone in the story; if he returns home, his own suffering will continue unabated, he will cause not only himself but also Neoptolemus to be viewed as a traitor, and the Greeks will likely fail to realize a victory at Troy (Tessitore, 2003). Philoctetes' temper and selfishness in many ways resembles the portrayal of Achilles in Homer's Iliad. Apart from society, he is weak and disabled, destined to be whole only when he again becomes an active participant in society (Harsh, 1960).
Odysseus:
Despite being the hero of other Greek accounts, Odysseus appears to take on the role of antagonist (Hawkins, 1999) in this story. He serves a sort of mentor and educator to young Neoptolemus, but his manipulative ways and persuasive words have a corrupting effect on him, convincing him to lie and scheme. Odysseus desires victory above all else (Tessitore, 2003) and is willing to use whatever kind of deceit is necessary to achieve it. In his words, he is by a nature "a man who needs to win in everything" (Sophocles, 409 B.C.E./2012, 1400).
One redeeming quality of Odysseus is that his words do suggest that he is truly concerned about the fate of his city (Tessitore, 2003). His actions, although devious and underhanded, are consist with advancing the good of the Greek society; however, they are not entirely selfless since his own welfare is inextricably bound with that of the Greeks (Tessitore, 2003). Needless to say, he has no problems sacrificing individuals (as when he abandoned Philoctetes) or principles (as with Neoptolemus' honesty) in order to accomplish his goals. Instead, he looks to general welfare as the only relevant standard for human action (Tessitore, 2003). As he states, "when what you do brings benefits, you should not hesitate" (Sophocles, 409 B.C.E./2012, 135).
Neoptolemus:
Although the play is named for Philoctetes, Neoptolemus is truly the central character of this play, which is a study in evolving moral character (Hawkins, 1999). Throughout the play, Neoptolemus is confronted with situations that require him to make important choices, each one "following logically the one before it and paving the way for the one to come, in a moral and psychological sense" (Gelin, 1959, p. 9).
The son of the mighty Achilles, Neoptolemus is frequently reminded of his obligation to be true to his noble nature; however, his youth renders him quite impressionable and also makes him subject to the demands of the cunning Odysseus, his senior in both age and rank. Neoptolemus' integrity become a focal point almost immediately when Odysseus approaches him with the idea of deceiving Philoctetes. The fact that Odysseus must appeal to his sense of duty in order to overcome Neoptelmus' reservations about lying immediately reveals him as a morally upright character, placing him at odds with the rather deceitful Odysseus. This fact is repeatedly emphasized through comments about Neoptolemus' character, including Odysseus' acknowledgment that his "nature is not fit to make up lies or speak deceitful things" (Sophocles, 409 B.C.E./2012, 95).
Throughout the story, Neoptolemus must make a total of nine decisions. Although the first four of these decisions are unscrupulous, his conscience eventually leads him to do the right thing, returning Philoctetes' bow and attempting to follow through on his promise to take him home. He exhibits extreme courage in standing up to Odysseus; however, his actions are somewhat self-serving. Neoptolemus is ultimately seeking personal honor (Harsh, 1960), striving initially to attain it through aiding the Greeks' war efforts but eventually valuing the mutually exclusive honor of his reputation and integrity more.