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The Three Theban Plays: 'Antigone', 'Oedipus the King', 'Oedipus at Colonus' (Penguin Classics)
 
 
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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)
4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

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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
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7 Reviews
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4.9 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

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 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

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