Sophocles Utilization of Limitation in Time and Space to Increase Pressure on the Characters in
the Dramatic World
Drama is like a mirror that portrays real life. It should be selective and intensive since it usually lasts for not more than three hours. Also, the space is another thing to be considered. The stage is so small that it will be difficult to depict real life in a sense. Thus, no matter how a drama tries to near its scenes to real life, it is inevitable to eliminate some events to encapsulate the whole story. This problem is not new to dramatic world. There are really limitations in time and space that needed to be dealt with. The problem begins not today but had been existed even in times of memorial. Dramatists before worked hard to conquer or at least adjust to these limitations. One of which is Sophocles (406-496 BCE). He is coined as the greatest classical dramatist who was responsible for the several improvements in the presentations of drama. More likely, his extensive portrays of characters in usually tragic incidents devout much of his work in uneven pressure and succumbing adrenaline. His common theme or subject, which is tragedy, is matched with fine adjustments of time and space. These over-all intensify the whole plots of events. Sophocles makes use of space by focusing only to single plot. By not changing the background to fit the different scenarios in a drama, Sophocles maintains this integral plot. To do so, he needs indoor actions to get done and violence being reported. One good example of this is Oedipus Rex. In this drama, the hanging of Jocasta, which I believe is indispensable in the curve of events and shift of intensity of the story, has not been intentionally shown. In the aim perhaps of Sophocles to minimize the change of backgrounds, the death of Jocasta has been known only through a messenger. But as we can see, the implication brought by the messenger nearly equals to the scene that could actually show the hanging. The technique used in indirectly developing complicated events in the story leads to vicarious sensations that can be only unnerving. The limited space added pressures to the characters by their prolonged monologue in describing the scenes which are not deliberately shown. The pressure hence is transferred to the characters in order to prove and convince the audience that there was the actual killing. Failing to do this of course may lessen the conceivable reality of the drama. The averments of the characters the vocal inflections and bodily gestures, in my purview should be the strength of the drama; thus equating such to the pressure put on the characters. Their facial expressions and poetic articulations need to be equipped in a level high enough to overcome the deficit in space. In case of the time element, Sophocles is believed to be very critical in choosing of events that are to be included and stringent enough in eliminating scenarios that are apparently less contributing to the over-all framework of the drama. Again in Oedipus Rex, he used this trimming of events to qualify the story in a time frame adapted to audience. The scene of Jocasta being hung, and Oedipus having gorged his eyes were removed from the story. Some told that they were too gruesome, and certainly impossible to act. Although this reason seems to be widely accepted, it is not fair still to set aside the possibility that Sophocles removed such for the sake of conciseness. We can see here that the scenes which were cut are not small scenes for one to get rid of in light of understanding the whole drama. They are in fact necessary so as one can have the complete grasp of its message. The removal of these scenes equally again put the stress on the characters for them to orient the audience about such. In a way, I can say that they should be that good enough to catch the loopholes of the story. In all, time and space are two drama elements that needed to be handled in great intricacy. Their limitations shifts pressures to the characters, to which, the burden needs to be justified by the same. Cutting short the story and limiting the scenes are like hindrances that oblige the cast itself to forcefully overcome. With good characterization, these onstesible hindrances are to be conquered. It would be much more understood if the cast express unequivocally the same to the audience.
Reference Ofulue, Christine et al. Elements of Drama. Victoria Island, Lagos: National Open University of Nigeria, 2008. Web.