Oedipus tyrannus, electra, and antigone of sophocles. D read sophocles books like the oedipus cycle and oedipus trilogy for free with a. The play oedipus at colonus takes place between the action of oedipus the king and of antigone. Among them only the theban plays that feature the life and legacy of oedipus survive. A summary of antigone, lines 1416 in sophocless the oedipus plays. Sophocles antigone comes alive in this new translation that will be useful for academic study and stage production.
His last recorded act was to lead a chorus in public mourning for euripides. Thy palace altarsfledglings hardly winged, and greybeards bowed with years. Antigone is a tragedy by the ancient greek playwright sophocles, written around 442 bce. Sophocless other complete surviving works are electra, philoctetes. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of oedipus at colonus by sophocles.
Throughout his career, sophocles composed over one hundred twenty plays. Philadelphia, david mckay, c1897, also by edward brooks page images at hathitrust. Yea, oedipus, my sovereign lord and king, thou seest how both extremes of age besiege. Sophocles oedipus the king by sophocles nook book ebook. Read a plot overview of the entire play or a scene by scene summary and analysis. Oedipus the king, oedipus at colonus, and antigone are timeless works that continue to captivate audiences even today. Oedipus rex is a greek tragedy that tells the story of king oedipus of thebes, who is fated to kill his father and marry his mother thebes is struck by a plague that will. Tentatively dated to 445440 bce, ajax may be the earliest of sophocles seven surviving tragedies, perhaps performed a year or two before antigone. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of the oedipus plays and what it means. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Although it was written before sophocles other two theban plays, chronologically it comes after the stories in oedipus the king and oedipus at colonus, and it picks up. Learn from sophocles experts like sophocles and charles higgins, ph.
For thereby standing for honor and duty, oedipus appears to. Sophocless play oedipus rex has captivated drama enthusiasts and psychology scholars alike for. Oedipus goes from being a powerful and confident king at the beginning of the tragedy to being a blind beggar at the end. Antigone is an exciting and dramatic play and is the 3rd play in the oedipus rex series. It is thought that he won the first prize at the athenian festival eighteen times.
Elektra is a tragedy by the ancient greek playwright sophocles, probably dating from quite late in his career, around 410 bce or later. Oedipus rex also called oedipus tyrannus or oedipus the king, oedipus at colonus and antigone. See all books authored by sophocles, including the three theban plays. Unlike her father, however, antigone possesses a remarkable ability to remember the past.
She provides an analytical introduction and comprehensive notes, and the edition includes an essay by director karen libman. Created by the original team behind sparknotes, litcharts are the worlds best literature guides. The oedipus plays are plays by sophocles that were first performed in 429 bc. Ismene contends that though she loves polynices, she must follow the kings.
Oedipus oedipus unwittingly killed his father, laios, and married his own mother, iocaste. Oedipus rex study guide from litcharts the creators of. Play summary oedipus the king oedipus the king unfolds as a murder mystery, a political thriller, and a psychological whodunit. Oedipus rex, also known by its greek title, oedipus tyrannus or oedipus the king, is an. Antigone is very much her fathers daughter, and she begins her play with the same swift decisiveness with which oedipus began his. Remember that each play of the oedipus trilogy stands on its own. Its date is not known, but various stylistic similarities with the philoctetes 409 bc and the oedipus at colonus 401 bc lead scholars to suppose that it was written towards the end of sophocles career set in the city of argos a few years after the trojan war, it recounts the tale of electra and. All three plays concern the fate of thebes during and after the reign of king oedipus.
Creon, the new ruler of thebes, has decided that eteocles will be honored and polyneices will be in public shame. Sophocles most famous play sees its main character, who seems like hes got it all together, find out that hes killed. He was the son of sophilus, a wealthy arms manufacturer. Within the first fifty lines, she is planning to defy creons order and bury polynices. Oedipus has just passed away in colonus, and antigone and her sister decide to return to thebes with the intention of helping their brothers, eteocles and polyneices, avoid a prophecy that predicts they will kill each other in a battle for the throne of thebes. Oedipus, in greek mythology, the king of thebes who unwittingly killed his father and married his mother. It is based on the story of electra and her brother orestes, and the vengeance they take on their mother clytemnestra. After the bloody siege of thebes by polynices and his allies, the city stands unconquered. Antigone is perhaps the most classical of the greek tragedies or goatsongs. Sophocless extreme popularity at the dionysia lead to many elected positions within greek society and government, and in the. Antigone is the result of the accidentally incestuous marriage between king oedipus of thebes and his mother jocasta. In the beginning of the play, two brothers leading opposite sides in thebes civil war died fighting each other for the throne. This volume of antigone, oedipus the king, electra contains three masterpieces by the greek playwright sophocles, widely regarded since antiquity as the greatest of all the tragic poets.
Early on before he had reached the age of thirty, he had defeated his predecessor, aeschylus, at the annual dionysia. Homer related that oedipuss wife and mother hanged herself when the truth of their relationship became known, though oedipus apparently continued to rule at thebes until his death. Oedipus the king unfolds as a murder mystery, a political thriller, and a psychological whodunit. Oedipus, the banished king of greek mythology who killed his father and married his mother. Antigone picks up in the same uberdismal place that oedipus at colonus leaves off. Throughout this mythic story of patricide and incest, sophocles emphasizes the irony of a man determined to track down, expose, and punish an assassin, who turns out to be himself.
Oedipus the king, antigone, and oedipus at colonnus. Even though oedipus is dead, his curse is still destroying his remaining family. Antigone oedipus the king oedipus at colonus, and antigone, and more on. One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life.
It is based on the story of electra and her brother orestes, and the vengeance they take on their mother clytemnestra and stepfather aegisthus for. The rebel brothers body will not be sanctified by holy rites, and will lie unburied on the battlefield, prey for carrion animals like worms and vultures. Polynices and his brother eteocles, however, are both dead, killed by each other, according to the curse of oedipus, their father. Their successor, creon, decides that king eteocles will be buried, but. However, due to insufficient information, there are many differing views, with some placing its first performance after antigone, and. Best known are his three theban plays, antigone, oedipus rex, and oedipus at colonus. In the opening of the play, antigone brings ismene outside the city gates late at night for a secret meeting.
Antigone oedipus the king electra antigone oedipus the king electra, sophocles, edith hall editor, h. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of oedipus rex by sophocles. It was the second of sophocless three theban plays to be produced, but it comes first in the internal chronology, followed by oedipus at colonus and then antigone. Far from being a tortured artist working at the fringes of society, sophocles was among the most popular and wellrespected men of his day.
Antigone begins with the two sons of oedipus, eteocles and polyneices, who are fighting for. Oedipus rex includes everything associated with the form. Antigone and ismene are the sisters of the dead brothers, and they are now the last children of the illfated oedipus. Welcome to the litcharts study guide on sophocless oedipus rex. Sophocles is credited with writing over 120 plays, although only seven of those plays have survived antiquity, including electra, which was written near the end of his career, antigone, oedipus rex, and philoctetes.
Although often regarded as a trilogy, the plays were not originally intended as such, being written at widely different times, as part of sequences. Notes on sophocles oedipus the king, oedipus at colonus and antigone cliffs notes reissue edition by milch, robert j. When ismene timidly refuses to defy the king, antigone angrily rejects her and goes off alone to bury her brother. Throughout this mythic story of patricide and incest, sophocles. Although the stories of the three tragedies are connected, sophocles did not write them in. A concise biography of sophocles plus historical and literary context for oedipus rex. Antigone wants to bury polyneices body, in defiance of creons edict. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. He wrote approximately 123 plays including ajax, antigone, oedipus tyrannus, trachiniae, electra, philoctetes, and oedipus at colonus.
Diane rayors accurate yet accessible translation reflects the plays inherent theatricality. A summary of oedipus the king, lines 37 in sophocless the oedipus plays. Oedipus the king, also known by the latin title oedipus rex, is an athenian tragedy by sophocles that was first performed c. Oedipus at colonus is one of the three theban plays written by ancient greek. With the character of antigone, the reader of the oedipus trilogy might get a false impression of watching a young girl grow up, as in a novel or a true series of related plays. He served as a treasurer and general for athens when it was expanding its empire and influence. Electra study guide from litcharts the creators of. Oedipus, 1990 by hermann nitsch oedipus was a mythical greek king of thebes. Electra examines a blood for blood revenge code and asks whether this is a satisfying approach to justice. The vivid translations, which combine elegance and modernity, are remarkable for their. Summary oedipus the king, lines 37 summary oedipus steps out of the royal palace of thebes and is greeted by a procession of priests, who are in turn surrounded by the impoverished and sorrowful citizens of thebes.
A person murders, someone murders her for vengeance, so then the new murderer must be murdered for vengeance, and so on. Antigone is a tragedy written by sophocles in the year 441 bce and is a play about the aftermath of a civil war in which the two sons of oedipus, eteocles and polyneices, kill each other, where. The vivid translations, which combine elegance and modernity, are remarkable for their lucidity and. The problem, tautologically evident, is that blood for blood is a neverending chain. Learn about sophocles antigone and how it explored the topics of civil. The play opens with antigone trying to convince her sister, during a secret meeting, to help her bury polyneices body, transgressing creons edict. Kitto translator this volume contains three masterpieces by the greek playwright sophocles, widely regarded since antiquity as the greatest of all the tragic poets. Oedipus is wandering the world in desolation but refuses to assent to his son polyneices and his request to take action against creon.
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