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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.

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