Product Description

The legends surrounding the royal house of Thebes inspired Sophocles to create a powerful trilogy of mankind's struggle aginst fate. KING OEDIPUS tells of a man who brings pestilence to Thebes for crimes he doesn't realise he has committed, and then inflicts a brutal punishment on himself. It is a devastating portrayl of a ruler brought down by his own oath. OEDIPUS AT COLONUS provides a fitting conclusion to the life of the aged and blinded king, while ANTIGONE depicts the fall of the next generation through the conflict between a young woman ruled by her conscience and a king too confident in his own authority.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #77539 in Books
• Published on: 2003-06-26
• Original language: Greek
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 176 pages

About the Author
Sophocles was born in 496 BC. His long life spanned the rise and decline of the Athenian Empire. He wrote over a hundred plays, many of which are published as Penguin Classics, drawing on a wide and varied range of themes. E.F. Watling translated a range of Greek and Roman plays for Penguin, including the seven plays of Sophocles and the tragedies of Seneca.

Customer Reviews

Excellent and poetic
Each section is well translated using poetic language that is inspirational to performers. Every word encapsulates the reader and allows them to follow the plot with ease.
Antigone is the best of the three as it is the struggle of a woman to overcome the strength of a king who feels that his ruling is more powerful than the Gods'. It is emotive and forces empathy to seep into the audience.
Overall it is excellent.
The chorus expresses the story and shows the audience the fate of man. The choric interludes are poetic and beautiful on their own but add meanig to the plays.