Nicholas Cameron Bayly13068297Dr Myer TaubDFK 210Theme 1By referring both to Hannah Arendt's "On Violence" and to Walter Benjamin's "Critique of Violence", how does the notion of Does violence manifest itself in theatrical terms in Sophocles? Antigone?TABLE OF CONTENTSCover Page -Introduction Page 3Conclusion Page 7Bibliography Page 8In this essay, I will explore the notions of violence in Sophocles' Antigone. In examining these notions, I will reference and explain both Hannah Arendt's “On Violence” and Walter Benjamin's “Critique of Violence.” With reference to these two political philosophers, key theories and terms related to violence are discussed and analyzed, and the play Antigone is examined in the context of these two essays. “On Violence” was an essay written by German-American Hannah Arendt (October 14, 1906 – December 4, 1975). Arendt was a political philosopher, prolific in the 1960s, she mainly covered topics related to totalitarianism, patriarchy and politics. The essay “On Violence” explored views on violence, force, authority, power, and force. Through this essay, she aimed to clarify and distinguish the points mentioned above, and to understand them. His goal was to break down the theory into philosophical and academic terms; something she said was not done adequately at the time. (Arendt, 1972) Arendt primarily considered notions of violence in terms of the political domain. Politics is a constant struggle for power; according to which the ultimate type of power is indeed violence. Greek society and the play Antigone are perfect representations of this. The play Antigone frequently deals with the power of rule and middle of paper...... The question of whether violence can be considered moral to achieve a just end is difficult to answer. Jurisprudence is called into question when attempting to justify violent means to achieve an end. Benjamin follows a Kantian model. He does not condone, defend or encourage violence, but analyzes it. When it comes to the law, he sees violence as the key. In terms of severity, the law is always linked to a latent violent principle. Violence is seen as natural and self-perpetuating. It is not possible to separate law from violence. Hannah Arendt's views on violence and Walter Benjamin's critiques of those views both find equal footing in Sophecle's Antigone. The notions of violence prevalent in Antigone are easily broken down and analyzed according to the theories of Arendts and Benjamins. Theories of violence, power and law according to different philosophies are applicable and relevant.