Towering over the rest of Greek tragedy, the three plays that tell the story of the fated Theban royal family—Antigone, Oedipus the King and Oedipus at Colonus—are among the most enduring and timeless dramas ever written.
In Oedipus the King, the mighty ruler of Thebes falls into staggering misfortune and misery. In Oedipus at Colonus, after wandering in exile for years, the former king is vindicated by the gods just before death, but his children go on to suffer a tragic fate in Antigone.
Robert Fagles's authoritative and acclaimed translation conveys all of Sophocles's lucidity and power: the cut and thrust of his dialogue, his ironic edge, the surge and majesty of his choruses and, above all, the agonies and triumphs of his characters. This Penguin Classics edition features an introduction and notes by the renowned classicist Bernard Knox.
“There was the girl, screaming like an angry bird,
When it finds its nest left empty and little ones gone." - Sentry, Antigone
“May the dead forgive me, I can do no other
But as I am commanded; to do more is madness." - Ismene, Antigone
“Hail the sun! the brightest of all that ever
Dawned on the City of Seven Gates, City of Thebes!
Hail the golden dawn over Dirce's river
Rising to speed the flight of the white invaders
Homeward in full retreat!" - Chorus, Antigone
“There is no more deadly peril than disobedience;
States are devoured by it, homes laid in ruins,
Armies defeated, victory turned to rout.
White simple obedience saves the lives of hundreds
Of honest folk." - Creon, Antigone
“Money! Money's the curse of man, none greater.
That's what wrecks cities, banishes men from homes,
Tempts and deludes the most well-meaning soul,
Pointing out the way to infamy and shame." - Creon, Antigone
“May the dead forgive me, I can do no other
But as I am commanded; to do more is madness." - Ismene, Antigone
“I am determined that never, if I can help it,
Shall evil triumph over good." - Creon, Antigone
Sophocles (ca. 496–406/5 BCE) was one of the three great fifth-century Athenian tragic dramatists, along with Aeschylus and Euripides, and a leading figure in Athenian public life. He wrote around 120 plays, seven of which survive. He competed in the City Dionysia for the first time in 468 BCE, defeating the old master Aeschylus. This was the first of his 18 victories, and he was never placed lower than second. He was thus by far the most successful fifth-century tragedian in his own lifetime...
Sophocles grew up in the town of Colonus, just outside Athens which was the setting of his tragedy Oedipus at Colonus. His father, Sophillus, thought to have been a wealthy nobleman, sent his son to Athens for an education.
In 443/2 Sophocles was hellanotamis or treasurer of the Greeks and managed, with 9 others, the treasury of the Delian League. During the Samian War (441-439) and the Archidamian War (431-421) Sophocles was strategos 'general'. In 413/2, he was one of the board of 10 probouloi or commissioners in charge of the council.
Sophocles was a priest of Halon and helped introduce the cult of Asclepius, god of medicine, to Athens. He was honored posthumously as a hero.
