The Theban Plays: King Oedipus, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone

by Sophocles, E.F. Watling (Translator), E.V. Rieu (Editor)

Greek Studies, Literary Studies.

Mass Market Paperback

Published January 1, 1959

About the author

Sophocles (497/496 BC-406/405 BC), (Greek: Σοφοκλής ; German: Sophokles , Russian: Софокл , French: Sophocle , Catalan: Sòfocles ) was an ancient Greek tragedian, known as one of three from whom at least one play has survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or contemporary with, those of Aeschylus; and earlier than, or contemporary with, those of Euripides. Sophocles wrote over 120 plays, but only seven have survived in a complete form: Ajax, Antigone, Women of Trachis, Oedipus Rex, Electra, Philoctetes, and Oedipus at Colonus. For almost fifty years, Sophocles was the most celebrated playwright in the dramatic competitions of the city-state of Athens which took place during the religious festivals of the Lenaea and the Dionysia. He competed in thirty competitions, won twenty-four, and was never judged lower than second place. Aeschylus won thirteen competitions, and was sometimes defeated by Sophocles; Euripides won four.
The most famous tragedies of Sophocles feature Oedipus and Antigone: they are generally known as the Theban plays, though each was part of a different tetralogy (the other members of which are now lost). Sophocles influenced the development of drama, most importantly by adding a third actor (attributed to Sophocles by Aristotle; to Aeschylus by Themistius), thereby reducing the importance of the chorus in the presentation of the plot. He also developed his characters to a greater extent than earlier playwrights.

Reviews

[Brooklynn Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oedipus you silly guy🤭

Moral of the story, don’t sleep with your mom!

[Kaitlin Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Umm maybe next time don’t kill your dad and marry your mom…just a thought

[Afnan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Het is echt leuk, de stukken zijn allemaal in wat ouder Engels, maar het is echt wel goed te doen, een beetje Shakespeare-ish. Maar aangezien t niet niet is enz, kom je er toch wel makkelijk doorheen.

[Jaga · Rating 4 out of 5]

the translator cooked and also antigone kinda fucks, surprised willy shakes didn't try to adapt it and absorb it into one of his plays cause it's got the same vibe, or maybe that's just the vibe of works that get adapted by scholars. not sure. star taken off for this book kicking me into a conversation about ulysses

[caity ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

really loved the story but struggled with the translation, I think I might give Fagles’ translation a go and see if I like it better

[Lady Macbeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where do I begin? Shall I keep this short?
I have already lined out my thoughts on the individual plays.

Here are my favourite things:

- the character of Antigone
- the character of Teiresias
- the chorus

- the frequent mythological references
- the oracle of Delphi
- the different names to allude to gods
- the mentions of altars and worshipping of gods

- the philosophical question of whether we have free will or
everything is decided for us
- whether man can redeem himself
- if it is worth it to go against the law to preserve one's own morals

- insight into ancient greek plays -> this was my first (i
believe)
- learning more about ancient greek mythology and history
- geographical mentions

[Laetitia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gelezen voor drama. Was gaaf om voor het eerst Sophokles te lezen. Mooie, indrukwekkend teksten die je aan het denken zetten. In sommige stukken merk je wel dat de oude Grieken toch wel een andere denkwereld hadden dan wij nu.
Ik vond twee stukken over Oedipus wel een beetje te veel van het goede. Op een gegeven moment weten we wel hoe tragisch slecht het met hem gaat. Gelukkig was het steeds op het einde dan toch wel weer interessant. En je leest zo’n toneelstuk ook wel snel even uit.

[Jarl Riskjell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful translations of a deeply profound and tragic "trilogy" of plays. In this books contains the entire story of Oedipus - his rise, his fall, his redemption, and his legacy.

We are presented with deeply human stories, each teaching us valuable lessons on fate, responsibility, values, love, family, and piety.

The Greeks rarely disappoint, and The Theban Plays acts as a great introduction to Greek and classical theatre. Heavy recommend.

[Desca Ang]

My review is written on my #bookstagram account The Theban Plays by Sopocles reviewed by @descanto1

[Riley Dagg · Rating 4 out of 5]

168 pages

[Sprout · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it perfect father daughter story.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read these in high school. I have no idea which translation we read.

[William LaMonica · Rating 4 out of 5]

No!!! Who would have thought???

[Trevor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic and enduring. Especially loved Polynices/Oedipus' and Haemon/Creon's dialogues.