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Sophocles, who lived between 496 and 406 BC, was motivated to write a dramatic trilogy about the battle of men against fate over the myths surrounding the royal house of Thebes.
King Oedipus tells the story of a man who brings illnesses to Thebes as punishment for crimes he doesn’t know he has committed and then inflicts severe punishment on himself.
It is a heartbreaking portrait of a tyrant brought down by his oath and contains important insights into the human condition.
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Antigone describes the downfall of the next generation through the conflict between a young woman ruled by her conscience and a king who trusts his authority too much.
Oedipus at Colonus provides a fitting conclusion to the life of the old, blinded king, while Oedipus at Colonus provides a fitting conclusion to the life of the old, blinded king.
Included with EF Watling’s translation is a brilliant introduction exploring the key ideas of the plays, the role of the chorus, and the customs and staging of Greek tragedy.
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For more than seventy years, Penguin has maintained its position as the preeminent publisher of canonical literature in the English-speaking world market. With more than 1,700 volumes, Penguin Classics is a global bookshelf of the most important and influential works from all periods, literary traditions, academic fields, and other categories.
Readers have faith that the series will offer authoritative texts that have been supplemented by introductions and commentaries written by renowned scholars and modern authors, as well as updated translations by award-winning translators.
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