48 used from �0.99

Have one to sell? Sell yours here

The Three Theban Plays: 'Antigone', 'Oedipus the King', 'Oedipus at Colonus' (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

by Sophocles (Author), Bernard Knox (Introduction), Robert Fagles (Translator) "In the sixth and fifth centuries before the birth of Christ an ancient civilization reached such heights of intellectual and artistic achievement that every succeeding..." (more)

4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.

48 used from �0.99

Other Editions:	RRP:	Our Price:	Other Offers:
Hardcover			Order it used
Paperback			3 used & new from �10.70
Library Binding (Reprint)			2 used & new from �55.49
Unknown Binding			Order it used

Special Offers and Product Promotions

Buy the UK edition of Three Theban Plays

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Oresteia (Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, The Eumenides) Classics S.

by Aeschylus

4.5 out of 5 stars (2) �5.17

Medea and Other Plays : Medea; Hecabe; Electra; Heracles (Penguin Classics)

by Euripides

4.0 out of 5 stars (10) �5.06

The Bacchae and Other Plays (Penguin Classics)

by Euripides

4.0 out of 5 stars (1) �6.46

The Aeneid (Penguin Classics)

by Virgil

3.6 out of 5 stars (5) �5.63

The Odyssey (Penguin Classics)

by Homer

4.6 out of 5 stars (16) �5.97

› Explore similar items

Product details

Paperback: 430 pages
Publisher: Penguin (26 April 1984)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0140444254
ISBN-13: 978-0140444254
Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.7 x 2.5 cm

Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 13,421 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Popular in these categories:

#1 in	Books > Music, Stage & Screen > Performing Arts > Plays & Drama > Ancient Greek & Roman
#1 in	Books > Poetry, Drama & Criticism > History & Criticism > Drama & Dramatists > Classical, Early & Medieval
#1 in	Books > Poetry, Drama & Criticism > Drama > By Period > Classical, Early & Medieval

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

See Complete Table of Contents

Product Description

Free when packaged with any Damrosch World Literature title.

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.

Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
In the sixth and fifth centuries before the birth of Christ an ancient civilization reached such heights of intellectual and artistic achievement that every succeeding period of Western culture, from the Roman Empire to the twentieth century, has been heavily in its debt, whether acknowledged or not. Read the first page

Explore More
Concordance

Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

(What's this?)

Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.

greek tragedy(1)

See all 2 tags...

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	75% buy the item featured on this page: The Three Theban Plays: 'Antigone', 'Oedipus the King', 'Oedipus at Colonus' (Penguin Classics) 4.6 out of 5 stars (8)
	9% buy Medea and Other Plays : Medea; Hecabe; Electra; Heracles (Penguin Classics) 4.0 out of 5 stars (10) �5.06
	6% buy The Oresteia (Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, The Eumenides) Classics S. 4.5 out of 5 stars (2) �5.17
	5% buy The Aeneid (Penguin Classics) 3.6 out of 5 stars (5) �5.63

Explore similar items

Customer Reviews

8 Reviews

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.6 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You must read Oedipus once in your life!, 26 Jul 2006

By	Roman Clodia (London) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

A seminal work of both literature and theatre, Oedipus still haunts us. Academics argue still over the 'meaning' of Oedipus: is he guilty? is he simply blind? what's the truth of the relationship between him and his mother Jocasta? If we could ever answer all these questions the play would lose its power and drop out of the canon. Read it in this excellent translation and make up your own mind.

Antigone has been reinterpreted repeatedly: as a feminist play, as a play about political oppression, as a play about a dysfunctional family. Antigone may be a difficult character to sympathise with or understand, but the poetry of the drama excels even that of Oedipus (especially the eerie, haunting 'hymn to Dionysus').

More human than Aeschylus, more stately than Euripides, the greatest tragedy is that only seven of Sophocles plays have come donw to us, and these 2 are the best.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shocking, gripping . . . , 29 Mar 2007

By	Lance Richardson (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

I had read - and dismissed - Antigone in high school. Like many of the books I dismissed in my adolescence, it's actually heartbreakingly brilliant. Fagles' translation is beautiful and moving, contemporizing the language without destroying meaning or stretching plausibility to cater for short-attention spans. I found myself circling passages and it's not even part of my University reading list this semester. Reading something like these plays really reminds you how absolutely desolate Hollywood and Theatreland have become these days - almost nothing compares with Sophocles, and even the best of modern literature owes so much to the ancient masters that reading them inevitably changes the way you read everything else. Who can blame Freud for feeling so inspired?
As for Bernard Knox's introductions, I found they ellucidated the subtle nuances of the plays and enriched my reading experience, all while being riveting reads on their own. Perhaps even worth the price of the book alone, particularly the one introducing Oedipus the King.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poetic and harrowing, 23 Mar 2005

By	G. Watson (Glasgow, UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Many readers would dismiss classical literature as staid and impenetrable. They couldn't be more wrong and this translation of the Theban Plays proves it. The powerful story of the destruction of a family is told with incredible pace and verve: Oedipus lacks awareness but longs for it and faces the blistering consequences of his straight questions; he and his daughter Antigone are reduced to homelessness and poverty; Antigone, alone eventually, is criminalized for her refusal to compromise to state law. These dramas of individuals facing the often irreversible consequences of their uncompromising actions will always be relevant. This touching, powerful translation in contemporary English is the most accessible to new readers.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 8 customer reviews...

Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Good but...
While acknowledging the craftmanship of Prof. Fagles in translating those classics there are some problems with his "contemporary" english. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Fmg Sarah

4.0 out of 5 stars Not nice reading, but worth it!
Like one of the other reviewers of this book, I only read it because I was studying it at school. However, like them, I came to appreciate the book on its own merits. Read more

Published on 27 May 2003 by j-claxton

5.0 out of 5 stars The greatest plays by any ancient author
These three plays are the best you'll come across. The finest tragedies ever written.They are also quite controversial for todays standards with some complex inbreeding. Read more

Published on 4 April 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Collection!
I'm studying two of the plays from this book and I find them facinating. They've lost none of their impact over the centuries, and are very accessible to the casual reader. Read more

Published on 21 Jan 2001

› See all 8 customer reviews...

.jsOffDisplayBlock { display: block; } .jsOffDisplayInline { display: inline; } .jsOffVisibility { visibility: visible; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jsOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jqOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jqOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jqOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jqOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jqOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; }